A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Southey, William
SOUTHEY. (Commander, 1844.)
William Southey entered the Navy, 13 July, 1804, as Midshipman, on board the Malta 84, Capt. Edw. Buller; in which ship, after sharing in Sir Robt. Calder’s action, 22 July, 1805, and assisting at the capture, 27 Sept. 1806, of Le Président, French frigate of 44 guns, he proceeded to the Mediterranean; where, in the course of 1807, he joined the Queen 98, flag-ship of Rear-Admiral Geo. Martin, and Philomel sloop, Capt. Geo. Crawley. Subsequently to the capture of the convoy in the Bay of Rosas, alluded to in our memoir of Commander Henry Slade, he was sent in charge of one of the prizes taken on that occasion to Gibraltar, at which place he was for three months intrusted with the command of a gun-boat. From March, 1810, until Nov. 1813, he served in the Baltic and East Indies in the Loire 38, Capt. Alex. Wilmot Schomberg, and Owen Glendower 36, Capt. Brian Hodgson. Of the latter ship he was for nine months Acting-Master. On leaving her he returned to England in the Stirling Castle 74, Capt. Sir Home Popham. He was made Lieutenant, 17 Sept. 1814, into the Castor 32, Capt. Chas. Dilkes, under whom he was for a year employed in the Mediterranean and on the coast of North America; and he was afterwards appointed – 23 Dec. 1815, to the Rochfort 80, Capt. Sir Arch. Collingwood Dickson, by whom he was sent in the Camelion tender to cruize between Brighton and Dungeness – 5 and 25 June, 1819, to the command (the Rochfort had been paid off in Aug. 1818) of the Musquedobet 12 and Griper Revenue-vessel, the latter stationed on the coast of Ireland for a few months in 1826-7, and again in 1829-30, as a Supernumerary, to the Ramillies 74, Coast Blockade ship, Capt. Hugh Pigot – 29 April, 1835, to the Coast Guard – 26 Sept. 1836, to the Téméraire 104, Capt. Thos. Fortescue Kennedy, guard-ship at Sheerness – 3 Feb. 1837, again to the Coast Guard – 9 Oct. 1840, to the command, for nearly twelve months, of the Nightingale brig, employed on particular service – 19 Aug. 1842, as First, to the Salamander steamer, Capt. And. Snape Hamond, fitting for South America – and 24 Nov. 1842, a third time, to the Coast Guard, in which he continued but a short period. He attained the rank of Commander 14 Aug. 1844; and has since been on half-pay.