A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Sullivan, Charles (a)
SULLIVAN, Bart. (xCaptain, 1814.xx)
Sir Charles Sullivan, born 28 Feb. 1789, is second son of the late Sir Rich. Joseph Sullivan, Bart., by Mary, only surviving daughter of Thos. Lodge, Esq., of Leeds; and brother of Sir Henry Sullivan, Bart., Lieut.-Colonel of the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards, who fell in a sortie from the garrison of Bayonne, 14 April, 1814; also of Major Arthur Sullivan, who died 7 June, 1832; and of the present Lieut.-Colonel Wm. Sullivan. His youngest sister, Elizabeth, married the Hon. and Rev. Fred. Pleydell Bouverie, brother of Vice-Admiral Hon. D. P. Bouverie. One of his uncles, the Right Hon. John Sullivan (father-in-law of the late Capt. John Jas. Stuart,[1] R.N., and of the present Capt. Sir Geo. Tyler, Kt., K.H.), was Under Secretary-at-War from 1801 until 1805. Different members of his family have ranked high in the Army.
This officer entered the Navy, 4 Feb. 1801, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Ruby 64, Capts. Sir Edw. Berry and Henry Hill, with whom he was for 14 months employed in the Baltic and North Sea. In June, 1802, he joined the Isis 50, flag-ship of Vice-Admiral Jas. Gambier at Newfoundland; and in June, 1804, he removed as Midshipman (a rating he had before attained) to the Culloden 74, fitting for the flag of Sir Edw. Pellew, Commander-in-Chief in the East Indies; where he assisted at the capture, 27 Nov. 1806, of a Dutch frigate, seven brigs-of-war, and about 20 armed and other merchant- vessels lying in Batavia Roads. He contributed also to the reduction of Sourabaya; and while acting subsequently as Lieutenant in the Psyche 36, Capt. Hon. Fleetwood Broughton Reynolds Pellew, he aided in the boats at the cutting out, 31 Aug. 1807, of a schooner of 8 guns and a large merchant-brig at Samarang.[2] On the following day he aided in making prize of the Scipio corvette of 24 guns, with two other vessels, the Resolutie armed merchantship of 700 tons richly laden, and the Ceres, a remarkably fine brig, in the Dutch Company’s Service, of 12 guns and 70 men. He was confirmed a Lieutenant, 25 April, 1808, into the Dédaigneuse frigate, Capts. John Bastard, Wm. Dawson, Geo. Bell, and Wm. Wilbraham, on the East India station; was nominated, 26 Oct. 1811, Acting-Commander of the Madagascar at the Isle of France; was officially promoted on his return to England in that vessel 24 March, 1812; and from 26 Oct. 1813 until 3 Oct. 1814 was employed in the Penelope troop-ship on the coast of North America. His promotion to Post-rank took place 7 June in the latter year. He commanded the Galatea 42 from 19 Aug. 1825 until the commencement of 1829, and the Formidable 84 in the Mediterranean from 14 Dec. 1841 until transferred, 23 April, 1844, to the Queen 110; which ship he brought home and paid off in the course of the same year. In the Galatea, after serving off the coast of Portugal at the time the army of occupation was at Lisbon, Sir Chags. Sullivan visited the Morea with Sir Fred. Adam, Alexandria with the present Lord Howden, and Rio de Janeiro with Lord Strangford, and was for six months employed on the latter station under the broad pendant of Sir Thos. Masterman Hardy. The Formidable, while he was in her, got on shore, in Nov. 1842, near Barcelona, and was rescued by the Rodney 92, Capt. Robt. Maunsell. In March, 1844, Sir Charles witnessed the settlement of the Greek constitution of Athens. He has been presented with the insignia of a Knight Commander of the order of the Redeemer of Greece.
Sir Chas. Sullivan married, 21 Nov. 1818, Jean Anne, only daughter of Robt. Taylor, Esq., of Ember Court, co. Surrey, by whom he has issue two sons and three daughters. Agents – Burnett and Holmes.