A Naval Biographical Dictionary/O'Brien, Donat Henchy
O’BRIEN. (Captain, 1821. f-p., 20; h-p., 31.)
Donat Henchy O’Brien was born in March, 1785. He is descended from one of the ancient monarchs of Ireland.
This officer entered the Navy, 16 Dec. 1796, as Ordinary, on board the Overyssel 64, Capts. John Young and John Bazely, bearing the successive flags of Admirals Joseph Peyton and Skeffington Lutwidge on the Home station. Continuing in that ship until Jan. 1800, he accompanied, in the capacity of Master’s Mate, the expedition of 1799 against the Helder, where, in command of a flat-bottomed boat, he assisted at the landing of the army. After this he was placed in charge of a merchantman laden with Portland stone, intended to be sunk, with others, at the entrance of Gorée harbour, for the purpose of preventing the egress of three Dutch line-of-battle ships. Before, however, an opportunity had presented itself for the execution of the plan, the vessel was caught in a gale of wind and went down, three minutes only after Mr. O’Brien had been rescued from his perilous situation through the intrepid humanity of a boat’s crew belonging to the Lion armed-cutter under the orders of Lieut. Tatham. In Jan. 1800, as above mentioned, he was directed to act as Lieutenant of the Atalante 16, Capt. Anselm John Griffiths, in which sloop, owing to the absence of her own Lieutenant, and of the Master, Boatswain, and Gunner, he was for three months most harassingly employed off the Flemish banks, Dunkerque, and Gravelines, being, during the whole of that period, compelled, with the present Capt. Jas. Couch, to keep six hours’ alternate watch. He then went back to the Overyssel; and he next, in Dec. 1801, Feb. 1802, and Feb. 1803 (in the course of which month he passed his examination), became in succession attached, again as Master’s Mate, to the Berschermer 54, Capt. Alex. Fraser, Amphion 32, Capts. Rich. Henry Alex. Bennett, Alex. Fraser, and Thos. Masterman Hardy, and Hussar 38, Capt. Philip Wilkinson. In the latter frigate it was his lot, during a passage home with despatches from Ferrol, to be wrecked, 8 Feb. 1804, on the southernmost part of the Saintes; a misfortune which in a few days rendered him a prisoner to the French at Brest. After three attempts at escape, which had entailed on him privations and hardships not to be imagined, and had all ended in his re-capture, he at length, 14 Sept. 1808, succeeded in effecting a flight; truly wonderful in Its history, from the famed fortress of Bitche.[1] Reaching Trieste in the following Nov., he contrived, with two friends (one of them the present Lieut. Maurice Hewson), to get on board a boat belonging to the Amphion 32, Capt. Wm. Hoste, which had been sent inshore on the look-out under the command of Lieut. Geo. Matthew Jones. Under that officer, before his return to the frigate, we find him afforded an opportunity of participating in a desperate attack on two powerful vessels, whose successful resistance killed 2 and wounded 5 of the British, including himself severely through the right arm. Proceeding soon to Malta in H.M. brig Spider, he was there received on board the Ocean 98, flag-ship of Lord Collingwood, who promoted him, 29 March, 1809, to a Lieutenancy in the Warrior 74, Capt. John Wm. Spranger. After assisting at the reduction of the islands of Ischia and Procida, and of those of Zante, Cephalonia, Ithaca, and Cerigo, he again, in March, 1810, joined the Amphion, still commanded by Capt. Hoste. On 29 of the ensuing June, with the boats of the latter frigate and the Cerberus under his orders, he covered the landing of a body of seamen and marines commanded by Lieut. Wm. Slaughter, near the town of Grao, where the gallantry and exertion of the British enabled them to defeat a numerous body of French troops, and to effect the capture and destruction of a large convoy laden with naval stores for the arsenal at Venice.[2] Besides many other dashing services, Mr. O’Brien was subsequently, 13 March, 1811, present, as Second-Lieutenant of the Amphion, in the celebrated action fought off Lissa; on which occasion a British squadron, carrying in the whole 156 guns and 879 men, completely routed, after a battle of six hours and a loss to the above ship of 15 men killed and 47 wounded, a Franco-Venetian armament, whose force amounted to 284 guns and 2655 men. On the victory being accomplished he was sent to Malta in charge of La Bellona, one of the captured French frigates. Accompanying Capt. Hoste as his First-Lieutenant, in Nov. 1811, into the Bacchante 38, he continued, in that frigate also, to share in a great variety of service in the Adriatic. On the night of 31 Aug. 1812, having been detached in command of the boats, he cut out from the port of Lema seven vessels laden with ship-timber for the Venetian government, together with La Tisiphone French national xebec, of 1 6-pounder, 2 3-pounders, and 28 men, one gun-boat, with a 9-pounder, 2 3-pounders, and 24 men, and another of 1 9-pounder and 20 men, intended for the protection of the trade on the coast of Istria, from Pola to Trieste. This service was fortunately executed without any loss, owing chiefly to the arrangements of Lieut. O’Brien, the gallantry and promptitude with which he led the boats to the attack, and the brave and determined support he received from those under his orders.[3] On 18 of the ensuing Sept. he was again sent, with the boats, six in number, containing 72 officers and men, to effect the capture of eight armed-vessels, carrying in the whole 8 long 12pounders, 6 swivels, and 104 men, and a convoy of 18 sail, laden chiefly with oil and almonds, which the Bacchante had chased between Tremiti and Vasto on the coast of Apulia. Leading to the attack with his accustomed valour, Lieut. O’Brien’s fearless exertions were again crowned with success; the enemy, notwithstanding a heavy fire of grape and musketry, were impetuously assailed, and driven in every direction from their vessels; while a party of marines, under Lieut. Wm. Haig, landing, forced the fugitives from a neighbouring wood, and thereby gave the coup-de-grace to the affair. “I want words,” says Capt. Hoste in his report to Rear-Admiral Fremantle, “to convey to you my admiration of the determined manner in which this service was performed.”[4] Its brave conductor was in consequence promoted to the rank of Commander 22 Jan. 1813; but before the receipt of his commission he appears to have been concerned in the achievement of two other exploits deserving of notice; the first in Nov. 1812, when, with the boats of the Bacchante, and Eagle and Achille 74’s, he brought off a large quantity of government oak-timber from the beach near Fesano, a small town in the vicinity of Pola, in face of 300 soldiers; and the second in Jan. 1813, on 6 of which month his prompt and judicious measures enabled him, after a good deal of firing and much resistance, to board, near Otranto, a gun-boat carrying 2 pivot-guns and 36 men, and then to pursue and capture two other vessels of a similar description.[5] In April, 1813, Capt. O’Brien left the Bacchante, receiving at the same time, for the cordial co-operation he had at all times afforded, the sincere and public thanks of Capt. Hoste, who availed himself of the opportunity of proclaiming “that his promotion, as it had been gained entirely by his own exertions, unassisted by interest, held to the remaining officers a striking example that meritorious service would meet its own reward.” He shortly afterwards returned to England a passenger in the Thunder bomb, Capt. Watkin Owen Pell; but it was not until 1818 that he again succeeded in procuring employment. Obtaining command, in Aug. of that year, of the Slaney 20, he sailed in the ensuing Dec. for the South American station, and in May, 1819, he reached Valparaiso. During his stay in the Pacific, a period of more than 12 months, it was Capt. O’Brien’s fortune to render many essential services to British commerce on the coasts of Chili and Peru. On his subsequent arrival in the Rio de la Plata, we find him hoisting for a short time the broad pendant of Sir Thos. Masterman Hardy; by whom, on his departure on service round Cape Horn, he was left Senior officer at Buenos Ayres. This happened at a very critical period, just as the latter state had been involved in war with the neighbouring provinces; and Capt. O’Brien had in consequence many harassing and perplexing duties to perform. One result, we may here observe, of the opening hostilities had been a manifesto published by the Buenos Ayrean government for the purpose of compelling all the British residents to organize themselves into a regiment. This measure, attended as it was likely to be with a large sacrifice of property, demanded of course strenuous opposition on the part of Capt. O’Brien; who, after a long and painful discussion, succeeded in extracting from the authorities a document, exempting every British resident from being drawn for military service, or in any way required to act hostilely against its recently-declared enemies. In Oct. 1821, having been advanced to Post-rank on 5 of the preceding March, he was superseded in the command of the Slaney. He took a passage home in the Owen Glendower frigate, and has not been since able to procure employment.
Capt. O’Brien married, 28 June, 1825, Hannah, youngest daughter of the late John Walmsley, Esq., of Castle-Meer, in Lancashire, and sister of Geo. Walmsley, Esq., of Bolesworth Castle, co. Chester, by whom he has had issue seven children. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.
- ↑ We are relieved, even had we space, from the necessity of entering at large into the history of Capt. O’Brien’s captivity, it being already familiar to the public through the medium of the ‘Narrative,’ &c., published by him in 1814, and re-produced in 1839, in two volumes, under the title of ‘My Adventures during the late War; comprising a Narrative of Shipwreck, Captivity, Escapes from French Prisons, &c., from 1804 to 1827.’
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1810, p. 1857.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1813, p. 163.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1813, p. 104.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1813, p. 627.