Sir Samuel Pym

Posted by Brian Stephens on Tuesday 22nd of April 2014 12:26

Admiral Sir Samuel Pym.
Oct. 2. At the Royal Hotel, Southampton, aged 77, Admiral Sir Samuel Pym, K.C.B.
Sir Samuel Pym was one of the sons of Joseph Pym, esq. of Pinley, co. Warwick, by a daughter of Thomas Arnott, esq. M.D. of Cupar, co. Fife, niece to Sir William Arnott, Bart. He was brother to Sir William Pym, M.D. K.C.H. Inspector general of Army Hospitals and Superintendent-general of Quarantine.
He entered the navy in June 1788, as Captain's servant on board the Eurydice, Capt. Geo. Lumsclaine, employed at first in the Channel and next in the Mediterranean, where, and on the Irish and Jamaica stations, he served from the summer of 1791 until Nov. 1793 in the Zebra, Kingfisher, and Fly sloops, all commanded ? by C'apt. Wm. Brown. He then joined the Cambridge 74, guard-ship at Plymouth; and, after cruising for twelve months in the Gansres 74 and Venus and Alcmene frigates, he was made Lieutenant in March 1795, and placed in the Martin sloop. In Sept. 17!)5 he removed to La Babet,'in which he witnessed the surrender of the Dutch colonies of Demcrara, Esscquibo, and Berbice and on the sixth Dec. 1798, having volunteered his services, captured, in command of one of her boats, la Desire. French national vessel of G guns and 46 men, after a desperate struggle, in which he sustained a loss of one man killed, another drowned, and himself and all the remainder wounded, the enemy having 94 killed, 8 drowned, and 15 wounded. In May 1798 he removed to the Aimable 32, also in the West Indies; and in Nov. 1798 to the Ethalion 38, which in Oct. 1799 captured the Spanish 36-gun frigate El Thetis, laden with specie, of which his own share alone amounted to 5000/., but which was wrecked on the Penmark rocks, on Christmas day following. On the 12th Feb. 1800 he was appointed to the Stag 32, which ship was also lost in Vigo Bay on the 6th Sept. in the same year. On the 25th October following he was appointed to the Robust 74, commanded in the Channel by his old friend Capt. Brown.
He was made Commander, Feb. 10, 1801, into the Swan, in which he cruised for about six months on the Portsmouth station. He attained post-rank April 29, 1802; and two years after was appointed to the Mars 74, employed in the blockade of Corunna. On the 29th June in the same year he removed to the Atlas 74, which, after serving on the Channel, North Sea, and South American stations, formed part of the force under Sir John Duckworth in the action off St. Domingo Feb. 6, 1806, for which he received the gold medal from the Admiralty. In Oct. 1808 he assumed the command of the Sirius, which assisted in the capture of the town of St. Paul, in the Isle of Bourbon, on the 21st Sept. 1809. On that occasion he stood in, anchored within half-musket shot of La Caroline French frigate, two captured Indiaman, and a brig of war, and opened so heavy a fire, that in twenty minutes the whole of them struck their colours. At the capture of the Isle of Bourbon, in July, 1810, Capt. Pym displayed his usual zeal and ability. He afterwards obtained possession of He de la Passe, the key to Grand Port, in the Isle of France, and recaptured, while cruising off Port Louis, the Wyndham, a British Indiaman recently taken by two French frigates, and a corvette under the orders of M. Duperre. In Aug. 1810, as senior officer of
the squadron, consisting, with his own, of the 36-gun frigates Nereide, Iphigenia, and Magicienne, Captain Pym conducted a series of gallant operations, which, after unsuccessfully endeavouring to capture the two French frigates just mentioned and to rescue another Indiaman, unfortunately terminated in the self-destruction of the Sirius and Magicienne, the capture of the Nereide, and the surrender to a powerful French squadron of the Iphigenia. In consequence of this misfortune Capt. Pym remained in close captivity until the reduction of the Mauritius in the ensuing December. On his release he was tried by a court-martial and honourably acquitted.
On the 27th Feb. 1812, he was appointed to the Hannibal 74, and on the 12th May to the Nizam 38, in which he was employed for three years on the Home, Lisbon, Cape of Good Hope, North American, and West India stations. On the 14th July, 1814, he captured the American privateer Henry Gilder, of 12 guns and 50 men. On the 22d July, 1830, he was appointed to the Kent 78, fitting out for the Mediterranean, whence he returned to England and was paid off at the close of 1831. He was nominated a Companion of the Bath June 4, 1815 ; and a Knight Commander of that order Oct. 25, 1839. He was advanced to flag-rank January 10, 1837. From Dec. 16,1841, until Dec. 1845, he filled the post of Admiral-Superintendent at Plymouth. He had previously served the office of mayor in that town. In Sept. and Oct. 1845 he had command of an experimental squadron consisting of the St. Vincent 120, Trafalgar 120, Queen 110, Rodney 92, Albion 90, Canopus 84, and Vanguard 80. He was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral Feb. 12, 1847; and to the full-rank of Admiral in 1853.
Sir Samuel Pym married, in 1802, a daughter of Edward Lockyer, esq. of Portsmouth, by whom he had issue.
He was attended in his last hours by his brother Sir William Pym.