A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Lye, William Jones
LYE. (Rear-Admiral of the Blue, 1841. f-p., 18; h-p., 33)
William Jones Lye was born 9 June, 1783, and died 7 March, 1846, at Bath. He was brother of Capt. Leigh Lye, who served throughout the Peninsular war and at Waterloo in the 11th Dragoons.
This officer entered the Navy, 5 Aug. 1795, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Formidable 98, Capts. Berkeley and Murray, bearing the flag in the Channel of Sir Roger Curtis. In 1799, after he had cruized with that Admiral off the coast of Ireland, and off Cadiz and Gibraltar, as Midshipman of the Prince 98, he sailed with him in the Lancaster 64, for the Cape of Good Hope, where, on 12 Sept. 1801, he was nominated Acting-Lieutenant of the Tremendous 74, Capt. John Osborn. While in that ship, to which he was confirmed 15 Jan. 1802, we find him commanding a boat at the destruction of a vessel under the enemy’s forts on the Isle of France. On 19 March and 26 May, 1805, Mr. Lye successively assumed the acting-command of the Cornwallis 44, and Rattlesnake 18; and on 22 May, 1806 (having been officially appointed to the latter vessel on 31 of the preceding Jan.), he was posted into the Bombay, alias Ceylon, 32.[1] Removing, in April, 1810, to the Doris 36, he was intrusted, in the course of that year, with the conduct of two expeditions that sailed from Madras and Bombay for the Mauritius and Bourbon; and he afterwarde, in Dec. 1810 and Sept. 1811, took part in the operations which led to the reduction of the islands of France and Java. On the former occasion he commanded a division of boats at the landing of the army. At Java he had charge, at first, of a small blockading squadron. After its subjugation he was for some time Senior officer at Batavia. He returned to England with Sir Sam. Hood’s despatches (having been upwards of 13 years absent on the Cape of Good Hope and East India stations), and was paid off in Dec. 1812. The latter was Capt. Lye’s last appointment. He attained Flag-rank 23 Nov. 1841.
The Rear-Admiral married, 29 Jan. 1817, Eliza, daughter of Benjamin Cobb, Esq., of New Romney, co. Kent, by whom ho has left issue four children. His two eldest sons are in the East India Service.
- ↑ The Bombay made prize, 10 July, 1807, of the French national brig Le Jaseur of 12 guns and 55 men, after a chase of nine hours. – Vide Gaz. 1808, p. 71.