A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Smyth, Spencer
SMYTH. (Commander, 1827. f-p., 25; h-p., 19.)
Spencer Smyth entered the Navy, about March, 1803, as Midshipman, on board the Dreadnought 98, Capt. Jas. Bowen, lying at Portsmouth, where he followed that officer shortly afterwards into the Puissant 74, and in the course of the same year joined the Windsor Castle 98 and Defiance 74, Capts. Philip Chas. Durham and Hon. Henry Hotham. In the latter ship he served in Sir Robt. Calder’s action and at the battle of Trafalgar 22 July and 21 Oct. 1805, and assisted at the destruction of three French frigates under the batteries of Sable d’Olonne 24 Feb. 1809, on which occasion the Defiance, besides being much cut up in her masts and rigging, sustained a loss of 2 men killed and 25 wounded. After co-operating with the patriots on the coast of Spain he removed with Capt. Hotham, in Aug. 1810, into the Northumberland 74. In the course of the same year he contributed to the capture of two French privateers; and on 22 May, 1812, he was present, in company with the Growler gun-brig, at the gallant destruction, near L’Orient, of the 40-gun frigates L’Arienne and L’Andromaque, and 16-gun brig Mamelouck, whose united fire, conjointly with that of a heavy battery, killed 5 and wounded 28 of the Northumberland’s people. For his conduct in this affair he was promoted, 2 June, 1812, to the rank of Lieutenant. His succeeding appointments were – 20 June, 1812, to the Mercurius 18, Capt. Thos. Renwick, in which vessel he was engaged in affording protection to convoys, and once escorted a fleet of 300 sail past the batteries of Elsineur – 15 June and 6 Dec. 1813, to the Bulwark and Venerable 74’s, bearing each the flag of Rear-Admiral Philip Chas. Durham, with whom he served off Rochefort and Flushing and in the West Indies until May, 1816 – 30 April, 1818, for four months, to the Rochfort 80, Capt. Sir Archibald Collingwood Dickson – 22 May, 1819, to the Albion 74, Capt. Rich. Raggett – 19 March, 1822, to the charge of a Signal station at Portsmouth – 23 Dec. 1825, to the Victory 104, flag-ship of Sir Geo. Martin – and, 1 May, 1827, as Senior, to the Dartmouth 42, Capt. Thos. Fellowes. On his passage to the West Indies in the Venerable he assisted at the capture of Le Jason letter-of-marque of 14 guns (pierced for 22) and 54 men, and the frigates Iphigénie and Alcmène of 44 guns each, taken (the former after considerable resistance) 16 and 20 Jan. 1814. In June and Aug. 1815 he commanded the boats at the landing of the troops during the operations against Martinique and Guadeloupe. He was afterwards detached and sent in a schooner to Pointe-à- Pitre for the purpose of guarding that port and of securing the prizes – a service attended with much risk and fatigue. While on board the Rochfort, which ship, as well as the Albion and Victory, belonged to the Portsmouth station, Mr. Smyth cruized for six weeks off Scilly with a squadron under Sir Benj. Hallowell. During the time he had his name on the books of the Albion he was employed, in command of a tender, in supressing smuggling on the coasts of Sussex and Dorset. In the Dartmouth he fought, and was wounded in boarding a fire-ship, at the battle of Navarin 20 Oct. 1827.[1] Prior to going into action be furnished Sir Edw. Codrington with a plan of the position and force of the Ottoman fleet, and enabled him to affix their proper stations to the ships under his orders. For this essential service he received the thanks of his chief; and for his conduct during the engagement he was promoted to the rank of Commander 22 Oct. 1827. From 19 March, 1833, until Oct. 1835, he filled an appointment in the Coast Guard at North Yarmouth, at which place he is now Harbour-Master.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1827, p. 2325.