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COPE—COPELAND—COPPIN.
COOTE. (Retired Captain., 1840. f-p., 13-; h-p., 40.)
William Coote entered the Navy, 3 Oct. 1794, as Midshipman, on board the Royal George 100, Capt. Wm. Domett, bearing the flag in the Channel of Lord Bridport, with whom he remained four years. Until paid off at the peace, he afterwards served in succession on board the Diana 38, Capts. Faulknor and Fraser, on the Irish station – Brazen 18, Capt. Jas. Hanson, which vessel was lost near Brighton, 26 Jan. 1800 – and Venus 32, Capt. Thos. Graves, in the West Indies. He was there appointed, 4 July, 1802, Acting-Lieutenant of the Magnificent 74, Capt. John Giffard; and, on 6 Dec. following, was confirmed into the Hornet sloop. After a further attachment of a few weeks to the Glory 98, Capt. Wm. Champain, cruizing in the Channel, Mr. Coote joined, 8 Dec. 1804, the Agamemnon 64, Capts. John Harvey and Sir Edw. Berry, and had thus an opportunity of participating in the victories achieved off Trafalgar and St. Domingo, 21 Oct. 1805, and 6 Feb. 1806, on which latter occasion he was unfortunately wounded. Being next appointed to the Cerberus 32, Capt. Wm. Selby, he gallantly volunteered the command of her boats on the night of 2 Jan. 1807, and succeeded in cutting out two of the enemy’s vessels under a most tremendous fire from the batteries near Pearl Rock, Martinique.[1] He was again, however, so desperately wounded as to be totally deprived of sight, in consequence of which misfortune he ultimately obtained a pension of 400l, also a gratuity from the Patriotic Fund, and was elevated to the rank of Commander by commission dated 6 May, 1807. The retired rank of Post-Captain was conferred on him 10 Sept. 1840.
COPE. (Lieutenant, 1815. f-p., 10; h-p., 32.)
Alexander Frederick Cope entered the Navy, 4 Nov. 1805, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Leveret 18, Capts. Geo. Burgoyne Salt and Jas. Rich. Lawrence O’Connor; and, after attending the expedition against Copenhagen in Aug. and Sept. 1807, was wrecked on the Galloper Rock, 10 Nov. following. He then joined the Leonidas 38, Capt. Jas. Dunbar, on the Mediterranean station; removed, 23 June, 1808, as Midshipman, to the Dreadnought 98, flag-ship in the Channel of Rear-Admiral Thos. Sotheby; and on becoming attached, in Feb. 1810, to the Téméraire 98, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Fras. Pickmore, was much employed on gun-boat service at the defence of Cadiz. He afterwards cruized for three years, in the North Sea and Channel, as Master’s Mate of the Unicorn 32, Capts. G. B. Salt and Sam. Geo. Pechell, and Favorite 22, Capt. Hon. Jas. Ashley Maude; and, in Dec. 1814, rejoined Capt. Pechell, as Admiralty-Mate, in the Clorinde 40, then fitting out for the purpose of attending the Princess of Wales during her visit to the Mediterranean. Since 16 Feb. 1815, the date of his promotion, Lieut. Cope has been unemployed. Agents – Messrs. Woodhead.
COPELAND. (Capt., 1838. f-p., 21; h-p., 21.)
Richard Copeland, born 5 March, 1792, is son of the late John Copeland, Esq., Surgeon of the 7th Fusileer Guards, and Staff Surgeon to H.R.H. the late Duke of Kent when Governor of Nova Scotia. This gentleman, together with his wife and youngest son, was lost in the Frances transport, off Sable Island, in Dec. 1799.
This officer entered the Navy, 1 Jan. 1805 (under the auspices of Queen Charlotte and the Princess Augusta), as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Medusa 36, Capt. Sir John Gore; and, on removing to the Revenge 74, commanded by the same Captain, and subsequently by Hon. Chas. Paget, witnessed the capture of four French frigates by Sir Sam. Hood’s squadron off Rochefort 25 Sept. 1806; and was further present, in 1809, at the destruction of the French shipping in Basque Roads and the siege of Flushing. In Sept. 1810, he rejoined Sir John Gore, as Midshipman, in the Tonnant 80; and, after serving for some time with the British army in the Tagus, and with Capt. Jas. Brisbane in the Belle Poule 38, was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant 11 Dec. 1811. From 11 Feb. 1812, until wrecked, off the mouth of the Courantine river, 8 March, 1815, Mr. Copeland next served on board the Cygnet 18, Capt. Robt. Russell; and, being awarded a second promotal commission 13 June following, was afterwards appointed, 7 Sept. 1825, and 4 Feb. 1830, to the command of the Mastiff and Meteor alias Beacon surveying-vessels, on the Mediterranean station. While at Gibraltar on one occasion he seized a notorious pirate; and, in 1834, he took captive, near Thasos, another famous marauder, Kara Mitzos, with 160 of his men, all of whom were delivered over to the Greek government. Being, however, liberated without trial, these plunderers resumed their former atrocities with redoubled zest, and, falling again into the hands of Capt. Copeland, were sent to the Pacha of Thessalonica, by whom they were executed. The subject of this sketch, who has been on half-pay since Feb. 1836, was promoted to Post-rank, at the instance of Her Majesty, 28 June, 1838.
He has published ‘An Introduction to the Practice of Nautical Surveying, and the Construction of Sea Charts, &c.,’ translated from the French of C. F. Beautems Beaupré, Hydrographer of the French Marine.
COPPIN. (Lieut., 1809. f-p., 15; h-p., 32.)
Charles Pitman Coppin entered the Navy, in Oct. 1800, as Midshipman, on board the Flora 36, Capt. B. Kendall, guard-ship at South Yarmouth; and afterwards served for seven years with Capt. Rich. Hussey Moubray in the Maidstone and Active frigates, chiefly on the Mediterranean station, where we find him present at the passage of the Dardanells and destruction of the Turkish squadron in Feb. 1807. While next serving in the Weasel 18, Capt. Henry Prescott, in which vessel he was confirmed a Lieutenant 8 March, 1809, Mr. Coppin contributed to the defeat of a French brig of 20 guns – assisted in capturing, besides innumerable other vessels, L’Eole French privateer, of 14 guns and 140 men, after a gallant action of an hour and 30 minutes, 25 Dec. 1809 – and co-operated in the defence of Sicily, when threatened with invasion by Murat. His subsequent appointments appear to have been – in Nov. 1810, to the Canopus 80, flag-ship at Palermo of Rear-Admiral Chas. Boyles – 24 Oct. 1812, to the Tuscan brig, Capt. Geo. Matthew Jones, employed in cruizing off the Western Islands – 10 Feb. 1814, to the Zephyr sloop, Capts. Thos. Cuthbert Hichens and Rich. Creyke, stationed in the Channel, whence he invalided in Jan. 1815 – and, 5 July, 1821, to the Iphigenia 42, bearing the broad pendant of Commodore Sir Robt. Mends on the coast of Africa. Since 1822 Lieut. Coppin has been on half-pay. Agents – Messrs. Ommanney.
COPPIN. (Lieut., 1815. f-p., 20; h-p., 21.)
Frederick Coppin entered the Navy, 9 Jan. 1806, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Uranie 38, Capt. Christ. Laroche, cruizing in the Channel; attained the rating of Midshipman 28 July following; and from Aug. 1807, until Dec. 1810, served, on the American, Home, and West India stations, on board the Statira 38, Capts. Robt. Howe Bromley, Edwin Henry Chamberlayne, and Geo. Paris Monke, and Neptune 98, Capt. Volant Vashon Ballard. He then in succession joined the Safeguard and Wrangler gun-brigs, Lieut.-Commanders Thos. England and John Bentinck Pettet, serving in the Baltic; became attached for a few months in 1812 to the Namur 74, flag-ship at the Nore of Sir Thos. Williams; and after an intermediate servitude as Master’s Mate, on the Cape and Home stations, in the Stag 36 and Spartan 38, both commanded by Capt. Phipps Hornby, was promoted to the rank he now holds 11 Feb. 1815. We subsequently find him doing duty, for some months in the latter year, on board the Aboukir
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1807, p. 394.
