A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Shipley, Conway Mordaunt

←

Shillingford, Alexander

A Naval Biographical Dictionary
edited by William R. O'Byrne

Shipley, Conway Mordaunt

Shipley, James

→

sister projects: Wikidata item

1940914A Naval Biographical Dictionary — Shipley, Conway MordauntWilliam Richard O'Byrne

Layout 4

SHIPLEY. (Lieutenant, 1845.)

Conway Mordaunt Shipley, born in Nov. 1824, is eldest surviving son of the late Rev. Chas. Shipley, of Twyford House, co. Hants, by Charlotte, daughter of Orby Sloper, Esq., of West Woodhay, co. Berks, Rector of Mappowder, co. Dorset; and nephew of the late gallant Capt. Conway Shipley, R.N.^[1] His grandfather, the Rev. Wm. Davies Shipley, was Dean, and his great-grandfather, Jonathan Shipley, Bishop, of St. Asaph. One of his brothers, Reginald Yonge Shipley, is an officer in the 5th Fusiliers.

This officer entered the Navy in 1837; and as a reward for having passed the test examination at the Royal Naval College, was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant 28 June, 1845. Since 31 Dec. following he has been employed in the Pacific in the Calypso 18, Capt. Henry John Worth.

↑ Capt. Conway Shipley was born 14 Aug. 1782; and entered the Navy 14 Aug. 1793, on board the Invincible 74, Capt. Thos Pakenham. In that ship he took part, and displayed much courage, in Lord Howe’s action 1 June, 1794; and he again, in the Phoebe 44, Capt. Robt. Barton, distinguished himself at the capture, in Dec. 1797, of the French frigate La Néréide of 44 guns and 715 men. After serving as Lieutenant (a rank he had attained in 1800) on board the Endymion 40, Capt. Sir Thos. Williams, Vanguard 74, Capt. Philip Chas. Durham, and Saturn 74, flag-ship of Rear-Admiral Thos. Totty, he was made (having acquired considerable reputation) Commander by Sir Sam. Hood, in 1803, into the St. Lucia schooner (rated as a sloop-of-war), and appointed next to the Hippomenes of 14 guns and 90 men. In the latter vessel he made prize, 27 March, 1804, after an arduous chase of 54 hours and a running fight of three hours and 20 minutes, of the French frigate-built privateer Egyptienne of 36 guns and 240 men. His gallantry on this occasion procured him a sword from the Patriotic Society. Capt. Shipley was also present in the Hippomenes at the reduction of Surinam, where he ably superintended the debarkation of the division of troops under Brigadier-General Maitland at Warappa creek. He was promoted by Sir Sam. Hood, in May 1804, into his own flag-ship the Centaur 74; was posted by the Admiralty, about the same period, into the La Sagesse frigate; and was subsequently employed in the Sea Fencible service, and in command of the Comus of 32 guns and Nymphe 36. In the Nymphe he accompanied the expedition to Copenhagen in 1807. He was afterwards stationed off the Tagus, where, having taken command of his boats, he was shot through the head while in the act of boarding, on the night of 23 April, 1808, the French corvette La Gavotte of 22 guns and 150 men. He had left his ship with the magnanimous intention of attacking the Carlotta frigate of 44 guns; but in this he was disappointed by the wind failing. Capt. Shipley was, in the most exalted sense, a British hero.

[Conway_Shipley-1] Capt. Conway Shipley was born 14 Aug. 1782; and entered the Navy 14 Aug. 1793, on board the Invincible 74, Capt. Thos Pakenham. In that ship he took part, and displayed much courage, in Lord Howe’s action 1 June, 1794; and he again, in the Phoebe 44, Capt. Robt. Barton, distinguished himself at the capture, in Dec. 1797, of the French frigate La Néréide of 44 guns and 715 men. After serving as Lieutenant (a rank he had attained in 1800) on board the Endymion 40, Capt. Sir Thos. Williams, Vanguard 74, Capt. Philip Chas. Durham, and Saturn 74, flag-ship of Rear-Admiral Thos. Totty, he was made (having acquired considerable reputation) Commander by Sir Sam. Hood, in 1803, into the St. Lucia schooner (rated as a sloop-of-war), and appointed next to the Hippomenes of 14 guns and 90 men. In the latter vessel he made prize, 27 March, 1804, after an arduous chase of 54 hours and a running fight of three hours and 20 minutes, of the French frigate-built privateer Egyptienne of 36 guns and 240 men. His gallantry on this occasion procured him a sword from the Patriotic Society. Capt. Shipley was also present in the Hippomenes at the reduction of Surinam, where he ably superintended the debarkation of the division of troops under Brigadier-General Maitland at Warappa creek. He was promoted by Sir Sam. Hood, in May 1804, into his own flag-ship the Centaur 74; was posted by the Admiralty, about the same period, into the La Sagesse frigate; and was subsequently employed in the Sea Fencible service, and in command of the Comus of 32 guns and Nymphe 36. In the Nymphe he accompanied the expedition to Copenhagen in 1807. He was afterwards stationed off the Tagus, where, having taken command of his boats, he was shot through the head while in the act of boarding, on the night of 23 April, 1808, the French corvette La Gavotte of 22 guns and 150 men. He had left his ship with the magnanimous intention of attacking the Carlotta frigate of 44 guns; but in this he was disappointed by the wind failing. Capt. Shipley was, in the most exalted sense, a British hero.

[1]