Edward Owen (Royal Navy officer)
Encyclopedia
Admiral Sir Edward William Campbell Rich Owen GCB
GCH
(1771 – 8 October 1849) was a Royal Navy
officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet
. He was the son of Captain William Owen and elder brother of Vice-Admiral William Fitzwilliam Owen
.
in 1786. He was given command, successively, of HMS Nemesis
, HMS Immortalité and HMS Clyde. In 1809 he took part in the unsuccessful Walcheren Campaign
in 1809.
Later he commanded HMS Inconstant
, HMS Cormwall
, HMS Dorset and HMS Royal Sovereign.
He became Commander-in-Chief, West Indies Station in 1822 and, following promotion to Rear Admiral in 1825, was made Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station
in 1828. In this capacity he had to contend with pirates and considered the use of steam ships to pursue them. Promoted to Vice Admiral in 1837, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet
in 1841. In 1845 he had command of the Experimental Squadron
.
He also served as Member of Parliament
for Sandwich
from 1826 until 1829, when he resigned from Parliament by taking the Chiltern Hundreds
.
Owen Sound in Georgian Bay
was named after him by his younger brother.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
GCH
Royal Guelphic Order
The Royal Guelphic Order, sometimes also referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent . It has not been conferred by the British Crown since the death of King William IV in 1837, when the personal union of the...
(1771 – 8 October 1849) was a Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet
Mediterranean Fleet
Several countries have or have had a Mediterranean Fleet in their navy. See:* Mediterranean Fleet * French Mediterranean Fleet* Mediterranean Squadron * United States Sixth Fleet...
. He was the son of Captain William Owen and elder brother of Vice-Admiral William Fitzwilliam Owen
William Fitzwilliam Owen
Vice Admiral William Fitzwilliam Owen , was a British naval officer and explorer. He is best known for his exploration of the west and east African coasts, discovery of the Seaflower Channel off the coast of Sumatra and for surveying the Canadian Great Lakes...
.
Naval career
Owen joined the Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
in 1786. He was given command, successively, of HMS Nemesis
HMS Nemesis (1780)
HMS Nemesis was a 28-gun Enterprise-class sixth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. The Nemesis was first commissioned in January 1780 under the command of Captain Richard Bligh.- References :...
, HMS Immortalité and HMS Clyde. In 1809 he took part in the unsuccessful Walcheren Campaign
Walcheren Campaign
The Walcheren Campaign was an unsuccessful British expedition to the Netherlands in 1809 intended to open another front in the Austrian Empire's struggle with France during the War of the Fifth Coalition. Around 40,000 soldiers, 15,000 horses together with field artillery and two siege trains...
in 1809.
Later he commanded HMS Inconstant
HMS Inconstant (1783)
HMS Inconstant was a 36-gun Perseverance class fifth rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She had a successful career serving in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, capturing three French warships during the French Revolutionary naval campaigns, the Curieux, the Unité, and the former British...
, HMS Cormwall
HMS Cornwall (1812)
HMS Cornwall was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 16 January 1812 at Deptford. She served in the English Channel in the Napoleonic Wars.In 1831 she was razeed to a 50-gun ship, though never saw active service again....
, HMS Dorset and HMS Royal Sovereign.
He became Commander-in-Chief, West Indies Station in 1822 and, following promotion to Rear Admiral in 1825, was made Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station
East Indies Station
The East Indies Station was a formation of the British Royal Navy from 1865 to 1941.From 1831 to 1865 the East Indies and the China Station were a single command known as the East Indies and China Station...
in 1828. In this capacity he had to contend with pirates and considered the use of steam ships to pursue them. Promoted to Vice Admiral in 1837, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet
Mediterranean Fleet
Several countries have or have had a Mediterranean Fleet in their navy. See:* Mediterranean Fleet * French Mediterranean Fleet* Mediterranean Squadron * United States Sixth Fleet...
in 1841. In 1845 he had command of the Experimental Squadron
Experimental Squadron (Royal Navy)
The Experimental Squadrons of the Royal Navy were groups of ships sent out in the 1830s and 1840s to test new techniques of ship design, armament, building and propulsion against old ones...
.
He also served as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Sandwich
Sandwich (UK Parliament constituency)
Sandwich was a parliamentary constituency in Kent, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1366 until 1885, when it was disfranchised for corruption.-History:...
from 1826 until 1829, when he resigned from Parliament by taking the Chiltern Hundreds
Chiltern Hundreds
Appointment to the office of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the three Chiltern Hundreds of Stoke, Desborough and Burnham is a sinecure appointment which is used as a device allowing a Member of the United Kingdom Parliament to resign his or her seat...
.
Owen Sound in Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, located entirely within Ontario, Canada...
was named after him by his younger brother.