A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Park, John Steele
PARK. (Lieutenant, 1815. f-p., 8; h-p., 32.)
John Steele Park was born 3 June, 1791. This officer entered the Navy, 1 April, 1807, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Rosamond 18, Capt. Jas. Whitley Deans Dundas, fitting at Chatham. In the course of the same year he sailed for the East Indies as Midshipman in the Monmouth 64, Capt. Edw. Durnford King; and on his return to England in Sept. 1808 he successively joined the Stately 64, Capt. Wm. Cumberland, and Princess Caroline 38, Capts. Chas. Dudley Pater and Hugh Downman. While in the latter ship we find him, 25 July, 1809, commanding one of the boats of a squadron under Capt. Thos. Forrest, in a long and desperate action with a Russian flotilla;, near Fredericksham, in the Gulf of Finland, which, with a loss to the British of 60 men killed and wounded, terminated in the total defeat of the enemy, 87 of whom met a similar fate. He continued in the Princess Caroline, the last four months in the capacity of Acting-Lieutenant, until Sept. 1814; and after an intermediate servitude at Sheerness and Portsmouth as Master’s Mate, in the Namur 74, flag-ship of Sir Thos. Williams and Sir Chas. Rowley, and Leven 20, Capt. Buckland Stirling Bluett, was officially advanced to his present rank 16 Feb. 1815. He has since been on half-pay.
Lieut. Park married, 23 Aug. 1827, Sarah, eldest daughter of W. Clark, Esq., of the Triangle, Hackney.