A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Prowse, William
PROWSE. (Commander, 1843. f-p., 29; h-p., 11.)
William Prowse entered the Navy, 27 Feb. 1807, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Excellent 74, Capt. John West. In the boats of that ship he assisted as Midshipman, in Nov. 1808, at the defence of Rosas, a citadel at the north-eastern extremity of Spain; and contributed, 29 July, 1809, under a covering fire from the Acorn and Bustard sloops, to the cutting-out, with but trifling loss to the British, of six Italian gun-vessels armed with long 18 and 24-pounders, and each manned with 20 men, together with a convoy of 10 laden trabacolos, lying in the harbour of Duino, near Trieste. Removing, in April, 1810, to the Standard 64, Capts. Aiskew Paffard Hollis and Hon. Chas. Elphinstone Fleeming, he served during the next two years and a-half in the Baltic, off the port of Cadiz, and in South America. In the Baltic we find him commanding the Standard’s barge at the capture of a Danish convoy, and, at Cadiz, serving in a boat at the defence of that place. From Dec. 1812 until May, 1814, he was employed in the Channel in the San Josef 110, Capt. Robt. Jackson, and Queen Charlotte 100, flag-ship of Lord Keith; and on 16 Aug. in the latter year, after having acted as Lieutenant in the Reynard 10, Capt. David St, Clair, and in his former ship the Queen Charlotte, he was confirmed in that rank. He served next, for a few months in 1814-15, in the Leveret sloop, Capt. Jonathan Christian, employed in escorting convoy to Lisbon; and was subsequently appointed – 24 Jan. 1824, to the Coast Blockade, in which service he continued as Supemumerary-Lieutenant of the Ramillies 74 and Hyperion 42, Capts. Wm. M‘Culloch and Wm. Jas. Mingaye, until Dec. 1828 – in March, 1829, and March, 1831, to the command of the Tartar and Rose Revenue-vessels – 3 May, 1833, to the charge of a station in the Coast Guard – 25 March, 1837, to the command of the Active, another Revenue-vessel – and, 27 March, 1840, a second time to the Coast Guard. In consideration of his long and faithful services in the Revenue, and of his having been five times severely beaten and wounded in attacks made by large bodies of smugglers, he was advanced to his present rank 11 Jan. 1843. Since 10 May, 1845, he has been serving afresh in the Coast Guard, as an Inspecting Commander.