Captain Sir Thomas Staines (1776 – 13 July 1830) was an officer in 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 F ...
.
French Revolutionary Wars
Staines joined on 3 July 1796 on his promotion to Lieutenant. Commander
Philip Wodehouse had taken command of ''Peterel'' by December 1796, when ''Peterel'' landed a small party under Lieutenant Thomas Staines on the coast of Corsica. The landing party attacked a
Martello tower
Martello towers, sometimes known simply as Martellos, are small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the French Revolutionary Wars onwards. Most were coastal forts.
They stand up ...
, which they captured, and threw its gun, a long 32-pounder, over the cliff.
[''The Gentleman's magazine'', (September 1830), pp.277-80.]
''Peterel''s next captain was Commander
William Proby, Lord Proby
William Allen Proby, Lord Proby (19 June 1779 – 6 August 1804) was a British Royal Navy officer and Whig politician.
Background and education
Proby was the eldest son of John Proby, 2nd Baron Carysfort (later 1st Earl of Carysfort, and his f ...
, who took over in March 1797. In June 1797, Wodehouse authorised Staines to take 20 men in two of the ship's boats to cut out a French privateer that had been preying on merchant vessels off the coast of Tuscany. After a skirmish in which the British had five men wounded and the French lost several dead and wounded, the British took the privateer, which had a crew of 45 men and was armed with two long guns and several swivels.
[
In September 1798, Commander Henry Digby sailed ''Peterel'' from Gibraltar to ]Faro, Portugal
Faro ( , ) is a municipality, the southernmost city and capital of the district of the same name, in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. With an estimated population of 60,995 inhabitants in 2019 (with 39,733 inhabitants in the city proper, ...
, to deliver despatches from Earl St. Vincent for the Lisbon packet. Staines took the six men in ''Peterel''s jolly boat to deliver the despatches to the packet when the jolly boat overturned in heavy seas. Four men drowned, and Staines and the sixth man were only rescued after four hours.[
''Peterel'' participated in the ]Capture of Menorca (1798)
In November 1798 a British expedition captured the island of Menorca (historically called "Minorca" by the British) from Spain. A large force under General Charles Stuart landed on the island and forced its Spanish garrison to surrender in eigh ...
by the British expedition under Commodore John Duckworth. On 12 November 1798 the Spanish 40-gun frigate ''Flora'', in company with the 40-gun ''Proserpina'' and the 34-gun ships ''Pomona'' and ''Casilda'', captured ''Peterel'' whilst she was operating off Menorca
Menorca or Minorca (from la, Insula Minor, , smaller island, later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Majorca. Its capi ...
. One of the Spanish ships fired a broadside after she surrendered.[Marshall p.81.] After removing the prisoners from the ship, the Spanish plundered their clothes and possessions, murdering a seaman who attempted to defend his property.[ Duckworth detached to pursue the sloop and on 13 November she retook ''Peterel'' and her 72-man Spanish prize crew, which was under the command of Don Antonio Franco Gandrada, Second Captain of ''Flora''. Captain James Bowen of ''Argo'' put his own prize crew of 46 officers seamen and marines aboard ''Peterel''.][ Duckworth later appointed his ]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 s ...
, George Jones, to command ''Peterel''.[ Most of the clothes belonging to ]Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Long and his officers, including Staines, were subsequently recovered. This charge of ill-usage was officially contradicted in the Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
Gazette of 12 April, but was, nevertheless, essentially true.
The Spanish squadron, already being chased the next day by several British ships, completely outsailed their pursuers and returned to Cartagena with the prisoners. After a detention of 14 days at Cartagena, Lieutenant Staines and his fellow prisoners were embarked in a merchant brig bound to Málaga
Málaga (, ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia after Seville and the sixth most pop ...
; but they did not arrive there until 24 December, a westerly wind having obliged the vessel to anchor off Almeria, where she was detained upwards of three weeks, and her passengers confined on shore during that period.[Marshall p.82.] From Málaga, the British were marched to Gibraltar
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
, under a strong escort of soldiers, who treated both officers and men with great brutality, but particularly Lieutenant Staines, who had received a sabre wound in the wrist whilst parrying a blow which one of those soldiers had aimed at his head.[ On their arrival at the rock, a court-martial was assembled to investigate the circumstances attending their capture by the Spanish squadron; and as no blame could be attached to any individual, the whole of them were sent back to the ''Peterel'' immediately after their acquittal.][
Captain George Long fell at Elba and on 3 February 1799 ]Francis Austen
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Francis William Austen, (23 April 1774 – 10 August 1865) was a Royal Navy officer and an elder brother of the novelist Jane Austen. As commanding officer of the sloop HMS ''Peterel'', he captured some 40 ships, was ...
, the brother of author Jane Austen
Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...
and future admiral of the fleet, took command of ''Peterel''.[ ''Peterel'' and Austen shared in the proceeds of the capture on 18 June 1799 of the French frigates ''Courageuse'', ''Alceste'', and ''Junon'', and the brigs ''Alerte'' and ''Salamine''. Thereafter, ''Peterel'' captured or cut out from ports an armed galley, a transport brig carrying cannons and ammunition, and some twenty merchant vessels. Staines frequently commanded the cutting out expeditions.][
]
Napoleonic Wars
In May 1802 Staines assumed command of in the Mediterranean. He sailed her back to Britain where she was paid off in September 1805.
From March 1807 through November 1809, Staines was captain of HMS ''Cyane''. It was his service on ''Cyane'', particularly at Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
between 25 and 27 June 1809, which cost him his arm, that led to his knighthood and the Order of Saint Ferdinand.
On 17 September 1814 HMS ''Briton'' under his command, along with HMS ''Tagus'', were the first British ships to visit the Pitcairn Islands
The Pitcairn Islands (; Pitkern: '), officially the Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, is a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean that form the sole British Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean. The four isl ...
after the ''Bounty'' and discover the fate of the mutineers
Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military, of a crew or of a crew of pirates) to oppose, change, or overthrow an organization to which they were previously loyal. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among memb ...
– this was six and half years after the American ship ''Topaz
Topaz is a silicate mineral of aluminium and fluorine with the chemical formula Al Si O( F, OH). It is used as a gemstone in jewelry and other adornments. Common topaz in its natural state is colorless, though trace element impurities can mak ...
'' rediscovered Pitcairn. However, Staines was unaware of that discovery.[
'']The European Magazine, and London Review
''The European Magazine'' (sometimes referred to as ''European Magazine'') was a monthly magazine published in London. Eighty-nine semi-annual volumes were published from 1782 until 1826. It was launched as the ''European Magazine, and London Rev ...
'', Philological Society of London, 1816, Volume 69 (Jan. - June 1816) "Mutineers of the Bounty"
p. 134,135
/ref>
Honours
Staines was knighted in three orders: as a Knight Commander 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 medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as on ...
, Knight Commander of the Sicilian Order of St. Ferdinand and Merit, and a Knight of the Ottoman Order of the Crescent.
Citations
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Staines, Thomas
1776 births
1830 deaths
Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
Royal Navy officers
Knights of the Order of the Crescent
Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars
Royal Navy personnel of the Napoleonic Wars