A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Lennock, George Gustavus
LENNOCK. (Captain, 1814. f-p., 29; h-p., 29.)
George Gustavus Lennock entered the Navy, in April, 1789, as Captain’s Servant, on board the Blanche frigate, Capt. Robt. Murray, with whom he was for three years employed in the West Indies, latterly in the capacity of Midshipman. Returning to the same station (after he had been for a short time attached on Home service to the Juno 32, Capt. Sam. Hood) in the Veteran 64, Capt. Chas. Edm. Nugent, he there co-operated in the reduction of the French Islands, and afterwards joined the Boyne 98, flag-ship of Sir John Jervis. He was made Lieutenant, 8 May, 1795, into the Shark sloop, Capt. John O’Brien, at Newfoundland; and was subsequently appointed – 11 Nov. 1795, to the Assistance 50, Capt. Henry Mowat, under whom he witnessed the capture, 28 Aug. 1796, of the French 36-gun frigate Elisabeth, off Cape Henry – 21 April, 1798, to the Resolution 74, bearing the flag at Halifax of Vice-Admiral Vandeput – 11 Aug. following, to the Asia 64, Capts. Robt. Murray and John Dawson, employed, until the peace, on the same station and in the Baltic and North Sea – 28 Sept. 1802, to the Ambuscade alias Seine 36, Capts. Hon. John Colville and David Atkins, in one of whose boats, on his return to the West Indies, he was severely wounded in an attempt to cut a privateer out from St. Jago [1] – and in 1805-6, to the acting-command of the Shark, Drake, and Mignonne sloops, on the Jamaica station. While in the latter vessel Mr. Lennock was confirmed a Commander by commission dated 6 Aug. 1806. He returned to England, after having further had command of the Musette and Moselle sloops, in Feb. 1809; and was next, in Oct. of that year, appointed to the Raven 16, attached to the force in the North Sea. On 3 July, 1812, in face of the enemy’s fleet at Flushing, and under the very guns of that enemy’s forts, Capt. Lennock made a dashing attack on 14 brigs (each armed with 3 or 4 long 24-pounders) and drove three of them on shore. His .quickness, indeed, in deciding upon this exploit, and his skill and spirit in executing it, obtained him very high approbation.[2] His last appointment was, 21 Jan. 1814, to the Esk corvette, of 20 guns; in which vessel we find him continuously employed off the Canary Islands, and in the Channel and South America, until paid off in Dec. 1818. During the earlier part of that period Capt. Lennock (whose Post commission bears date 4 June, 1814) effected the capture of the Sine-quâ-non American privateer, of 7 guns and 81 men, and fought a smart action, off Teneriffe, with two other American vessels, the Grampus and Terpsichore. He accepted the Retirement 1 Oct. 1846.
Capt. Lennock married, in 1829, Anna, eldest daughter of J. Walker, Esq., of Crawford Town, by whom he has issue.