A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Young, John Thomas
YOUNG. (Retired Commander, 1836. f-p., 15; h-p., 36.)
John Thomas Young was born in 1782, at New York, and died in 1848. His grandfather, John Young, Esq., was Deputy-Comptroller of the Customs at Belfast, in Ireland.
This officer (who had been for three years in the merchant-service) entered the Navy, 8 Nov. 1796, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Albacore 18, Capt. Sam. Peter Forster, on the Jamaica station, where he was transferred, in March, 1797, to the Renommée frigate, Capt. Robt. Rolles. In Sept. 1799, having returned to England, he was received as Midshipman (a rating he had already attained) on board the Excellent 74, Capt. Hon. Robt. Stopford. In that ship he cruized for some time in the Channel, and then again sailed for the West Indies, soon after his arrival on which station he was nominated Acting-Master of the Thalia armée en flûte. At the end of nine months he went back to the Excellent. In Dec. 1802, a few weeks only after he had passed his examination, he received an order to act as Lieutenant in the Emerald 36, Capt. Lord Jas. O’Bryen; and on 11 April, 1803, he was confirmed. In the course of the same year he contributed to the capture of L’Enfant Prodigue French national schooner of 16 guns, assisted in landing the troops at the reduction of Ste. Lucie, was wounded in an affair in a bay of the island of Guadeloupe, and was taken prisoner, after having lost the greater part of the crew of a boat of which he had command. Returning to England en parole, he joined at first the Sea Fencible service, and was next appointed – 19 Dec. 1804, to the Drake sloop, commanded, again in the West Indies, by Capt. Drury, by himself for three months, and by Capts. Wm. Furlong Wise and Geo. Gustavus Lennock – II April, 1806, to the Thames 32, Capt. Bridges Watkinson Taylor, whom he accompanied to the Mediterranean – 21 Dec. 1807, to the Active 38, Capt. Rich. Hussey Moubray, on the station last named, whence ill health obliged him to return in Dec. 1808 – 11 Oct. 1809 and 18 March, 1810, to the Neptune 98 and Pompée 74, both commanded by Capt. Jas. Athol Wood in the West Indies – and, in Jan. 1812, after 15 months of half-pay, to the Barham 74, Capt. John Wm. Spranger, employed in the North Sea and Channel. He was placed on half-pay 29 Dec. 1813 and invested with the rank of Commander on the Retired List 23 Jan. 1836.