Charles Marsh Schomberg
Encyclopedia
Sir Charles Marsh Schomberg (1779, Dublin –1835) was the youngest son of the naval officer Alexander Schomberg
and Arabella Susannah Chalmers, and followed his father's profession. Later in life, he also became a colonial governor.
His first naval service was as his father's servant on the yacht of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
, , under his father's command, and lasted from 1788 to 1793, when he served under Captain Thomas Louis
on and the 74-gun . On 30 April 1795 he was promoted to lieutenant
, and was transferred to the , but returned to the Minotaur in August 1796, serving on her at the battle of the Nile
and in subsequent operations on the coast of Italy
and Spain
(commanding her boats on 3 September 1800, under Captain James Hillyar of the , in cutting out two Spanish corvette
s at Barcelona
). For his command of the boats during this action he was moved into the (80 guns), serving as Lord Keith's flag lieutenant throughout the Egyptian campaign), and was in August 1801 put in command of during her part in shipping French PoWs out of Egypt. He was rewarded for all these services with the Turkish order of the Crescent
.
On 29 April 1802 he was promoted commander
, and captain on 6 April 1803. In the latter post he was appointed to command the 54-gun . She was stationed at Malta until spring 1807, when she was decommissioned, on which Charles returned to England for the first time in ten years.
In November 1808 Schomberg was appointed to be Sir William Sidney Smith's flag captain
on (120 guns), travelling with him to Lisbon
where Charles - remaining flag captain - moved to command his old ship HMS Foudrayant (from 6 June 1809 to January 1810) and continued to Rio de Janeiro
. Smith in January 1809 appointed Charles to the (50 guns) but, when the Admiralty sent out another captain for that ship, Charles then returned to England. He arrived in April 1810 and two months later was appointed to the frigate
(36 guns), which he fitted out and sailed to the Cape of Good Hope
. From there he was detached as senior officer at Mauritius
where, in the Action of 20 May 1811, his ship, two other frigates and a sloop met and defeated a force of three large French frigates bringing reinforcements to Mauritius (unaware of its capture by the British). One French frigate, the Renommée
(40 guns), surrendered to Schomberg's ship; one, the Néréide
, escaped only to surrender at Tamatave
in Madagascar
a few days later; and the third, Clorinde
, escaped for good.
In April 1813 Schomberg took over command of (38 guns), sailing to Brazil and from there to Portsmouth as escort to a large merchant convoy, arriving at Spithead
in March 1814. On 4 June 1815 he was made a CB
. From 1820 to 1824 he commanded (80 guns) in the Mediterranean, as Sir Graham Moore
's flag captain, and from 1828 to 1832 flew a broad pennant
in as commodore and commander-in-chief at the Cape of Good Hope. On 21 September 1832 he was made a KCH
, and also received the order of the Tower and Sword
from the prince of Brazil
.
In February 1833 he was appointed lieutenant-governor of Dominica
and died unmarried on 2 January 1835 on board , flagship of Sir George Cockburn
, anchored in the island's Carlisle Bay. He was interred in St Paul's Chapel on the day of his death.
Alexander Schomberg
Captain Sir Alexander Schomberg was an 18th century Royal Navy officer.-Life:His father, Meyer Löw Schomberg , was a German-Jewish doctor and settled in England c. 1720 and set up a flourishing practice in Fenchurch Street, London...
and Arabella Susannah Chalmers, and followed his father's profession. Later in life, he also became a colonial governor.
His first naval service was as his father's servant on the yacht of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was the British King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
, , under his father's command, and lasted from 1788 to 1793, when he served under Captain Thomas Louis
Thomas Louis
Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Louis, 1st Baronet was an officer of the British Royal Navy who served in three wars and saw numerous actions, notably as one of Horatio Nelson's "Band of Brothers" in the Mediterranean in 1798 who commanded ships at the Battle of the Nile...
on and the 74-gun . On 30 April 1795 he was promoted to lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
, and was transferred to the , but returned to the Minotaur in August 1796, serving on her 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...
and in subsequent operations on the coast of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
(commanding her boats on 3 September 1800, under Captain James Hillyar of the , in cutting out two Spanish corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
s at Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
). For his command of the boats during this action he was moved into the (80 guns), serving as Lord Keith's flag lieutenant throughout the Egyptian campaign), and was in August 1801 put in command of during her part in shipping French PoWs out of Egypt. He was rewarded for all these services with the Turkish order of the Crescent
Order of the Crescent
The Imperial Order of the Crescent was a chivalric order of the Ottoman Empire. It was instituted in 1799 by Sultan Selim III when he wished to reward Horatio Nelson, an Anglican Christian, for his victory at the Battle of the Nile...
.
On 29 April 1802 he was promoted commander
Commander (Royal Navy)
Commander is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. It is immediately junior to captain and immediately senior to the rank of lieutenant commander...
, and captain on 6 April 1803. In the latter post he was appointed to command the 54-gun . She was stationed at Malta until spring 1807, when she was decommissioned, on which Charles returned to England for the first time in ten years.
In November 1808 Schomberg was appointed to be Sir William Sidney Smith's flag captain
Flag captain
In the Royal Navy, a flag captain was the captain of an admiral's flagship. During the 18th and 19th centuries, this ship might also have a "captain of the fleet", who would be ranked between the admiral and the "flag captain" as the ship's "First Captain", with the "flag captain" as the ship's...
on (120 guns), travelling with him to Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
where Charles - remaining flag captain - moved to command his old ship HMS Foudrayant (from 6 June 1809 to January 1810) and continued to Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
. Smith in January 1809 appointed Charles to the (50 guns) but, when the Admiralty sent out another captain for that ship, Charles then returned to England. He arrived in April 1810 and two months later was appointed to 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"...
(36 guns), which he fitted out and sailed to the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
. From there he was detached as senior officer at Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
where, in the Action of 20 May 1811, his ship, two other frigates and a sloop met and defeated a force of three large French frigates bringing reinforcements to Mauritius (unaware of its capture by the British). One French frigate, the Renommée
HMS Java (1811)
HMS Java was a British Royal Navy 38-gun fifth-rate frigate. She was originally launched in 1805 as the Renommée, described as a 40-gun Pallas-class French Navy frigate, but the vessel actually carried 46 guns...
(40 guns), surrendered to Schomberg's ship; one, the Néréide
HMS Madagascar (1811)
The Néréide was a 38-gun frigate of the French Navy designed by Sané.In 1810, she sailed to Guadeloupe but was repelled by the blockade off Basse-Terre, and returned to Brest after a fight with HMS Rainbow and HMS Avon....
, escaped only to surrender at Tamatave
Toamasina
Toamasina , meaning "like salt" or "salty", unofficially and in French also Tamatave, is a city on the east coast of Madagascar on the Indian Ocean. The city is the chief seaport of the country, situated northeast of its capital and biggest city Antananarivo, near the centre of the eastern coast...
in Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
a few days later; and the third, Clorinde
French frigate Clorinde (1808)
The Clorinde was a 40-gun Pallas-class frigate of the French Navy, designed by Sané.From June 1809, she was stationed with the 16-gun Milan and the 38-gun Renommée. In September, she sailed with Renommée, Loire and Seine to Guadeloupe...
, escaped for good.
In April 1813 Schomberg took over command of (38 guns), sailing to Brazil and from there to Portsmouth as escort to a large merchant convoy, arriving at Spithead
Spithead
Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds, except those from the southeast...
in March 1814. On 4 June 1815 he was made a CB
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...
. From 1820 to 1824 he commanded (80 guns) in the Mediterranean, as Sir Graham Moore
Graham Moore
Admiral Sir Graham Moore, GCB, GCMG was a British sailor and a career officer in the Royal Navy. He was the younger brother of General Sir John Moore.-Naval career:...
's flag captain, and from 1828 to 1832 flew a broad pennant
Broad pennant
A broad pennant is a swallow-tailed tapering flag flown from the masthead of a ship to indicate the presence of a commodore on board. It is so called because its dimensions are roughly 2:3....
in as commodore and commander-in-chief at the Cape of Good Hope. On 21 September 1832 he was made a KCH
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...
, and also received the order of the Tower and Sword
Order of the Tower and Sword
The Military Order of the Tower and of the Sword, of Valour, Loyalty and Merit is a Portuguese order of knighthood and the pinnacle of the Portuguese honours system. It was created by King Afonso V in 1459....
from the prince of Brazil
Prince of Brazil
Prince of Brazil was a title used in the Kingdom of Portugal, for the heir of the royal House of Braganza.The title was created by King John IV of Portugal on 27 October 1645 in favor of his eldest son and heir prince Teodósio, soon after Portugal had got rid of its Spanish rulers...
.
In February 1833 he was appointed lieutenant-governor of Dominica
Dominica
Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...
and died unmarried on 2 January 1835 on board , flagship of Sir George Cockburn
George Cockburn
Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Cockburn, 10th Baronet GCB was a British naval commander of the late 18th through the mid-19th centuries. He held important commands during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812 and eventually rose to become Admiral of the Fleet and First Sea Lord.-Naval...
, anchored in the island's Carlisle Bay. He was interred in St Paul's Chapel on the day of his death.
Sources
- DNB entry
- D. Syrett and R. L. DiNardo, The commissioned sea officers of the Royal Navy, 1660–1815, rev. edn, Occasional Publications of the Navy RS, 1 (1994)
- J. Marshall, Royal naval biography, 2/2 (1825), 817
- W. James, The naval history of Great Britain, from the declaration of war by France, in February 1793, to the accession of George IV, in January 1820, [2nd edn], 6 vols. (1826)
- O'Byrne, W. R.O'Byrne, A naval biographical dictionary(1849); repr.(1990); [2nd edn], 2 vols.(1861)
- ‘Capt. Sir C. M. Schomberg’, Gentleman's Magazine, 2nd ser., 4 (1835), 90–91
- P. Mackesy, The war in the Mediterranean, 1803–1810 (1957)