28, flag-ship of Sir Chas. Hamilton, Royal Oak 74, Capt. P. Malcolm, and San Josef 110, flag-ship of Lord Keith, he was made Lieutenant, 14 Aug. 1812, into the Impétueux 74, bearing the flag off Lisbon of Vice-Admiral Geo. Martin, and next, 13 July, 1813, appointed to the Eurotas of 46 guns and 320 men, Capts. John Phillimore, Hon. Edmund Sexton Pery Knox, Robt. Bloye, and Jas. Lillicrap. Under Capt. Phillimore he took part, 25 Feb. 1814, and was mentioned for the able assistance he afforded, in a destructive action of two hours and ten minutes, which terminated in the capture of La Clorinde French frigate, carrying 44 guns and 12 brass swivels, with a complement of 360 picked men, of whom 120 were killed and wounded, with a loss to the British of 20 slain and 40 wounded.[1] He was advanced to the rank of Commander 13 June, 1815; was employed in that capacity in the Pandora 18, on the Cork station, from 26 Jan. 1819 until paid off in June, 1822; and attained his present rank 20 April, 1827. He has not been since afloat.
Capt. Randolph married, 19 Nov. 1829, Juliana, daughter of Multon Lambard, Esq., of Sevenoaks, co. Kent. Agents – Messrs. Stilwell.
RANDOLPH. (Commander, 1846.)
George Grenville Randolph passed his examination in 1837; obtained his first commission 27 J une, 1838; and was subsequently appointed – 19 Sept. 1838, to the North Star 26, Capt. Lord John Hay, employed on particular service – 31 Oct. 1840, to the Vernon 50, Capt. Wm. Walpole, of which ship, stationed in the Mediterranean, he became Senior-Lieutenant – and, 22 Oct. 1844, in the capacity last mentioned, after a few months of half-pay, to the Daedalus 20, Capt. Peter M‘Quhae, fitting for the East Indies. On 19 Aug. 1845 he commanded the barge belonging to the latter ship at the capture and destruction of Maloodoo, a strong fortification in the possession of Scheriff Osman, a rebel Borneo chieftain.[2] He was advanced to his present rank 9 Nov. 1846; and since 22 Nov. 1847 has been employed as Second-Captain of the Bellerophon 78, Capt. Robt. Lambert Baynes. Agents – Messrs. Stilwell.
RANWELL. (Lieut., 1812. f-p., 15; h-p., 33.)
William Ranwell was born in 1784. His father was about 40 years an officer in the Royal Dockyard at Portsmouth.
This officer entered the Navy, 21 Jan. 1799, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Repulse 64, Capt. Jas. Alms, and on 10 March, 1800, while holding the rating of Midshipmen, was wrecked off Ushant. He was then marched through France barefoot to Valenciennes. On regaining his liberty, in June of the same year, he was received on board the Circe 28, Capt. Isaac Wolley, and sailed for the West Indies. During the remainder of the war he saw much detached service on the coasts of Cuba and St. Domingo; he was five times wounded, twice attacked by the yellow fever, and once again wrecked in a Spanish prize. In Dec. 1802, three months after he had left the Circe, he joined the Portmahon 18, Capts. Walter Grosett and Martin Nevile, in which vessel he was employed on the Impress service and frequently much bruised in the execution of his duties. In May, 1803, he removed to the Impétueux 74, Capt. Geo. Martin. While in that ship he was sent out in a small vessel of 60 tons, armed with an 18-pounder carronade and carrying 16 men, for the purpose of procuring sailors from the homeward-bound merchantmen. During his absence he fell in with a French West-Indiaman, which, after an action of four hours, was captured and carried into Plymouth, although she mounted 4 guns and had 32 men on board. While serving next, from May, 1804, to March, 1810, in the Warrior 74, Capts. Wm. Bligh, Sam. Hood Linzee, Michael Seymour, and John Wm. Spranger, he assisted at the blockade of Brest, Rochefort, and Ferrol, took part in Sir Robt. Calder’s action with the combined fleets, 22 July, 1805, and was employed in various parts of the Mediterranean. In Sir R. Calder’s action he was the first on board the Spanish 74-gun ship San Rafael; and during his servitude on the Mediterranean station he co-operated, as Master’s Mate, in the reduction of Ischia and Procida, Zante and Cephalonia, was present at the capture of about 30 gun-boats in the Bay of Naples, had a boat sunk under him at the bombardment of Gallipoli, and had charge of a gun-boat in the Faro of Messina during the threatened invasion of Sicily by Murat. After acting for a year and nine months as Master of the Spider 14, Lieutenant-Commanders Wm. Sandford Oliver and Frank Gore Willock, employed chiefly in escorting convoys and carrying Ambassadors, Mr. Ranwell, in Dec. 1811, came on shore, and on 21 March, 1812, was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. His last appointment was to the Alonzo sloop, bearing the flags off Guernsey and Jersey of Rear-Admirals Wm. Brown and Wm. Hargood, with whom he served from 28 April, 1812, until July, 1814. Unable to procure employment, he has since been on half-pay.
Lieut. Ranwell has filled the appointment of Surveyor of Shipping to Lloyd’s Register of British and Foreign Ships in the island of Jersey. He married, in 1813, Eliza, eldest daughter of Edmund Champion, Esq., Ordnance Storekeeper at Jersey, by whom he has issue one son and three daughters. His eldest daughter, Madelon Eliza, was married, in Jan. 1843, to John Scott Taylor, Esq., Master R.N. (1834.)
RAPER. (Admiral of the Blue, 1841. f-p., 21; h-p., 46.)
Henry Raper died 5 April, 1845, after a very protracted illness, in the 78th year of his age.
This officer entered the Navy, in Feb. 1780, as Captain’s Servant, on board the Berwick 74, Capt. Hon. R. Stewart, with whom and with Capt. John Holloway we find him, after a visit to the West Indies, serving in the Cambridge 74. In that ship he assisted at the relief of Gibraltar, and was wounded in the action off the Doggerbank. In 1782 he was placed under the orders of Capt. John Hunter in a vessel the name of which has escaped us; in 1785 he was transferred, as Midshipman, to the Salisbury 50, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral John Elliot at Newfoundland; and on 22 Nov. 1790, after having served for about 15 months on the Home station in the Impregnable 98 and Queen Charlotte 100, flag-ships of Sir Rich. Bickerton and Lord Howe, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. He was next, from April to Sept. 1791, employed in the Channel on board the Vesuvius bomb, Capt. Lord Viscount Garlies. Rejoining Lord Howe, 15 Oct. 1793, as Signal-Lieutenant in the Queen Charlotte, he fought in that capacity in the action of 1 June, 1794, and for his conduct was promoted, 4 July following, to the rank of Commander. Through the recommendation of the nobleman last mentioned Capt. Raper was appointed in Sept. of the same year. Major of Signals, on board the Vasco-de-Gama 74, to Vice-Admiral A. J. de Valle, the Commander-in-Chief of a Portuguese squadron of five sail, acting in conjunction with the British fleet. On resigning this post in the ensuing Dec. he was presented, by order of the Court at Lisbon, with an elegant dress sword, having a hilt of gold, ornamented with medallions and set in diamonds. On 3 Nov. 1795 Capt. Raper obtained command of the Racoon sloop, lying in the river Thames; and on 1 Feb. 1796 he was made Post into the Champion 20; which vessel, after serving on the coast of Ireland, formed part, in the spring of 1798, of an unsuccessful expedition sent to destroy the locks and sluice-gates of the Bruges Canal;[3] and he assisted, not long afterwards, at the capture, by a force under Capt. John Lawford of the Romney 50, of a convoy of Swedish vessels laden with naval and military stores for the use of France. In Jan. 1799 Capt. Raper removed to
