Nelson & His World

Discussion on the life and times of Admiral Lord Nelson
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 Post subject: Captain John Drew HMS Trusty
PostPosted: Mon Jun 24, 2013 8:54 pm 
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Joined: Tue Dec 25, 2012 11:52 pm
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Hello knowledgeable ones!

Does anyone have any information about Captain John Drew of HMS Trusty approx. 1793 - 5, please?

Many thanks and best wishes to all, Rosie


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 Post subject: Re: Captain John Drew HMS Trusty
PostPosted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 9:20 pm 
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Hi Rosie,
Not sure whether you were just looking for information on Drew when in command of Trusty, or all information.

In 1793 Trusty was the flag-ship of Sir John Laforey, Captain John Drew. The ship was used to transport the military forces used to take the island Tobago from the French. Trusty left Barbados on April 12th, and landed the troops in Great Courland Bay, Tobago, on the evening of the 14th.

Two other ships John Drew commanded were:
Squirrel(24) at Cork, in 1787.
Cerberus(32), from Jan 1795.
Which ship I believe he was still in command of when he met his unfortunate death at Plymouth in Jan 1798.

This obituary for a nephew of John Drew appeared in the Naval Chronicle Vol 12, (July - December 1804):

On the 16th of Oct died, at his father's house at Stockton, near Saltash Lieutenant John Drew, of the Royal Navy. His family have been remarkably unfortunate; his uncle, the late Captain John Drew, of the Cerberus, was, together with another nephew, Lieutenant James Drew, drowned in Plymouth' Sound, a few months afterwards, his other uncle. Captain Tames Drew, Commander of the de Braak, was drowned on the coast of America. We should be obliged to any of our readers who would send us a Biographical Memoir of this Officer.

Richard.


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 Post subject: Re: Captain John Drew HMS Trusty
PostPosted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 8:43 pm 
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Hi Richard, and thank you very much for the information; greatly appreciated. You are right - it was as much information about Drew as possible that I was hoping to obtain - he seems to be rather difficult to find out about; I have a knack of picking that sort!!

Thank you again and very best wishes,

Rosie


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 Post subject: Re: Captain John Drew HMS Trusty
PostPosted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 7:17 pm 
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Rosie,
glad the information was of interest!
Two lieutenants logs kept by Drew in 1782 appear on the Caird Library catalogue:

Sultan (74), between 1 Jan -12 July 1782. Ref: ADM/L/S/43

Superbe, between 8 July - 11 Oct 1782. Ref: ADM/L/S/547

Richard.


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 Post subject: Re: Captain John Drew HMS Trusty
PostPosted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 8:52 pm 
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Joined: Tue Dec 25, 2012 11:52 pm
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Hi Richard and thank you for the additional information; very helpful indeed, and much appreciated.

Best wishes,

Rosie


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 Post subject: Re: Captain John Drew HMS Trusty
PostPosted: Sat Jun 29, 2013 10:04 am 
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Joined: Tue Jan 03, 2012 9:17 pm
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Rosie,
I should have delayed my last post. Just two small snippets I noticed during a spot of late night browsing:

22° 18' west, the British 18-pounder 32-gun frigate Cerberus, Captain John Drew, captured the French ship-privateer Epervier, of sixteen 4-pounders and 145 men; on the 13th recaptured a ship, her prize; and on the 14th captured another ship-privateer, the Renard, carrying eighteen 6-pounders and 189 men. The Cerberus also chased the ship-privateer Buonaparte, mounting, as represented, 32 guns, with a crew of 250 men, and would have captured her, had not the frigate's studding-sails and main topgallantmast been carried away. As it was, the Cerberus pressed the Buonaparte so closely, and annoyed her so much with her bow-guns, as to compel her to throw overboard the greater part of her guns and stores, and, as was understood, to return to Bordeaux.

(James, The Naval History Of Great Britain. Vol 2, Page 91.)

Patrick Marione supplies a little personal information:

Captain John Drew.
• He was a younger son of M Drew of Stockaton near Saltash, Cornwall.
• Younger brother of Commander James Drew, RN.
Uncle of Lieutenant John (2) Drew, RN, and of James Drew, RN, drowned while Acting-Lieutenant of the Cerberus, when she foundered.
• Whilst in command of the Cerberus, he was drowned on 11 January 1798, by the upsetting of the pinnace, in Cawsand Bay near Plymouth

Richard.


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 Post subject: Re: Captain John Drew HMS Trusty
PostPosted: Sun Jun 30, 2013 4:10 am 
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Joined: Tue Dec 25, 2012 11:52 pm
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Hi Richard,

Thank you very much for the results of your browsing. What a wonderful description -'annoyed her so much with her bow-guns' - something of the good old fashioned British understatement there, I suspect - especially as Cerberus' studding sails and main top-gallant mast been 'carried away'!

The Drew family certainly seem to have been particularly unfortunate in the matter of losing their members through the foundering of vessels. No doubt the common practice in those days of relations serving alongside each other in a ship meant that losses of this kind were unfortunately not uncommon. After all, had Suckling's ship foundered when his nephew was a midshipman, with similar results, this forum would not have existed!

Thank you again for such helpful and useful information, Richard.

Very best wishes,

Rosie


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