A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Raper, Henry (a)
RAPER. (Admiral of the Blue, 1841. f-p., 21; h-p., 46.)
Henry Raper died 5 April, 1845, after a very protracted illness, in the 78th year of his age.
This officer entered the Navy, in Feb. 1780, as Captain’s Servant, on board the Berwick 74, Capt. Hon. R. Stewart, with whom and with Capt. John Holloway we find him, after a visit to the West Indies, serving in the Cambridge 74. In that ship he assisted at the relief of Gibraltar, and was wounded in the action off the Doggerbank. In 1782 he was placed under the orders of Capt. John Hunter in a vessel the name of which has escaped us; in 1785 he was transferred, as Midshipman, to the Salisbury 50, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral John Elliot at Newfoundland; and on 22 Nov. 1790, after having served for about 15 months on the Home station in the Impregnable 98 and Queen Charlotte 100, flag-ships of Sir Rich. Bickerton and Lord Howe, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. He was next, from April to Sept. 1791, employed in the Channel on board the Vesuvius bomb, Capt. Lord Viscount Garlies. Rejoining Lord Howe, 15 Oct. 1793, as Signal-Lieutenant in the Queen Charlotte, he fought in that capacity in the action of 1 June, 1794, and for his conduct was promoted, 4 July following, to the rank of Commander. Through the recommendation of the nobleman last mentioned Capt. Raper was appointed in Sept. of the same year. Major of Signals, on board the Vasco-de-Gama 74, to Vice-Admiral A. J. de Valle, the Commander-in-Chief of a Portuguese squadron of five sail, acting in conjunction with the British fleet. On resigning this post in the ensuing Dec. he was presented, by order of the Court at Lisbon, with an elegant dress sword, having a hilt of gold, ornamented with medallions and set in diamonds. On 3 Nov. 1795 Capt. Raper obtained command of the Racoon sloop, lying in the river Thames; and on 1 Feb. 1796 he was made Post into the Champion 20; which vessel, after serving on the coast of Ireland, formed part, in the spring of 1798, of an unsuccessful expedition sent to destroy the locks and sluice-gates of the Bruges Canal;[1] and he assisted, not long afterwards, at the capture, by a force under Capt. John Lawford of the Romney 50, of a convoy of Swedish vessels laden with naval and military stores for the use of France. In Jan. 1799 Capt. Raper removed to L’Aimable 32; and towards the close of the same year sailed from Cork in company with the Glenmore 44 and a fleet of merchantmen bound to the West Indies. On 17 Dec, having fallen in with La Sirène, a, heavy French frigate, La Bergère corvette, and the Calcutta, an extra East-Indiaman, which the enemy had just captured, L’Aimable, while the Glenmore was engaged in recapturing and retaining possession of the Indiaman, went in pursuit of the men-of-war, with whom, although they contrived in the end to make off, she maintained for 35 minutes a very spirited action. Capt. Raper returned home from the West Indies about Sept. 1802, and was lastly, from 26 Nov. 1810 until 25 Feb. 1813, employed on the Lisbon and Baltic stations in the Mars 74. In a document lodged by him some years afterwards at the Admiralty we find the following observations in reference to the latter appointment:– “I must beg leave to remark that the command of the Mars, a full-manned 74 of the first class, was given me in consideration of my not being appointed to a station in which it was the intention of their Lordships to have placed me: I mean the rank of Vice-Admiral in the Portuguese service; and I cannot but lament that, notwithstanding this flattering testimony of their favourable sentiments towards me, my earnest and repeated applications for employment, ever since the Mars was paid off, have failed in obtaining from their Lordships that continuance of their patronage which their previous good opinion gave me such well-grounded reason to expect.” He became a Rear-Admiral 12 Aug. 1819; a Vice-Admiral 22 July, 1830; and a full Admiral 23 Nov. 1841.
Admiral Raper, in 1828, published a work highly commended for the ability and thorough knowledge of the subject displayed in it, entitled ‘A New System of Signals, by which Colours may be wholly dispensed with; illustrated by Figures and a Series of Evolutions, &c.’ He married, in 1798, a Miss Craig, by whom he has left issue. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1798, p. 421.