Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v2p1.djvu/113

ROBERT LARKAN, Esq
A Captain of the Royal Hospital at Greenwich.
[Retired Captain.]

This officer was born at Athlone, in Ireland, Dec. 27, 1756, and at the age of fourteen years was placed by his uncle, the late Captain John P. Ardesoif, R.N. under the protection of Captain George Vandeput, commanding the Solebay frigate. He subsequently served as a Midshipman on board the Terrible and Ramillies, third rates; Argo 44; Pelican sloop of war; and Prince of Wales 74, the latter bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Barrington, on the Leeward Islands station.

Whilst serving under that distinguished commander, Mr. Larkan was present at the capture of St. Lucia^[1], and bore a part in the action between Vice-Admiral Byron, and the Count d’Estaing, off Grenada, July 6, 1779^[2]. On the 28th April, 1780, after having acted for some time as a Lieutenant in the Diana frigate, he was confirmed to that rank in the Culloden 74. From the following months until Nov. 1783, he served as such under the late Lord Hugh Seymour in the Diana, Ambuscade, and Latona, principally attached to the grand fleet, at that period employed cruising in the Bay of Biscay, and escorting supplies to the besieged garrison of Gibraltar.

The last named frigate afforded such essential service, during the relief of that fortress by Earl Howe, that we think it proper to enter into a more minute account of what passed on that memorable occasion, than we did in our first volume.

On the 9th Oct. 1782, being then abreast of Cape St. Vincent, Lord Howe sent a Lieutenant into Faro to gain intelligence; who returned with the news that the enemy had failed in their grand attack, and that the combined fleets of France and Spain, consisting of forty-seven sail of the line, three ships of 56 guns each, besides frigates, &c. were lying off Algeziras, for the purpose of preventing any supplies being carried to the rock. At five P.M. on the following day, the British fleet, consisting of thirty-four sail of the line, five frigates, three fire-vessels, and twenty-nine transports, brought to on the starboard tack, about fourteen leagues from the entrance of the Gut. At eight A. M. on the 11th, it having blown hard the preceding evening, the signal was made to close; and at 10^h 30’ to form the line of battle a-head; the transports, under protection of the Latona,

1. See Vol. I, note * at p. 103.
2. See note † at p. 50. et seq. of this volume.