Royal Naval Biography/Blow, John Aitken
JOHN AITKIN BLOW, Esq.
[Commander.]
Obtained his first commission on the 19th Oct. 1797; and was wounded while serving as lieutenant on board the Foudroyant 80, Captain Sir Edward Berry, in action with the French 80-gun ship Guillaume Tell, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Decres, Mar. 31st, 1800[1]. We next find him commanding the Charger gun-brig, in which vessel he captured a Dutch privateer, on the North Sea station. May 28th, 1805. He was subsequently employed in the Baltic, and attached to the fleet under Admiral Gambier, at the siege of Copenhagen.
In June 1808, the Charger formed part of a small convoying squadron, one of which, the Turbulent gun-brig. Lieutenant George Wood, was captured by a Danish flotilla, near the south end of Saltholm, on the 9th of that month[2]. About May 1810, Lieutenant Blow was appointed to the command of the Algerine cutter, which vessel had one of her crew killed in action with three Danish brigs of war, on the coast of Norway, Aug. 1st, 1811[3]. He was promoted to the rank of commander in Mar. 1826; and appointed to the Ordinary at Sheerness in April 1834.