A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Rivers, William Thomas
RIVERS. (Lieut., 1841. f-p., 18; h-p., 0.)
William Thomas Rivers, born 3 April, 1814, at Sheerness, is son of Lieut. Wm. Rivers, R.N. He was educated at Christ’s Hospital, and was presented on leaving with a watch and two medals.
This officer entered the Navy, 29 May, 1829, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Basilisk 10, Lieut.- Commanders Wm. Barber Watts and Wright, with whom he served in the North Sea and on the northern coast of England until paid off in Feb. 1831 – the last nine months in the capacity of Midshipman. During that period he miraculously saved a seaman who had fallen overboard in the river Thames, and a whole boat’s crew who had been upset in North Shields harbour. In June, 1831, he joined the Alfred 50, Capt. Robt. Maunsell, on the Mediterranean station; where, after having witnessed the establishment of King Otho on the throne of Greece and been for some time employed in watching the movements of the hostile fleets of Turkey and Egypt, he was discharged, in July, 1834, into the Spitfire steamer, Lieut.-Commander Andrew Kennedy. When subsequently in the West Indies he twice proved instrumental to the preservation of that vessel from destruction by fire; on one occasion he crawled under the boilers with the engine-hose and extinguished the flames round the mast. During a hurricane which had blown the Spitfire out of Carlisle Bay, Barbadoes, Mr. Rivers again had the good fortune of snatching from a watery grave a boat’s crew who had been likewise driven to sea. After serving for about two years in the West Indies as Mate of the Vestal 26, Capt. Wm. Jones, under vhom he contributed to the capture of four slave-vessels, he joined, in Nov. 1837, the Calliope 26, Capt. Thos. Herbert, fitting for the South American station, whence he proceeded to China. During the hostilities in that part of the world he assisted in a very creditable manner in the boats at the capture of the enemy’s forts at Chuenpee,[1] and served in the boats and on shore, and was wounded, during the operations connected with the first and second capture of Canton.[2] As a reward for his conduct he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant 8 June, 1841. Prior to the receipt of his commission he had followed Capt. Herbert into the Blenheim 72. He then became First of the Sulphur 8, Capt. Edw. Belcher; and was subsequently appointed – 15 Sept. 1841, as Additional, to the Illustrious 72, flag-ship of Sir Chas. Adam in North America and the West Indies – 15 Sept. 1842, as First, to the Imaum 72, bearing the broad pendant of Commodore Henry Dilkes Byng at Jamaica, where the exertions he displayed in rescuing under very perilous circumstances the stores from the wreck of H.M. steamer Megaera procured him the thanks of the Commander-in-Chief – 23 March, 1843, in the capacity last mentioned, to the Albatross 16, Capt. Reginald Yorke, employed on the West India and African stations – and 12 Nov. 1846 (a few months after the latter vessel had been paid off), to the command, which he retained until 1848, of the Nautilus 10, in the Channel.