Jump to content

Donat Henchy O'Brien: Difference between revisions

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
m Added Tree List
 
(28 intermediate revisions by 20 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|18th and 19th-century Royal Navy officer}}
{{Short description|18th and 19th-century Royal Navy officer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox military person
{{Infobox military person
Line 8: Line 8:
|caption=Donat Henchy O'Brien, portrait from his memoirs
|caption=Donat Henchy O'Brien, portrait from his memoirs
|nickname=
|nickname=
|birth_place=Ireland
|birth_place=[[Kingdom of Ireland]]
|death_place= [[Hoddesdon]], Hertfordshire
|death_place= [[Hoddesdon]], Hertfordshire
|allegiance= {{UK}}
|allegiance= {{flagcountry|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland}}
|branch= [[Image:Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg|23px]] [[Royal Navy]]
|branch= [[Image:Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg|23px]] [[Royal Navy]]
|serviceyears=1796–1857
|serviceyears=1796–1857
|rank=[[Rear Admiral (Royal Navy)|Rear-Admiral]]
|rank=[[Rear Admiral (Royal Navy)|Rear-Admiral]]
|unit=
|unit=
|commands= [[HMS Slaney|HMS ''Slaney'']] (1818-1821)
|commands= [[HMS Slaney (1813)|HMS ''Slaney'']] (1818–1821)
|battles=
|battles=
{{tree list}}
* [[French Revolutionary Wars]]
* [[French Revolutionary Wars]]
** [[Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland]]
** [[Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland]]
* [[Napoleonic Wars]]
* [[Napoleonic Wars]]
** [[Battle of Lissa (1811)|Battle of Lissa]]
** [[Battle of Lissa (1811)|Battle of Lissa]]
{{tree list/end}}
|awards=
|awards=
|relations=
|relations=
|laterwork=
|laterwork=
|signature = File:Donat Henchy O'Brien signature.png
|signature= File:Donat Henchy O'Brien signature.png
}}
}}
Rear-Admiral '''Donat Henchy O'Brien''' (March 1785 - 13 May 1857) was an officer of the Royal Navy. He was the son of an Royal Navy captain who claimed descent from an Ancient Irish king. O'Brien served as a [[midshipman]] during the [[French Revolutionary Wars]] and commanded a troop-carrying vessel during the [[Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland]]. He was afterwards appointed an acting [[Lieutenant (navy)|lieutenant]] and served as a [[master's mate]] on the frigate [[HMS Hussar (1799)|''Hussar'']]. While returning to England in 1804 the ship was wrecked on the [[Île de Sein]] and O'Brien and other crew were captured by the French. O'Brien was imprisoned in France but managed to escape in 1808 and reach a British vessel at [[Trieste]]. He later wrote a book about his experiences.
Rear-Admiral '''Donat Henchy O'Brien''' (March 1785{{spnd}}13 May 1857) was an officer of the Royal Navy. He was the son of a Royal Navy captain who claimed descent from an ancient Irish king. O'Brien served as a [[midshipman]] during the [[French Revolutionary Wars]] and commanded a troop-carrying vessel during the [[Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland]]. He was afterwards appointed acting [[Lieutenant (navy)|lieutenant]] and served as a [[master's mate]] on the frigate [[HMS Hussar (1799)|''Hussar'']]. While returning to England in 1804, the ship was wrecked on the [[Île de Sein]] and O'Brien and other crew were captured by the French. O'Brien was imprisoned in France but escaped in 1808 and reached a British vessel at [[Trieste]]. He later wrote a book about his experiences.


O'Brien was afterwards promoted to lieutenant and served with the [[Mediterranean Fleet]] during the [[Napoleonic Wars]]. He distinguished himself in a number of boat actions, capturing numerous warships and cargo vessels. In 1818 O'Brien was posted to the [[South America Station]] and served there during the early part of the [[Argentine Civil Wars]], protecting the interests of British residents. In 1821 he returned to England. O'Brien never served at sea again but was promoted to rear-admiral in the reserve in 1852.
O'Brien was afterwards promoted to lieutenant and served with the [[Mediterranean Fleet]] during the [[Napoleonic Wars]]. He distinguished himself in a number of boat actions, capturing numerous warships and cargo vessels. In 1818 O'Brien was posted to the [[South America Station]] and served there during the early part of the [[Argentine Civil Wars]]. In 1821 he returned to England. O'Brien never served at sea again but was promoted to rear-admiral in the reserve in 1852.


== Early life and career ==
== Early life and career ==
Donat Henchy O'Brien was born in March 1785 in Ireland. He was the second son of Michael O'Brien of [[Ennistymon]], County Clare, a Royal Navy captain who claimed descent from an ancient Irish king and Hannah Henchy of Feenagh, County Clare.<ref name=odnb>{{cite ODNB|id=20450|title=O'Brien, Donat Henchy|last1= Laughton|first1=J.K.|last2=Lambert|first2=Andrew}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Burke |first1=Bernard |last2=Fox-Davies |first2=Arthur Charles |title=A genealogical and heraldic history of the landed gentry of Ireland |publisher=Dalcassian Publishing Company |page=309 |url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=diHHDwAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref> O'Brien joined the [[Royal Navy]] as an [[ordinary seaman]] on 16 December 1796, and served as a [[midshipman]].<ref name=naval>{{cite web |title=O'Brien, Donat Henchy |url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_Naval_Biographical_Dictionary/O%27Brien,_Donat_Henchy |website=A Naval Biographical Dictionary |publisher=WikiSource |accessdate=9 November 2020}}</ref> He served on the [[Home Station]] on the 64-gun ship-of-the-line [[HMS Overyssel|''Overyssel'']] (a vessel captured from the Dutch) under the command of Captain [[John Bazely]], and later Captain John Young.<ref name=naval/><ref name=odnb/> O'Brien, despite his lack of experience, was placed in command of one of the ship's boats.<ref name=odnb/> During the 1799 [[Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland]] he commanded a flat-bottomed boat carrying troops ashore.<ref name=naval/> He afterwards was given command of a [[Hoy (boat)|hoy]] which, heavily ballasted with stone, it was intended to sink at the entrance of the harbour in Goeree ([[Goeree-Overflakkee]]) to block in three Dutch ships-of-the-line.<ref name=odnb/> A sudden squall caused the hoy to sink and O'Brien and his crew were rescued, after some difficulty, by a boat from [[Hired armed vessels|hired armed]] [[cutter (ship)}cutter]] [[Hired armed cutter Lion|''Lion'']].<ref name=naval/>
Donat Henchy O'Brien was born in March 1785 in Ireland. He was the second son of Michael O'Brien of [[Ennistymon]], County Clare, a Royal Navy captain who claimed descent from an ancient Irish king and Hannah Henchy of Feenagh, County Clare.<ref name=odnb>{{cite ODNB|id=20450|title=O'Brien, Donat Henchy|last1= Laughton|first1=J. K.|last2=Lambert|first2=Andrew}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Burke |first1=Bernard |last2=Fox-Davies |first2=Arthur Charles |title=A genealogical and heraldic history of the landed gentry of Ireland |date=January 1912 |publisher=Dalcassian Publishing Company |page=309 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=diHHDwAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref> O'Brien joined the [[Royal Navy]] as an [[ordinary seaman]] on 16 December 1796, and served as a [[midshipman]].<ref name=naval>{{Cite NBD1849 |wstitle=O'Brien, Donat Henchy |pages=827-8}}</ref> He served on the [[Home Station]] on the 64-gun ship-of-the-line [[HMS Overyssel|''Overyssel'']] (a vessel captured from the Dutch) under the command of Captain [[John Bazely]], and later Captain John Young.<ref name=naval/><ref name=odnb/> O'Brien, despite his lack of experience, was placed in command of one of the ship's boats.<ref name=odnb/> During the 1799 [[Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland]] he commanded a flat-bottomed boat carrying troops ashore.<ref name=naval/> He afterwards was given command of a [[Hoy (boat)|hoy]] which, heavily ballasted with stone, was intended to sink at the entrance of the harbour in Goeree ([[Goeree-Overflakkee]]) to block in three Dutch ships-of-the-line.<ref name=odnb/> A sudden squall caused the hoy to sink and O'Brien and his crew were rescued, after some difficulty, by a boat from the [[Hired armed vessels|hired armed]] [[cutter (ship)|cutter]] [[Hired armed cutter Lion|''Lion'']].<ref name=naval/>


== Capture and escape ==
== Capture and escape ==
In January 1800 O'Brien was appointed acting lieutenant of the 16-gun brig-sloop [[HMS Atalante (1797)|''Atalante'']], commanded by Captain [[Anselm John Griffiths]]. As the ''Atalante'' was short-handed, lacking a lieutenant, master, boatswain and gunner, O'Brien remained on board for three months, harassing Dutch shipping off the Flemish banks, Dunkirk and Gravelines.<ref name=naval/> O'Brien afterwards returned to the ''Overyssel'' and from December 1801 was employed for two periods on board the 54-gun ship-of-the-line [[Dutch ship Beschermer (1784)|''Beschermer'']] as masters mate. He passed the lieutenants exam and was appointed masters mate of the frigate [[HMS Hussar (1799)|''Hussar'']]. The ''Hussar'' was returning to England with dispatches from [[Ferrol, Spain]] on 8 February 1804 when she grounded on the [[Île de Sein]]. The crew were captured by the French and taken into captivity.<ref name=odnb/>
In January 1800 O'Brien was appointed acting lieutenant of the 16-gun brig-sloop {{HMS|Atalante |1797|2}}, commanded by Captain [[Anselm John Griffiths]]. As ''Atalante'' was short-handed, lacking a lieutenant, master, boatswain, and gunner, O'Brien remained on board for three months, harassing Dutch shipping off the Flemish banks, Dunkirk and Gravelines.<ref name=naval/> O'Brien afterwards returned to ''Overyssel'' and from December 1801 was employed for two periods on board the 54-gun ship-of-the-line {{ship|Dutch ship|Beschermer|1784|2}} as [[master's mate]]. He passed the lieutenant's exam and was appointed master's mate of the frigate {{HMS|Hussar|1799|2}}. ''Hussar'' was returning to England with dispatches from [[Ferrol, Spain]], on 8 February 1804 when she grounded on the [[Île de Sein]]. The crew were captured by the French and taken into captivity.<ref name=odnb/>


O'Brien was imprisoned at [[Verdun]] and, from 1807, made attempts to escape, though his first two attempts were thwarted by poor weather and hunger.<ref name=odnb/> His third attempt was made in conjunction with [[Maurice Hewson]] and fellow ''Hussar'' junior officer [[Henry Ashworth (naval officer)|Henry Ashworth]] from the citadel at [[Bitche]] on 14 September 1808. The men succeeded in reaching [[Trieste]] by November and were picked up by a boat from the British frigate [[HMS Amphion (1798)|''Amphion'']].<ref name=odnb/><ref name=naval/> While onboard ''Amphion'' O'Brien participated in attacks on two enemy vessels, during which he was wounded in the right arm. He returned to Malta on HM Brig ''Spider'' to join the second-rate ship-of-the line [[HMS Ocean (1805)|''Ocean'']].<ref name=naval/>
O'Brien was imprisoned at [[Verdun]] and, from 1807, made attempts to escape, though his first two attempts were thwarted by poor weather and hunger.<ref name=odnb/> His third attempt was made in conjunction with [[Maurice Hewson]] and fellow ''Hussar'' junior officer [[Henry Ashworth (naval officer)|Henry Ashworth]] from the citadel at [[Bitche]] on 14 September 1808. The men succeeded in reaching [[Trieste]] by November and were picked up by a boat from the British frigate {{HMS| Amphion|1798|2}}.<ref name=odnb/><ref name=naval/> While on board ''Amphion'' O'Brien participated in attacks on two enemy vessels, during which he was wounded in the right arm. He returned to [[Malta Protectorate|Malta]] on {{HMS|Spider|1806|6}} to join the second-rate ship-of-the line {{HMS|Ocean|1805|2}}.<ref name=naval/>


== Mediterranean ==
== Mediterranean ==
''Ocean'' was the flagship of [[Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood|Admiral Collingwood]] who promoted O'Brien to lieutenant on 29 March 1809 and appointed him to the third-rate ship-of-the-line [[HMS Warrior (1781)|''Warrior'']] under Captain [[John William Spranger]].<ref name=naval/><ref name=odnb/> O'Brien served on the ''Warrior'' during operations associated with the [[United_States_of_the_Ionian_Islands#History|capture of the Ionian Islands]].<ref name=odnb/> He returned to the ''Amphion'', under Captain [[William Hoste]], in March 1810.<ref name=odnb/> On 29 June O'Brien commanded the boats of ''Amphion'' and [[HMS Cerberus (1794)|''Cerberus'']] to provide cover to a landing of sailors and marines at Grao ([[Grado, Friuli-Venezia Giulia|Grado]]), Italy which defeated a French force and captured a large quantity of naval stores bound for Venice.<ref name=naval/> O'Brien served as second lieutenant on the ''Amphion'' during the 13 March 1811 [[Battle of Lissa (1811)|Battle of Lissa]], a significant victory for Hoste against a Franco-Italian force.<ref name=odnb/><ref name=naval/> O'Brien returned to Malta in command of one of the prizes, the frigate ''[[Italian ship Bellona|Bellona]]''.<ref name=naval/>
''Ocean'' was the flagship of [[Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood|Admiral Collingwood]] who promoted O'Brien to lieutenant on 29 March 1809 and appointed him to the third-rate ship-of-the-line [[HMS Warrior (1781)|''Warrior'']] under Captain [[John William Spranger]].<ref name=naval/><ref name=odnb/> O'Brien served on ''Warrior'' during operations associated with the [[United States of the Ionian Islands#History|capture of the Ionian Islands]].<ref name=odnb/> He returned to ''Amphion'', under Captain [[William Hoste]], in March 1810.<ref name=odnb/> On 29 June O'Brien commanded the boats of ''Amphion'' and [[HMS Cerberus (1794)|''Cerberus'']] to provide cover to a landing of sailors and marines at Grao ([[Grado, Friuli-Venezia Giulia|Grado]]), Italy, which defeated a French force and captured a large quantity of naval stores bound for Venice.<ref name=naval/> O'Brien served as second lieutenant on ''Amphion'' during the 13 March 1811 [[Battle of Lissa (1811)|Battle of Lissa]], a significant victory for Hoste against a Franco-Italian force.<ref name=odnb/><ref name=naval/> O'Brien returned to Malta in command of one of the prizes, the frigate ''[[Italian ship Bellona|Bellona]]''.<ref name=naval/>


Hoste brought O'Brien with him when he assumed command of the newly-built 38-gun fifth-rate ship-of-the-line [[HMS Bacchante (1811)|''Bacchante'']]. O'Brien distinguished himself onboard this vessel and in command of its boats.<ref name=odnb/> This included on the night of 31 August/1 September 1712 when he attacked French and Venetian vessels in Lema Bay (between [[Vrsar]] and [[Rovinj]] in [[Istria]]).<ref name=naval/><ref name=medal>{{cite book |last1=Tancred |first1=George |title=Historical Record of Medals and Honorary Distinctions Conferred on the British Navy, Army & Auxiliary Forces: From the Earliest Period |date=1891 |publisher=Spink & Son |location=London |page=182 |url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=LPnEAicWqLkC |language=en}}</ref> O'Brien [[cutting out|cut out]] seven cargo ships carrying shipbuilding timber to Venice and captured the French [[xebec]] ''La Tisiphone'' and two gunboats, with no British loss of life. On 18 September, commanding six boats and 72 men, he captured eight enemy war vessels and a convoy of 18 cargo ships that ''Bacchante'' chased onto the coastline between Tremiti ([[Isole Tremiti]]) and [[Vasto]], Italy. In November he commanded boats from ''Bacchante'', [[HMS Eagle (1804)|''Eagle'']] and [[HMS Achille (1798)|''Achille'']] which landed at Fesano ([[Fažana]]), Istria and, despite a garrison of 300 soldiers, captured a large quantity of oak timber owned by the Italian government. On 6 January 1813 O'Brien captured three gunboats near [[Otranto]] in Southern Italy, with no British casualties.<ref name=naval/><ref name=medal/>
Hoste brought O'Brien with him when he assumed command of the newly built 38-gun fifth-rate frigate [[HMS Bacchante (1811)|''Bacchante'']]. O'Brien distinguished himself on board this vessel and in command of its boats.<ref name=odnb/> This included on the night of 31 August/1 September 1812 when he attacked French and Venetian vessels in Lema Bay (between [[Vrsar]] and [[Rovinj]] in [[Istria]]).<ref name=naval/><ref name=medal>{{cite book |last1=Tancred |first1=George |title=Historical Record of Medals and Honorary Distinctions Conferred on the British Navy, Army & Auxiliary Forces: From the Earliest Period |date=1891 |publisher=Spink & Son |location=London |page=182 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LPnEAicWqLkC |language=en}}</ref> O'Brien [[cutting out|cut out]] seven cargo ships carrying shipbuilding timber to Venice and captured the French [[xebec]] ''La Tisiphone'' and two gunboats, with no British loss of life. On 18 September, commanding six boats and 72 men, he captured eight enemy war vessels and a convoy of 18 cargo ships that ''Bacchante'' chased onto the coastline between Tremiti ([[Tremiti Islands]]) and [[Vasto]], Italy. In November he commanded boats from ''Bacchante'', [[HMS Eagle (1804)|''Eagle'']] and [[HMS Achille (1798)|''Achille'']] which landed at Fesano ([[Fažana]]), Istria, and, despite a garrison of 300 soldiers, captured a large quantity of oak timber owned by the French government. On 6 January 1813 O'Brien captured three gunboats near [[Otranto]] in Southern Italy, with no British casualties.<ref name=naval/><ref name=medal/>


== Later career ==
== Later career ==
O'Brien was promoted to commander on 22 January 1813 and left ''Bacchante'' in April, returning to England as a passenger on [[Watkin Owen Pell]]'s [[HMS Thunder (1803)|''Thunder'']].<ref name=naval/> O'Brien was without a command until 1818 but in 1814 published an account of his shipwreck on ''Hussar'' and his subsequent escape to Trieste.<ref name=odnb/><ref name=naval/> In 1818, after the end of the [[Napoleonic Wars]], he was appointed to command the 20-gun [[HMS Slaney|HMS ''Slaney'']]. He served on the [[South America Station]] and, after [[Sir Thomas Hardy, 1st Baronet|Admiral Sir Thomas Hardy]] was posted to the west, was senior commander on the Atlantic coast of this station. O'Brien held this role during the early part of the [[Argentine Civil Wars]], a time when [[Buenos Aires]] was at war with neighbouring provinces. He was successful in persuading the Buenos Aires government not to proceed with its intention to draft British residents into its army and to appropriate their possessions.<ref name=naval/> O'Brien was promoted to captain on 5 March 1821 and left South America in October, returning to Britain onboard the frigate [[HMS Owen Glendower (1808)|''Owen Glendower'']].<ref name=odnb/><ref name=naval/>
O'Brien was promoted to commander on 22 January 1813 and left ''Bacchante'' in April, returning to England as a passenger on [[Watkin Owen Pell]]'s [[HMS Thunder (1803)|''Thunder'']].<ref name=naval/> O'Brien was without a command until 1818 but in 1814 published an account of his shipwreck on ''Hussar'' and his subsequent escape to Trieste.<ref name=odnb/><ref name=naval/> In 1818, after the end of the [[Napoleonic Wars]], he was appointed to command the 20-gun [[HMS Slaney (1813)|HMS ''Slaney'']]. He served on the [[South America Station]] and, after [[Sir Thomas Hardy, 1st Baronet|Admiral Sir Thomas Hardy]] was posted to the west, was senior commander on the Atlantic coast of this station. O'Brien held this role during the early part of the [[Argentine Civil Wars]], a time when [[Buenos Aires]] was at war with neighbouring provinces. He was successful in persuading the Buenos Aires government not to proceed with its intention to draft British residents into its army and to appropriate their possessions.<ref name=naval/> O'Brien was promoted to captain on 5 March 1821 and left South America in October, returning to Britain on board the frigate [[HMS Owen Glendower (1808)|''Owen Glendower'']].<ref name=odnb/><ref name=naval/>


O'Brien married Hannah Walsley in England on 28 June 1825 and would have seven children together. In 1839 he published a two-volume memoir; this, alongside those published by O'Brien's shipmate Ashworth and by [[Edward Boys (Royal Navy officer)|Edward Boys]], served as the basis for [[Frederick Marryat]]'s novel [[Peter Simple (novel)|''Peter Simple'']], whose title character was a Royal Navy midshipman. O'Brien would see no further active service but was promoted to rear-admiral on the reserve list on 8 March 1852. He died at Yew House, [[Hoddesdon]], Hertfordshire on 13 May 1857 and was commemorated in a memorial window in [[St Augustine's Church, Broxbourne]].<ref name=odnb/>
O'Brien married Hannah Walsley in England on 28 June 1825, and they had seven children together.<ref name=odnb/> In 1839 he published a two-volume memoir;<ref name=O'Brien>[https://gutenberg.org/files/49911/49911-h/49911-h.htm O'Brien, Donat Henchy, ''My Adventures During the Late War'']</ref> this, alongside those published by O'Brien's shipmate Ashworth and by [[Edward Boys (Royal Navy officer)|Edward Boys]], served as the basis for [[Frederick Marryat]]'s novel [[Peter Simple (novel)|''Peter Simple'']], whose title character was a Royal Navy midshipman. O'Brien would see no further active service but was promoted to rear-admiral on the reserve list on 8 March 1852. He died at Yew House, [[Hoddesdon]], Hertfordshire, on 13 May 1857 and was commemorated in a memorial window in [[St Augustine's Church, Broxbourne]].<ref name=odnb/>


== References ==
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* ''My Adventures During the Late War''[https https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/49911] by Donat Henchy O'Brien on Gutenberg.org

{{Authority control}}


[[Category:1785 births]]
[[Category:1785 births]]
[[Category:1857 deaths]]
[[Category:1857 deaths]]
[[Category:Royal Navy admirals]]
[[Category:Royal Navy rear admirals]]
[[Category:Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars]]
[[Category:Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars]]
[[Category:Royal Navy personnel of the Napoleonic Wars]]
[[Category:Royal Navy personnel of the Napoleonic Wars]]
[[Category:People from Ennistymon]]
[[Category:Military personnel from County Clare]]
[[Category:Irish officers in the Royal Navy]]

Latest revision as of 09:45, 12 August 2024

Donat Henchy O'Brien
Donat Henchy O'Brien, portrait from his memoirs
Born(1785-03-00)March 1785
Kingdom of Ireland
Died13 May 1857(1857-05-13) (aged 72)
Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service / branch Royal Navy
Years of service1796–1857
RankRear-Admiral
CommandsHMS Slaney (1818–1821)
Battles / wars
Signature

Rear-Admiral Donat Henchy O'Brien (March 1785 – 13 May 1857) was an officer of the Royal Navy. He was the son of a Royal Navy captain who claimed descent from an ancient Irish king. O'Brien served as a midshipman during the French Revolutionary Wars and commanded a troop-carrying vessel during the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland. He was afterwards appointed acting lieutenant and served as a master's mate on the frigate Hussar. While returning to England in 1804, the ship was wrecked on the Île de Sein and O'Brien and other crew were captured by the French. O'Brien was imprisoned in France but escaped in 1808 and reached a British vessel at Trieste. He later wrote a book about his experiences.

O'Brien was afterwards promoted to lieutenant and served with the Mediterranean Fleet during the Napoleonic Wars. He distinguished himself in a number of boat actions, capturing numerous warships and cargo vessels. In 1818 O'Brien was posted to the South America Station and served there during the early part of the Argentine Civil Wars. In 1821 he returned to England. O'Brien never served at sea again but was promoted to rear-admiral in the reserve in 1852.

Early life and career

[edit]

Donat Henchy O'Brien was born in March 1785 in Ireland. He was the second son of Michael O'Brien of Ennistymon, County Clare, a Royal Navy captain who claimed descent from an ancient Irish king and Hannah Henchy of Feenagh, County Clare.[1][2] O'Brien joined the Royal Navy as an ordinary seaman on 16 December 1796, and served as a midshipman.[3] He served on the Home Station on the 64-gun ship-of-the-line Overyssel (a vessel captured from the Dutch) under the command of Captain John Bazely, and later Captain John Young.[3][1] O'Brien, despite his lack of experience, was placed in command of one of the ship's boats.[1] During the 1799 Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland he commanded a flat-bottomed boat carrying troops ashore.[3] He afterwards was given command of a hoy which, heavily ballasted with stone, was intended to sink at the entrance of the harbour in Goeree (Goeree-Overflakkee) to block in three Dutch ships-of-the-line.[1] A sudden squall caused the hoy to sink and O'Brien and his crew were rescued, after some difficulty, by a boat from the hired armed cutter Lion.[3]

Capture and escape

[edit]

In January 1800 O'Brien was appointed acting lieutenant of the 16-gun brig-sloop Atalante, commanded by Captain Anselm John Griffiths. As Atalante was short-handed, lacking a lieutenant, master, boatswain, and gunner, O'Brien remained on board for three months, harassing Dutch shipping off the Flemish banks, Dunkirk and Gravelines.[3] O'Brien afterwards returned to Overyssel and from December 1801 was employed for two periods on board the 54-gun ship-of-the-line Beschermer as master's mate. He passed the lieutenant's exam and was appointed master's mate of the frigate Hussar. Hussar was returning to England with dispatches from Ferrol, Spain, on 8 February 1804 when she grounded on the Île de Sein. The crew were captured by the French and taken into captivity.[1]

O'Brien was imprisoned at Verdun and, from 1807, made attempts to escape, though his first two attempts were thwarted by poor weather and hunger.[1] His third attempt was made in conjunction with Maurice Hewson and fellow Hussar junior officer Henry Ashworth from the citadel at Bitche on 14 September 1808. The men succeeded in reaching Trieste by November and were picked up by a boat from the British frigate Amphion.[1][3] While on board Amphion O'Brien participated in attacks on two enemy vessels, during which he was wounded in the right arm. He returned to Malta on HMS Spider to join the second-rate ship-of-the line Ocean.[3]

Mediterranean

[edit]

Ocean was the flagship of Admiral Collingwood who promoted O'Brien to lieutenant on 29 March 1809 and appointed him to the third-rate ship-of-the-line Warrior under Captain John William Spranger.[3][1] O'Brien served on Warrior during operations associated with the capture of the Ionian Islands.[1] He returned to Amphion, under Captain William Hoste, in March 1810.[1] On 29 June O'Brien commanded the boats of Amphion and Cerberus to provide cover to a landing of sailors and marines at Grao (Grado), Italy, which defeated a French force and captured a large quantity of naval stores bound for Venice.[3] O'Brien served as second lieutenant on Amphion during the 13 March 1811 Battle of Lissa, a significant victory for Hoste against a Franco-Italian force.[1][3] O'Brien returned to Malta in command of one of the prizes, the frigate Bellona.[3]

Hoste brought O'Brien with him when he assumed command of the newly built 38-gun fifth-rate frigate Bacchante. O'Brien distinguished himself on board this vessel and in command of its boats.[1] This included on the night of 31 August/1 September 1812 when he attacked French and Venetian vessels in Lema Bay (between Vrsar and Rovinj in Istria).[3][4] O'Brien cut out seven cargo ships carrying shipbuilding timber to Venice and captured the French xebec La Tisiphone and two gunboats, with no British loss of life. On 18 September, commanding six boats and 72 men, he captured eight enemy war vessels and a convoy of 18 cargo ships that Bacchante chased onto the coastline between Tremiti (Tremiti Islands) and Vasto, Italy. In November he commanded boats from Bacchante, Eagle and Achille which landed at Fesano (Fažana), Istria, and, despite a garrison of 300 soldiers, captured a large quantity of oak timber owned by the French government. On 6 January 1813 O'Brien captured three gunboats near Otranto in Southern Italy, with no British casualties.[3][4]

Later career

[edit]

O'Brien was promoted to commander on 22 January 1813 and left Bacchante in April, returning to England as a passenger on Watkin Owen Pell's Thunder.[3] O'Brien was without a command until 1818 but in 1814 published an account of his shipwreck on Hussar and his subsequent escape to Trieste.[1][3] In 1818, after the end of the Napoleonic Wars, he was appointed to command the 20-gun HMS Slaney. He served on the South America Station and, after Admiral Sir Thomas Hardy was posted to the west, was senior commander on the Atlantic coast of this station. O'Brien held this role during the early part of the Argentine Civil Wars, a time when Buenos Aires was at war with neighbouring provinces. He was successful in persuading the Buenos Aires government not to proceed with its intention to draft British residents into its army and to appropriate their possessions.[3] O'Brien was promoted to captain on 5 March 1821 and left South America in October, returning to Britain on board the frigate Owen Glendower.[1][3]

O'Brien married Hannah Walsley in England on 28 June 1825, and they had seven children together.[1] In 1839 he published a two-volume memoir;[5] this, alongside those published by O'Brien's shipmate Ashworth and by Edward Boys, served as the basis for Frederick Marryat's novel Peter Simple, whose title character was a Royal Navy midshipman. O'Brien would see no further active service but was promoted to rear-admiral on the reserve list on 8 March 1852. He died at Yew House, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, on 13 May 1857 and was commemorated in a memorial window in St Augustine's Church, Broxbourne.[1]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Laughton, J. K.; Lambert, Andrew. "O'Brien, Donat Henchy". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/20450. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. ^ Burke, Bernard; Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles (January 1912). A genealogical and heraldic history of the landed gentry of Ireland. Dalcassian Publishing Company. p. 309.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q O'Byrne, William R. (1849). "O'Brien, Donat Henchy" . A Naval Biographical Dictionary. London: John Murray. pp. 827–8.
  4. ^ a b Tancred, George (1891). Historical Record of Medals and Honorary Distinctions Conferred on the British Navy, Army & Auxiliary Forces: From the Earliest Period. London: Spink & Son. p. 182.
  5. ^ O'Brien, Donat Henchy, My Adventures During the Late War
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Donat_Henchy_O%27Brien&oldid=1239905309"