A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Tucker, Edward

by William Richard O'Byrne

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TUCKER, K.C.B. (Rear-Admiral of the Red, 1841. f-p., 22; h-p., 34.)

Sir Edward Tucker entered the Navy, 2 May, 1791, as Captain’s Servant, on board the Aquilon 32, Capt. Hon. Robt. Stopford, stationed in the Mediterranean. In Dec. 1793 he removed as Midshipman (he had already attained that rating) to the Adventure 44, Capt. Edw. Buller; under whom, after serving for upwards of 12 months on the coast of North America, he proceeded in the Crescent frigate to the Cape of Good Hope; where he became Master’s Mate, in Aug. 1796, of the Monarch 74, flag-ship of Sir Geo. Keith Elphinstone, and where, from the following Sept. until his return to England in 1802, he officiated as Acting- Lieutenant and Lieutenant (commission dated 21 May, 1799) in the Sceptre 74, Capts. Thos. Alexander and Valentine Edwards, Rattlesnake 16 and Jupiter 50, both commanded by Capt. Wm. Granger, Lancaster 64, flag-ship of Sir Roger Curtis, and Star sloop, Capt. Gardner. He was present, in Aug. 1796, at the surrender of the Dutch squadron in Saldanha Bay. In the course of 1803-4 he was appointed in succession to the Malta 80, Capt. Edw. Buller, Galatea 32, Capt. Henry Heathcote, Inspector, Capt. Henry Budd, Euryalus 36, Capt. Hon. Henry Blackwood, and Circe frigate, Capt. Jonas Rose. In the ship last mentioned (the others were employed on the Home station) he proceeded to the West Indies; where he was made Commander, 22 Jan. 1806, into L’Epervier sloop. Attaining Post-rank 23 March, 1807, he was appointed, 1 Sept. following, to the Dover 38, and ordered to the East Indies. Towards the close of 1809, being still on that station, he was intrusted by the Commander-in-Chief, Rear-Admiral Wm. O’Brien Drury, with the charge of an expedition,^[1] having for its object an attack upon the Moluccas. Soon after his arrival on the coast of Java he made prize, with his own ship and her boats, of two brigs, two sloops, one war-junk, and 15 proas, carrying altogether 50 guns, 4 six-inch swivels, and 380 men; and on 6 Feb. 1810 he took, at the end of a chase of five hours, and in spite of some opposition, the Dutch brigs-of-war Rembang of 18 long six-pounders and 100 men, and Hope of 10 guns and 68 men. On 17 of the same month the whole of the important island of Amboyna surrendered to the force under Capt. Tucker, although defended by numerous strong batteries, mounting in the whole between 200 and 300 pieces of cannon, and by 130 European and upwards of 1000 Javanese and Madurese troops, exclusive of the Dutch inhabitants and burghers, and of 220 officers and seamen, many of them Europeans, lately belonging to three vessels which had been sunk in the harbour.^[2] The forts and batteries were nevertheless captured, and the colony, as stated, subdued by a comparative handful of men landed from the three ships, amounting in all to not more than 401 troops, seamen, and marines, under the personal direction of Capt.-Major Henry Court, of the E.I.Co.’s service.^[3] The success of the British against Amboyna led to the almost immediate surrender, without resistance or bloodshed, of the valuable islands of Saparoua, Harouka, Nasso Laut, Bouro, and Manippa. About the same period Capt. Tucker captured two large ships, a brig, and a ketch, from Souroubaya, richly laden with supplies of every kind for the governments of Amboyna, Banda, and Ternate. His squadron, between 5 March and 29 April following, took, further, one ship, six brigs, and four sloops, all armed, and laden with supplies for Ternate, Bandon, &c. Capt. Spencer, also, of the Samarang, made a successful attack upon the fort of Pulo-Ay, whence he removed the garrison, ordnance, and public property. Having sent the prisoners taken at Amboyna and the other islands to Java, Capt. Tucker proceeded to Gorontello, on the north-east part of Celebes, where he induced the Sultan and his two sons, in whose hands the whole settlements had been invested for the Dutch East India Company, to haul down the Batavian and substitute the British flag. On arriving next at Manado he sent a summons to the Governor of Fort Amsterdam, who, although he possessed defences which mounted 3 12-pounders, 5 8-pounders, 10 6’s, and 32 pieces of smaller calibre, instantly accepted the terms proposed to him – 102 Dutch officers and soldiers and 11 seamen laying down their arms. With Manado fell its dependencies, the ports of Kemar, Le Copang, Amerang, and Tawangwoo. At these places were found supplies on the eve of being shipped off for Banda – a circumstance which rendered their capture the more important.^[4] Capt. Tucker continued to hold the conquests he had made, notwithstanding the slender force at his command, until the arrival, some months afterwards, of reinforcements from India. He then returned to Madras, without having sustained a single loss from sickness, and with his ship in so complete a state that he immediately volunteered to accompany the expedition then about to proceed to Batavia. Circumstances, however, prevented his doing so. He left the Dover in April, 1811 (she was wrecked 2 May following, while under the temporary command of Lieut. Chas. Jefferis); and he was afterwards appointed – 13 Oct. 1812, to the Surveillante 38, on the north coast of Spain – and in the early part of 1813, to the Cornwall 74 and Inconstant 36. In the latter ship, which he paid off in Aug. 1815, he made a voyage to Buenos Ayres. He was Knighted for his services 6 May, 1813, and nominated a K.C.B. 2 Jan. 1815. His promotion to Flag-rank took place 23 Nov. 1841.

He married, in Feb. 1817, a sister of the present Capt. Sir Henry John Leeke, R.N., Kt., K.H. Agents – Messrs. Ommanney.

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1. Consisting, with the Dover, of the Cornwallis 44, Capt. Wm. Augustus Montagu, and Samarang 18, Capt. Rich. Spencer. The Cornwallis did not join until 9 Feb. 1810.
2. The Mandurese of 12 guns (afterwards weighed by the British), San Pan cutter of 10 guns, and a cutter, name unknown, of 12 guns.
3. The courage and sound judgment displayed by Capt. Tucker in the operations he conducted against Amboyna were warmly praised by Rear-Admiral Drury. – Vide Gaz. 1810, p. 1481.
4. Vide Gaz. 1811, p. 497.