A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Thompson, John (b)
THOMPSON. (Lieut., 1815. f-p., 11; h-p., 32.)
John Thompson (b) was born in 1793.
This officer entered the Navy, 1 Jan. 1804, as Third-ol. Vol., on board the Viper cutter, Lieut.- Commander Dan. Carpenter; in which vessel he was for three years stationed in the Channel. Joining next, in the early part of 1807, the Goliath 74, Capt. Peter Puget, he accompanied Admiral Gambier in the course of the same year in the expedition against Copenhagen, and was actively employed, during the siege, with the in-shore squadron. On the surrender of the Danish capital he assisted in navigating to England the prize ship of the line Kron-Princesse Maria. In Dec. 1808 he removed to the Blake 74, Capt. Edw. Codrington; with whom he continued to serve until transferred, as Master’s Mate, in May, 181.3, to the Endymion 40, Capt. Henry Hope. In 1809 the Blake, during the attack upon Flushing, grounded under the enemy’s batteries, and was for two hours and three-quarters exposed to a fire which crippled her masts and rigging and occasioned her a loss of 2 men killed and 9 wounded. While engaged, in Aug. 1810, at the defence of Cadiz, she was sent to Minorca with four Spanish ships of the line; the whole of which, although old and leaky, quite destitute of men to navigate them, only half-provisioned, and crowded with refugee passengers, were ultimately anchored in safety at Port Mahon, after a distressing passage of 38 days. She was next, during the years 1811-12-13, employed in active co-operation with the patriots on the south coast of Spain, and bore a prominent part in the defence of Tarragona, from the Mole at which place Mr. Thompson assisted, in command of a boat, in cutting out, in one instance, as many as eight of the enemy’s vessels. While serving in the Endymion, in which ship he remained until June, 1814, we find him contributing to the capture, on the coast of North America, of 15 sail of merchantmen and privateers. In Jan. 1815 he joined the Malta 84, Capt. Wm. Chas. Fahie, on the Mediterranean station; where, it appears, he served with the in-shore squadron of gunboats at the siege of Gaeta, and on the surrender of that fortress was sent at the head of a detachment of seamen to take possession of it. Having passed his examination in June, 1812, he was presented, in Sept. 1815, with a commission bearing date 23 Feb. preceding. He has since been on half-pay.
Lieut. Thompson married in March, 1818; and has issue two daughters.