Vice-Admiral Robert Merrick Fowler (1778 – 25 May 1860) was an officer of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

notable for his service as the second-in-command to Matthew Flinders on HMS '' Investigator '' from 1801 to 1803 and for his involvement in

Battle of Pulo Aura The Battle of Pulo Aura was a minor naval engagement of the Napoleonic Wars, fought on 14 February 1804, in which a large convoy of Honourable East India Company (HEIC) East Indiamen, well-armed merchant ships, intimidated, drove off and chase ...

in 1804.

Career

Fowler, born 1778 at

Horncastle, Lincolnshire Horncastle is a town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district in Lincolnshire, east of Lincoln. Its population was 6,815 at the 2011 census and estimated at 7,123 in 2019. A section of the ancient Roman walls remains. History Romans Alt ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

joined the Royal Navy in May 1793 as a volunteer. He served as midshipman on ''Royal William'' and was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in February 1800. He was posted to HMS ''Xenophon'' (later ''Investigator'') as

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

and second-in-command to Flinders during the years 1801–03. He was subsequently appointed to command HMS ''Porpoise'' which was wrecked off what is now

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

on the homeward voyage during August 1803. Fowler was exonerated for the responsibility for the shipwreck at court-martial in 1804. In 1804, Fowler and other survivors of the ''Porpoise'' joined a British fleet in Canton commanded by Captain Nathaniel Dance heading for the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Fowler distinguished himself at the

in February 1804 where a numerically superior French squadron under the command of Admiral Linois was repelled near

Pulau Aur The Aur Island ( ms, Pulau Aur) is an island in Mersing District, Johor, Malaysia. It lies about east of Mersing Town and is part of the Johor Marine Park. Its corals, lagoons and offshore pools make it a tourist attraction. It has for many y ...

in what is now

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. As an acknowledgement of his contribution, Fowler received a sword from

Lloyd's Patriotic Fund Lloyd's Patriotic Fund was founded on 28 July 1803 at Lloyd's Coffee House, and continues to the present day. Lloyd’s Patriotic Fund now works closely with armed forces charities to identify the individuals and their families who are in urgent ne ...

. Fowler was promoted to commander in 1806 and was on active service in home waters and West Indies Station during the years 1805–11. He promoted to

post-captain Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy. The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from: * Officers in command of a naval vessel, who were (and still are) addressed as captain ...

in 1811. Fowler was promoted to

rear-admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

in 1846 and vice-admiral on the Retired List in 1858. Fowler retired to Walliscote House at

Whitchurch-on-Thames Whitchurch-on-Thames is a village and civil parish on the Oxfordshire bank of the River Thames, about northwest of Reading, Berkshire, in close proximity to Whitchurch Hill. Opposite Whitchurch on the Berkshire bank is the village of Pangbour ...

in Oxfordshire and died in 1860. He was remembered by Flinders in 1802 in the naming of the following geographical places in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

: Fowlers Bay and Point Fowler. The Fleet of the East India Co

Notes

References

* * Flinders, Matthew (1966)

814 __NOTOC__ Year 814 ( DCCCXIV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * April 13 – Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars: Over the winter Krum, rul ...

A Voyage to Terra Australis : undertaken for the purpose of completing the discovery of that vast country, and prosecuted in the years 1801, 1802, and 1803 in His Majesty's ship the Investigator, and subsequently in the armed vessel Porpoise and Cumberland Schooner; with an account of the shipwreck of the Porpoise, arrival of the Cumberland at Mauritius, and imprisonment of the commander during six years and a half in that island.
' (Facsimile ed.). Adelaide; Facsimile reprint of: London : G. and W. Nicol, 1814 ed. In two volumes, with an Atlas (3 volumes): Libraries Board of South Australia. Retrieved 15 February 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:Fowler, Robert Merrick 1778 births 1860 deaths People from Horncastle, Lincolnshire People from South Oxfordshire District Royal Navy officers English sailors

Career

Notes

See also

References