A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Troughton, Joseph

1980117A Naval Biographical Dictionary — Troughton, JosephWilliam Richard O'Byrne

TROUGHTON. (Lieutenant, 1815. f-p., 12; h-p., 31.)

Joseph Troughton was born 13 June, 1791, at Bath.

This officer entered the Navy, 3 June, 1804, as Clerk, on board the Princess Augusta yacht, Capt. Edw. Jas. Foote, under whom he was for 15 months employed chiefly in attendance upon George III. off Weymouth. In Jan. 1806 he was received as Fst.-cl. Vol, on board the Nassau 64, Capt. Robt. Campbell; and while in that ship, in which he continued until transferred as Midshipman, in Nov. 1809, to the Eagle 74, Capt. Chas. Rowley, he assisted in blockading the Texel, united, in 1807, in the siege of Copenhagen, and (on her being extricated from a mass of ice in which she had been blocked up during the whole winter) was present, 22 March, 1808, in company with the Stately 64, at the capture and destruction, on the coast of Zealand, of the Danish 74-gun ship Prindts Christian Frederic, after a running-fight of great length and obstinacy, in which the Nassau sustained a loss of 2 men killed and 16 wounded. He also made a voyage to St. Helena. In the Eagle he co-operated in the defence of Cadiz; and on proceeding in her to the Adriatic saw much boat-service, and contributed to the reduction of the towns of Fiumé, Trieste, and others, on the coast of Istria. On leaving the Eagle he joined, in May, 1814, for rather more than five months, the Royal Charlotte yacht, Capts, Thos, Eyles and Geo. Scott. In the following Nov. he was received on board the Namur 74, bearing the flag at Sheerness of his former Captain, then Rear-Admiral Sir Chas, Rowley; he was presented, in March, 1815, with a commission bearing date 7 of the preceding Feb.; and he was next, from May to Sept. of the same year, and from 7 Feb. 1817 until he invalided 28 Jan. 1818, employed in the Channel in the Forth 40, Capt. Sir Wm. Bolton, and in the West Indies in the Shearwater 10, commanded in succession by Capt. Edw. Rodney, by himself as Acting-Commander, and by Capt. Douglas Cox. Capt. Rodney, all the medical officers, and part of the crew, were carried off by yellow fever; and Mr. Troughton himself was thrice attacked before he could be prevailed upon to invalid. Since the date last mentioned he has been on half-pay.