This officer served as a midshipman of the Culloden 74, Captain Isaac Schomberg, on the glorious first of June, 1794; and was in the Ruby 64, Captain Edwin Henry Stanhope, at the capture of a Dutch squadron, in Saldanha bay, Cape of Good Hope, Aug. 18, 1796[1]; he subsequently joined the London 98, bearing the flag of Vice-Admiral John Colpoys, with whom he quitted her during the general mutiny at Spithead, in May 1797. For his conduct on that trying occasion, he was soon afterwards presented with a commission.
At the renewal of hostilities, in 1803, Lieutenant Owen obtained the command of the Sea Flower, a 14-gun brig, in which vessel he captured le Charles, French national ketch, at the island of Rodriguez, July 15, 1806. In Sept following, we find him exploring part of the Maldiva islands, and their separating channels, which had never been regularly investigated: the additional information thus procured respecting them is duly acknowledged in an appendix to “Horsburgh’s Sailing Directions” On the 10th Nov. in the same year, he discovered an excellent channel, now bearing the name of his brig, situated between the islands of Se-Beeroo and Se Pora, near the west coast of Sumatra.
In our memoir of Viscount Exmouth, we have stated, that the Sea Flower conducted that officer’s squadron through a very intricate navigation into Batavia roads, Nov. 27, 1806: his gallant conduct, at the destruction of the Dutch shipping lying there, is thus acknowledged in the official letter announcing that event:–
“The boats of the squadron assembled alongside the Terpsichore, which, with the Sir Francis Drake, had been placed as near as possible to cover them, and were led in to destroy the enemy’s ships by Captain Fleetwood Pellew, under a heavy fire from the ships and batteries. * * * * * *
“The gallant conduct of Captain Fleetwood Pellew, Lieutenant W. Fitzwilliam Owen, and Lieutenant T. Groube, first of the Culloden, the officers, seamen, and marines employed under their command, in this im-ward Parry, John Franklin, William Henry Smyth*, John George Graham, Frederick William Beechey; Commanders John Molesworth, Pringle Stokes, Henry Foster, Hon. John Frederick F. De Roos, James Clark Ross; Lieutenants George Young, William Samuel Stratford*, George Beaufoy, Charles Ramsay Drinkwater, Thomas Graves, and ___ Kendall.
- Members of the Council.
