A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Mansel, George

1822863A Naval Biographical Dictionary — Mansel, GeorgeWilliam Richard O'Byrne

MANSEL, K.L.H. (Captain, 1840. f-p., 17; h-p., 22.)

George Mansel entered the Navy, 30 May, 1808, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Venerable 74, Capts. Andw. King and Sir Home Popham, in which ship, bearing the flag of Sir Rich. John Strachan, he accompanied the expedition of 1809 to the Walcheren. After cruizing for some time in the Eliza tender, Lieut.-Commander Nicholas Kortwright, he became attached, in July, 1811, to the Surveillante 38, Capt. Sir Geo. Ralph Collier, under whom he served, in co-operation with the patriots on the north coast of Spain, until transferred, as Midshipman, about March, 1812, to the San Domingo 74, successive flag-ship of Sir R. J. Strachan and Sir John Borlase Warren in the North Sea and North America. He continued on the latter station in the Colibri sloop, Capt. John Thomson, Nymphe 38, Capt. Farmery Predam Epworth, and Albion 74 and Tonnant 80, bearing the flags of Admirals Geo. Cockburn and Hon. Sir Alex. Cochrane, until the summer of 1815; and he then, for a few weeks, joined the Royal Sovereign 100, Capt. Wm. Robt. Broughton, on the Channel station. In July, 1816, he sailed for the Mediterranean in the Queen Charlotte 100, bearing the flag of Lord Exmouth, who, on their arrival, nominated him Lieutenant of the Minden 74, Capt. Wm. Paterson, a capacity in which he took part in the bombardment of Algiers. He returned home shortly afterwards in the Queen Charlotte, and was paid off; but he did not succeed in obtaining his official promotion until 29 Jan. 1821. His next appointment was, 24 July, 1824, to the Valorous sloop, Capt. the Earl of Huntingdon, fitting for the Jamaica station, where it was his fortune, 2 Dec. 1826, to be made Commander into the Magnificent hospital and store-ship at Port Royal. Returning home about the commencement of 1828, Capt. Mansel, on a subsequent occasion, proceeded to the Mediterranean, and there, during the operations of the French against Algiers, performed such good service as to lead to his being invested, 14 Nov. 1831, with the order of the Legion of Honour. He afterwards, 20 April, 1840, assumed command of the Wasp 16; and on 28 Sept. in that year, as a reward for his services at the capture of Sidon [1] he was advanced to Post-rank. In the following Nov. he witnessed the fall of St. Jean d’Acre. His appointments have since been – 9 Jan. 1841, to the Powerful 84, also in the Mediterranean, whence he came home in the following Sept. – and, 14 Dec. 1844, to the Actaeon 26, in which ship he is now on the coast of Africa.

Agent – John Chippendale.


  1. Vide Gaz. 1840, p. 2603.