Francis William Fane
Encyclopedia
Rear-Admiral Francis William Fane (14 October 1778 – 28 March 1844) son of John Fane (1751–1824)
was a British Royal Navy
officer of the French Revolutionary
and Napoleonic Wars
who served in several engagements while commissioned on the frigate
HMS Terpsichore
, including the blockade of Alexandria
. There he was commended for rescuing five French soldiers from a group of Bedouin
partisans, despite coming under fire from the people he was trying to rescue. He advanced rapidly through the ranks, and by 1810 was in command of his own frigate, participating in the Peninsular War
. It was during this campaign that he was captured during an operation at Palamós
, remaining a prisoner for the remainder of the war. After the peace of 1815, Fane did not continue in active service, and although he was promoted to admiral in 1844 he did not serve again at sea.
, and rapidly impressed his superiors with his service during the French Revolutionary Wars
aboard the frigate
HMS Terpsichore
. On 24 October 1796, Terpsichore was cruising near Cartagena, Spain
, when she encountered the Spanish frigate Mahonesa. Engaging the enemy directly, Captain Richard Bowen
was able to defeat and capture the Spanish ship, despite his own vessel taking serious damage. Two months later, after hasty repairs at Gibraltar
, Bowen was again cruising the Spanish coast, when on 12 December he sighted and chased the French frigate Vestale. In a fierce engagement, the French ship was forced to surrender, although Fane was badly wounded in the exchange of cannon fire. During the night however the ships became separated and by morning the French crew had overpowered the British sailors placed aboard their ship and taken it into Cadiz.
Bowen was killed during the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife
in 1797, and was replaced by Captain William Hall Gage
. In May 1798, Terpsichore was attached to the squadron under Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson that participated in the Mediterranean Campaign of 1798
, but were separated from the main squadron in late May and did not return until mid-August, by which time Nelson had already defeated the French at the Battle of the Nile
off Egypt
. Attached to the squadron under Sir Samuel Hood ordered to blockade
Alexandria
, Terpsichore assisted in the destruction of French vessels entering or leaving the port. On 2 September, a squadron including Terpsichore drove the cutter Anémone ashore, but as the French survivors scrambled onto the beach they were intercepted by Bedouin
partisans
. As the British watched from beyond the heavy surf, the Bedouins began massacring the survivors, and desperate attempts to reach the beach by boat were driven back under fire from the French. In desperation, Lieutenant Fane dived into the sea with an empty barrel tied to a rope and swam ashore, dragging five French soldiers back to the ships, the only survivors of the massacre.
Fane's promotion was one of the fastest in the fleet, and by 1804 he had been made a post captain, taking over the 28-gun frigate HMS Hind
. By 1810 he was in command of the frigate HMS Cambrian and was actively supporting the Spanish war effort against the French in the Peninsula War, attacking French coastal positions. Once such raid ended in disaster however at Palamós
, when a British amphibious assault on 13 December 1810 was forced to retreat in confusion. Fane, who was leading a boarding party, became cut off at the town's mole
and was eventually forced to surrender.
Fane remained a prisoner for the rest of the war, and did not return to active service once it ended. Despite remaining in reserve and receiving a promotion to rear-admiral in 1837, Fane did not serve again and died on 28 March 1844 at Bath. He was survived by his wife, Anne neé Flint, who remarried Lord Thomond
in 1847.
and Lady Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Parker, 3rd Earl of Macclesfield
, in 1773.
John Fane (1751–1824)
John Fane was a British Tory politician who represented Oxfordshire in eight successive Parliaments. He was also a magistrate and president of the Oxfordshire Agricultural Society.-Background:...
was a British 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 of the French Revolutionary
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
and Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
who served in several engagements while commissioned on the frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
HMS Terpsichore
HMS Terpsichore (1785)
HMS Terpsichore was a 32-gun Amazon-class fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She was built during the last years of the American War of Independence, but did not see action until the French Revolutionary Wars...
, including the blockade of Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
. There he was commended for rescuing five French soldiers from a group of Bedouin
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
partisans, despite coming under fire from the people he was trying to rescue. He advanced rapidly through the ranks, and by 1810 was in command of his own frigate, participating in the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
. It was during this campaign that he was captured during an operation at Palamós
Palamós
Palamós is a town and municipality in the Mediterranean Costa Brava, located in the comarca of Baix Empordà, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain....
, remaining a prisoner for the remainder of the war. After the peace of 1815, Fane did not continue in active service, and although he was promoted to admiral in 1844 he did not serve again at sea.
Life
Francis William Fane entered the Royal Navy on 15 April 1795 as a young midshipmanMidshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
, and rapidly impressed his superiors with his service during the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
aboard the frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
HMS Terpsichore
HMS Terpsichore (1785)
HMS Terpsichore was a 32-gun Amazon-class fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She was built during the last years of the American War of Independence, but did not see action until the French Revolutionary Wars...
. On 24 October 1796, Terpsichore was cruising near Cartagena, Spain
Cartagena, Spain
Cartagena is a Spanish city and a major naval station located in the Region of Murcia, by the Mediterranean coast, south-eastern Spain. As of January 2011, it has a population of 218,210 inhabitants being the Region’s second largest municipality and the country’s 6th non-Province capital...
, when she encountered the Spanish frigate Mahonesa. Engaging the enemy directly, Captain Richard Bowen
Richard Bowen
Richard Bowen was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars...
was able to defeat and capture the Spanish ship, despite his own vessel taking serious damage. Two months later, after hasty repairs at Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, Bowen was again cruising the Spanish coast, when on 12 December he sighted and chased the French frigate Vestale. In a fierce engagement, the French ship was forced to surrender, although Fane was badly wounded in the exchange of cannon fire. During the night however the ships became separated and by morning the French crew had overpowered the British sailors placed aboard their ship and taken it into Cadiz.
Bowen was killed during the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (1797)
The Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife was an amphibious assault by the Royal Navy on the Spanish port city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Launched by Rear-Admiral Horatio Nelson on 22 July 1797, the assault was heavily defeated, and on 25 July the remains of the landing party ...
in 1797, and was replaced by Captain William Hall Gage
William Hall Gage
Admiral of the Fleet Sir William Hall Gage GCB GCH was Second Sea Lord in the British Navy.-Naval career:Born the third son of General Thomas Gage, Gage joined the Royal Navy in 1789. In 1797 he was given command of the frigate HMS Terpsichore and sailed in the Mediterranean to conduct the Siege...
. In May 1798, Terpsichore was attached to the squadron under Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson that participated in the Mediterranean Campaign of 1798
Mediterranean campaign of 1798
The Mediterranean campaign of 1798 was a series of major naval operations surrounding a French expeditionary force sent to Egypt under Napoleon Bonaparte during the French Revolutionary Wars. The French Republic sought to capture Egypt as the first stage in an effort to threaten British India, and...
, but were separated from the main squadron in late May and did not return until mid-August, by which time Nelson had already defeated the French at the Battle of the Nile
Battle of the Nile
The Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798...
off Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. Attached to the squadron under Sir Samuel Hood ordered to blockade
Blockade
A blockade is an effort to cut off food, supplies, war material or communications from a particular area by force, either in part or totally. A blockade should not be confused with an embargo or sanctions, which are legal barriers to trade, and is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually...
Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, Terpsichore assisted in the destruction of French vessels entering or leaving the port. On 2 September, a squadron including Terpsichore drove the cutter Anémone ashore, but as the French survivors scrambled onto the beach they were intercepted by Bedouin
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
partisans
Partisan (military)
A partisan is a member of an irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation by some kind of insurgent activity...
. As the British watched from beyond the heavy surf, the Bedouins began massacring the survivors, and desperate attempts to reach the beach by boat were driven back under fire from the French. In desperation, Lieutenant Fane dived into the sea with an empty barrel tied to a rope and swam ashore, dragging five French soldiers back to the ships, the only survivors of the massacre.
Fane's promotion was one of the fastest in the fleet, and by 1804 he had been made a post captain, taking over the 28-gun frigate HMS Hind
HMS Hind (1785)
HMS Hind was a 28-gun sixth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. The ship was a revival of the Coventry class, designed in 1756 by Sir Thomas Slade as a development of his of 1748, "with such alterations as may tend to the better stowing of men and carrying for guns." The design was slightly modified...
. By 1810 he was in command of the frigate HMS Cambrian and was actively supporting the Spanish war effort against the French in the Peninsula War, attacking French coastal positions. Once such raid ended in disaster however at Palamós
Palamós
Palamós is a town and municipality in the Mediterranean Costa Brava, located in the comarca of Baix Empordà, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain....
, when a British amphibious assault on 13 December 1810 was forced to retreat in confusion. Fane, who was leading a boarding party, became cut off at the town's mole
Mole (architecture)
A mole is a massive structure, usually of stone, used as a pier, breakwater, or a causeway between places separated by water. The word comes from Middle French mole and ultimately Latin mōlēs meaning a large mass, especially of rock and has the same root as molecule.Historically, the term "mole"...
and was eventually forced to surrender.
Fane remained a prisoner for the rest of the war, and did not return to active service once it ended. Despite remaining in reserve and receiving a promotion to rear-admiral in 1837, Fane did not serve again and died on 28 March 1844 at Bath. He was survived by his wife, Anne neé Flint, who remarried Lord Thomond
James O'Brien, 3rd Marquess of Thomond
Admiral James McEdward O'Brien, 3rd Marquess of Thomond, GCH , styled Lord James O'Brien from 1809 to 1846, was a British naval officer....
in 1847.
Family
Fane was the youngest son of John Fane (1751–1824)John Fane (1751–1824)
John Fane was a British Tory politician who represented Oxfordshire in eight successive Parliaments. He was also a magistrate and president of the Oxfordshire Agricultural Society.-Background:...
and Lady Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Parker, 3rd Earl of Macclesfield
Thomas Parker, 3rd Earl of Macclesfield
Thomas Parker, 3rd Earl of Macclesfield FRS , styled Viscount Parker between 1732 and 1764, was a British peer and politician.-Background:...
, in 1773.