A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Tucker, Robert (a)
TUCKER. (Retired Captain, 1840. f-p., 23; h-p., 46.)
Robert Tucker was born 6 Feb. 1769, at Devonport, and died 12 Jan. 1846, at Portsea. Three of his brothers were in the Naval service.
This officer entered the Navy, 24 March, 1777, as Captain’s Servant, on board the Boyne 98, Capt., afterwards Admiral, Herbert Sawyer, in which ship and the Three Brothers, hired armed vessel, Capt. Thos. Hawker, he was for five years and four months employed in the Channel. He served next, from Sept. 1785 until Dec. 1788, and from May, 1789, until April, 1790, in the Weazle sloop, Capt. Sam. Hood, and Pegasus 28, commanded by the late Sir Herbert Sawyer, both on the North American station; and during the five following years, as Midshipman and Master’s Mate, on the West India, Channel, and Mediterranean stations, in the Juno 32, Capt. S. Hood, Diana 38, Capt. Thos. Macnamara Russell, Dover 44, armée en flûte, Lieut.-Commander Drummond, Vengeance 74, Capt. Sir Thos. Rich, Discovery navy-transport, Master-Commander John Pennell, Berwick 74, Capts. Sir John Collins, Wm. Shield, Geo. Campbell, Wm. Smith, and Adam Littlejohn, and Britannia 100, bearing the flag of Vice-Admiral Wm. Hotham. In the ship last mentioned he was present in the partial action with the French fleet off Genoa 14 March, 1795. He was made Lieutenant, on 31 of the same month, into the Courageux 74, Capts. Augustus Montgomery and Benj. Hallowell, part of the force engaged in Hotham’s second partial action 13 July, 1795;[1] and he was subsequently appointed – 11 Dec. 1796, to the Victory 100, flag-ship of Sir John Jervis, under whom he took part, we believe, in the battle fought off Cape St. Vincent – 18 Feb. 1797 (for the purpose of assisting in navigating her to England), to the San Josef 110, one of the prizes taken on the latter occasion – 27 Dec. following, to the Saturn 74, Capts. Jas. Wallis and Thos. Totty, stationed in the Channel – and, in the course of 1801, to the Invincible and Zealous 74’s, and again to the Saturn, bearing each the flag of his former Captain, then Rear-Admiral, Totty. On 16 March, 1801, the Invincible, with about 490 of her officers and crew, was lost near Yarmouth. Among the saved were Rear-Admiral Totty and Lieuts. Tucker and Quash – the two latter of whom were the fortunate means of preserving the lives of 120 persons out of 198, the total number rescued. In 1802, having accompanied Rear-Admiral Totty in the Saturn to the West Indies, Mr. Tucker was there appointed in succession Acting-Captain of the Excellent 74, Commodore Hon. Robt. Stopford, and Acting-Commander of the Hornet and Surinam sloops. In the Surinam he was sent by Commodore Sam. Hood to demand the liberation of two British officers who had imprudently placed themselves in the power of the brigands at St. Domingo, although instant death was the declared fate of every white person who should venture to land within the space under their jurisdiction. Having, at the risk of his life, and by the aid of many presents, ascertained that one of the officers had been executed, and that the other had escaped to Port-au-Prince, he proceeded from the neighbourhood of Gonaves to Jacmel, and there rendered such material assistance to the besieged French garrison that he obtained the most handsome letters of thanks from the Commandant and the principal inhabitants. In 1803, while the Surinam was repairing in the harbour of St. Ann, Curaçoa, a report reached that island of a renewal of hostilities between Great Britain and Holland. There being no possibility of escape, Capt. Tucker employed himself in taking plans of the Dutch forts and batteries, and in ascertaining the disposition of the inhabitants of St. Ann. The information he acquired he transmitted both to Sir John Duckworth, the Commander-in-Chief, and Commodore Hood, who, in return, acquainted him that as soon as troops could be spared an expedition would be sent against Curaçoa, His last despatches being treacherously delivered into the hands of the Dutch Governor, his ship was forthwith seized, and he himself confined in a room over the soldiers’ barrack, the windows of which were level with a rampart, and watched by two sentinels. Several shot, while he was here, were fired into his room; and he was actually told, from a confidential quarter, that, if not on his guard, an attempt would be made to poison him. On one occasion he was threatened with imprisonment in a dungeon, and was, indeed, placed in one for several hours, because he refused to divulge the names of the inhabitants through whose hands he still continued to send and receive letters. At the end of four months he was allowed to proceed with his officers (the men had been sent to Jamaica) to Barbadoes, whence, as there was no man-of-war there, he released, on his own responsibility, nine Dutch clergymen in exchange. He was ultimately acquitted by court-martial of all blame on account of the loss of the Surinam.[2] He was officially promoted to the rank of Commander 21 March, 1804; but did not afterwards go afloat. He was placed on the list of Retired Captains 10 Sept. 1840.
Capt. Tucker married Miss Mary Foott, the daughter of a foreman in Portsmouth Dockyard, by whom he has left issue five children. Agents – Burnett and Holmes.
- ↑ He was constantly employed in the boats of the Courageux, in attacking the coasting trade to the westward of Toulon, skirmishing with gun-boats, and obtaining information from the shore. He succeeded on several occasions in capturing and destroying vessels close to batteries.
- ↑ A very erroneous account of the Surinam’s capture is given by Mr.James in his ‘Naval History.’ The above is the true version.