Charles Marsh Schomberg

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Charles Marsh Schomberg
Born1779
Carlisle Bay, Barbados
Buried
St Paul's Chapel, Bridgetown, Barbados
AllegianceGreat Britain
United Kingdom
Service/branchRoyal Navy
Years of service1788–1835
RankCaptain
Commands held
Battles/wars
Awards
Relations
Lieutenant-Governor of Dominica

Captain Sir Charles Marsh Schomberg

Lieutenant-Governor of Dominica
.

Biography

Family background

Schomberg was born in Dublin, the youngest son of the naval officer Captain Sir Alexander Schomberg and Arabella Susannah, the only child of the Reverend Henry Chalmers, and niece of Sir Edmund Aleyn. His older brother was Admiral Alexander Wilmot Schomberg.[1]

Early naval career

Schomberg entered the navy in 1788 as captain's servant on the yacht of the

fleet off Cádiz and was engaged in several boat actions with the Spanish flotilla and shore batteries. Minotaur remained part of the inshore squadron off Cádiz until 24 May 1798, when she sailed for the Mediterranean, in company with a squadron under the command of Captain Thomas Troubridge. They joined the squadron of Sir Horatio Nelson near Toulon, and subsequently defeated the French at the battle of the Nile in August 1798. During the battle Minotaur fought Aquilon, and after her surrender she was taken possession of by Schomberg.[1]

Between November 1798 and October 1799 Schomberg, now the

cutting out of the Spanish corvettes Esmeralda and Paz off Barcelona.[3][4]

Schomberg then served as

Egyptian Campaign. He was sent to Cairo to act as a liaison officer between Keith and the Kapudan Pasha, the commander of Turkish naval forces, during the Siege of Alexandria.[1] Schomberg was appointed acting-commander of the sloop Termagant, though it is unclear if he ever took command of her as he was employed onshore until the surrender of the French in September 1801. He was appointed to command of Charon, a 44-gun ship armed en flûte, employed in transporting French troops from Alexandria to Malta,[1] under the terms of the French capitulation.[5] Following the evacuation of Egypt Schomberg was sent on a mission to Tunis, for which Sir Alexander Ball, the Governor of Malta, later presented him with a handsome piece of plate, and for his services in Egypt he was awarded the Imperial Ottoman Order of the Crescent.[1] On 29 April 1802 his promotion to commander was confirmed.[2]

Post-captain

Schomberg was promoted to

Dardanelles Operation under John Duckworth,[6] but on his return to Malta Madras was put out of commission, and he returned to England, after an absence of more than ten years.[1]

On his arrival he was appointed to

In January 1809 while at

Scipion, flagship of Rear-Admiral Robert Stopford. On their arrival Stopford sent Astraea and Phoebe to reinforce the squadron stationed off the Île de France (now Mauritius) under Captain Philip Beaver in Nisus.[1]

The Battle of Tamatave

In the absence of Captain Beaver, Schomberg was in command on 20 May 1811, when Astraea, the frigates Phoebe and Galatea, and the brig-sloop Racehorse met and defeated a force of three large French frigates that were bringing reinforcements to Mauritius (unaware of its capture by the British the previous November). One French frigate, Renommée, surrendered to Schomberg's ship; Néréide escaped, only to surrender at Tamatave in Madagascar a few days later; and Clorinde escaped for good.[7] The Battle of Tamatave marked the last French attempt to operate in the Indian Ocean during the Napoleonic Wars. Nearly four decades later the battle was among the actions recognised by a clasp attached to the Naval General Service Medal, awarded upon application to all British participants still living in 1847.[8] In April 1813, following the unexpected death of Captain Beaver, Schomberg took command of Nisus, and sailed from the Cape to Brazil, and from there to Portsmouth escorting a large merchant convoy, arriving at Spithead in March 1814. Schomberg was preparing his ship for service in North America, when the Admiralty ordered her to be put out of commission.[1]

Later career

Schomberg was appointed a Companion of the

Carlisle Bay. He was interred in St Paul's Chapel on the same day.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Marshall, John (1825). Royal Naval Biography : or Memoirs of the services of all the flag-officers, superannuated rear-admirals, retired-captains, post-captains and commanders, whose names appeared on the Admiralty list of sea officers at the commencement of the year 1760, or who have since been promoted; illustrated by a series of historical and explanatory notes. With copious addenda. Vol. II, Part II. London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green. pp. 817–838. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d Laughton, John Knox (1897). "Schomberg, Charles Marsh" . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 50. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  3. ^ "No. 15300". The London Gazette. 7 October 1800. p. 1156.
  4. ^ Allen, Joseph (1852). Battles of the British Navy. Vol. II. London: Henry G. Bohn. pp. 14–15. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  5. ^ Wilson, Robert Thomas (1803). History of the British Expedition to Egypt (2nd ed.). London: T. Egerton. pp. 346–353. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  6. ^ Brenton, Edward Pelham (1837). The Naval History of Great Britain. Vol. II. London: H. Colburn. p. 186. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  7. ^ "No. 16540". The London Gazette. 12 November 1811. pp. 2189–2190.
  8. ^ "No. 20939". The London Gazette. 26 January 1849. pp. 236–245.
  9. ^ "No. 17061". The London Gazette. 16 September 1815. p. 1877.
  10. ^ Hiscocks, Richard (17 January 2016). "Cape Commander-in-Chief 1795–1852". morethannelson.com. morethannelson.com. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  11. ^ a b c O'Byrne, William Richard (1849). A Naval Biographical Dictionary: comprising the life and services of every living officer in Her Majesty's navy, from the rank of admiral of the fleet to that of lieutenant, inclusive. London: John Murray. pp. 1035–1036. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  12. ^ "No. 19020". The London Gazette. 8 February 1833. p. 274.
  13. ^ "Obituary: Capt. Sir C. M. Schomberg". The Gentleman's Magazine. 158: 90–91. 1829. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
Bibliography
Military offices
Preceded by
Commander-in-Chief, Cape of Good Hope Station

1828–1831
Succeeded by