A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Rooke, Frederick William
ROOKE. (Retired Captain, 1845. f-p., 15; h-p., 36.)
Frederick William Rooke entered the Royal Naval Academy in May, 1796; and embarked, 1 March, 1797, as Midshipman, on board the Cumberland 74, Capt. Bartholomew Sam. Rowley, lying at Portsmouth. In the following July he removed to the Sirius 36, Capt. Rich. King, stationed in the North Sea; from Feb. 1798 to March, 1799, he cruized with Capt. Rowley, in the Channel and off the coast of Ireland, in the Ramillies 74; and he was then again, for two years, employed under Capt. King in the Sirius. He was in consequence, in company with L’Oiseau 36 and Amethyst 36, at the capture, 28 Jan. 1801, after a chase of two days, of the French 36-gun frigate La Dédaigneuse. After serving for about 14 months in the Boadicea 38, Capt. Chas. Rowley, stationed, as had latterly been the Sirius, in the Bay of Biscay, he was appointed, in July, 1802, Admiralty-Midshipman of the Clyde 38, Capt. John Larmour. In that ship he served in the North Sea and Baltic until Dec. 1803. He then became Acting-Lieutenant of the Ariadne 24, commanded, off Havre-de-Grace, by the late Hon. Chas. Elphinstone Fleeming; and, on 12 Jan 1805, after he had afresh served as Midshipman in the Veteran 64, Capts. Rich. King and Jas. Newman Newman, and had taken part in the boats of that ship in an attack on the Boulogne flotilla, he was nominated Sub-Lieutenant, in the West Indies, of the Attentive gun-brig, commanded at first by Lieut. John Harris and next by himself as Acting-Lieutenant; in which capacity he returned, in the ensuing summer, to England in the Proselyte 24, Capt. John Chas. Woolcombe. He was confirmed a Lieutenant 15 Nov. 1805; and was subsequently appointed – 12 Dec. 1805, to the Achille 74, Capt. Sir Rich. King, attached to the Channel fleet – 10 Oct. 1806, to the charge, which he retained for six months, of the Signal-station at Swanage – 14 July, 1807, again to the Achille, employed in the Channel, off the coast of Spain, and at the siege of Flushing, where he served on shore – and, 3 Aug. 1810, after 10 months of half-pay, occasioned by a severe attack of Walcheren fever, to the San Juan 74, bearing the broad pendant at Gibraltar of Commodore Chas. Vinicombe Penrose. While on the books of the ship last mentioned he served in the flotilla, and was in constant action with the enemy, during the siege of Cadiz. He commanded a division of gun-boats, too, at the defence of Tarifa; and for his services at both places was advanced to the rank of Commander 21 March, 1812. He accepted his present rank 25 March, 1845.
Capt. Rooke is a Magistrate for co. Wilts, and served as High-Sheriff in 1842. His eldest son is a Captain in the 47th Regt. of the line; and his fourth, Francis, a Lieutenant R.N.