A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Sarsfield, Dominick
SARSFIELD. (Lieut., 1815. f-p., 11; h-p., 32.)
Dominick Sarsfield was born 18 Jan. 1790. He is a descendant of the celebrated Irish General, Sarsfield, Lord Lucan.
This officer entered the Navy, 6 Jan. 1804, as Third-cl. Vol., on board the Tromp 50, Capts. J. A. Norway and Michael McCarthy, on the Falmouth station. In 1807 he became Midshipman of the Glückstadt 18, commanded in the Channel and North Sea by Capts. Edw. Bass and Henry Higman; the latter of whom he followed, as a passed Midshipman, in Sept. 1811, into the Fly 16, attached to the force in the Baltic. In the course of the same year he was sent in charge of a Danish prize to Gottenborg. While there, the Fly being driven off the coast in a gale, he was placed, for a passage to join her, on board the Grasshopper 18, Capt. Henry Fanshawe; and he was in that vessel when, in order to avoid sharing the fate of her unfortunate consort the Hero 74, she was under the necessity of surrendering to the Dutch fleet in the Texel. He remained in consequence a prisoner of war in France from Dec. 1811 until the end of the war. Towards the close of 1814 he successively joined the Pompée 74, Capt. Sir Jas. Athol Wood, and Icarus 10, Capt. Thos. Barker Devon, both on the Home station; and in July, 1815, he was presented with a commission bearing date 14 of the preceding Feb. He has since been on half-pay.
Lieut. Sarsfield is now Marine Manager for the City of Dublin Steam-packet Company. For 20 years prior to this appointment he was in command of steamers, both government and private, employed principally in the conveyance of mails between Liverpool and Dublin. He married, 14 Oct. 1815, Mary, eldest daughter of the late Lieut.-Colonel Balcomb, by whom he has issue four children.