A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Chasman, William
CHASMAN. (Commander, 1821. f-p., 24; h-p., 29.)
William Chasman entered the Navy, in 1794 as a Volunteer, on board the Impregnable 98, Capts. Geo. Blagden Westcott and Andrew Mitchell on the Home station, where he afterwards removed to the Fly sloop, Capt. Rich. Hussey Moubray, and in May, 1799, joined, as Midshipman, the Amethyst 36, Capts. John Cooke and Henry Rich. Glynn. During the four years of his continuance in the latter ship he assisted at the capture of three privateers, carrying in the whole 34 guns and 270 men and witnessed the taking, 27 Jan. and 9 April, 1801, of La Dédaigneuse French frigate, of 36, and Le General Brune corvette, of 14, guns. In May, 1803 Mr. Chasman obtained a berth on board the Victory 100, flag-ship in the Mediterranean of Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson, of which, after pursuing the Franco-Spanish fleet to the West Indies, and participatmg, as Master’s Mate, in the battle of Trafalgar, he was created a Lieutenant, 22 Oct 1805 Having joined, 25 Feb. 1806, the Kent 74, Capt. Thos. Rogers, we find him, as Second Lieutenant of that ship, conducting, on 1 Aug. 1808, an enterprise of much hazard and gallantry. It having been determined to bring out a convoy of 10 sail of deeply laden coasters, lying at anchor under the protection of a gun-boat close to the beach abreast of the town of Noli, on the coast of Italy, Lieut. Chasman was deputed, with the boats of the Kent, and of the Wizard 16, under his orders, to effect that service. Although the vessels were fastened to the shore by ropes from their mast-heads and keels, and were further defended by the fire of two adjacent field-pieces, of a heavy gun in front of the town, and by a continued volley of musketry, yet were the objects of the expedition fully accomplished by Lieut. Chasman, who, landing with a party of his men, rushed with resistless impetuosity upon the assembled foe, and, with the aid of Lieut. John Hanlon of the Marines, personally captured and spiked the town gun.[1] His subsequent appointments, as Lieutenant, appear to have been – 25 Sept. 1809, to the Partridge 16, Capt. Wm. Williams Foote, in the West Indies – 19 Nov. 1810, to the Rover 18, Capt. Justice Finley, under whom he captured, in the Channel, 30 Nov. 1811, Le Comte Reginaud privateer, of 14 guns – 5 March, 1812, to the Crescent 38, Capt. John Quilliam, employed in cruizing in the Baltic, and also off Newfoundland, where she took, 16 Sept. 1813, the Elbredge Gerry, of 14 guns and 66 men – 31 Oct. 1814, and 23 March, 1815, to the Impregnable 98, and St. George 100, flag-ships at Plymouth of Admirals Wm. Domett and Sir John Thos. Duckworth – and lastly, 30 Nov. 1818, as First, to the Superb 78, bearing the broad pendant, in South America, of Sir Thos. Masterman Hardy. He attained the rank of Commander 29 Jan. 1821, and subsequently officiated, from 20 Aug. 1840, until the same month in 1841, as Second Captain, in the Southampton 50, to Sir Edw. Durnford King, Commander-in-Chief at the Cape of Good Hope. He has since been unemployed.
Commander Chasman married, in 1826, the only daughter of the late W. Ireland, Esq., of H.M.’s dockyard at Devonport.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1809, p. 15.