Woodley Losack

Captain Woodley Francis Losack (5 October 1769 – 30 May 1838) was an officer of the British Royal Navy, who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He participated in the Battle of Tamatave (1811) as captain of HMS Galatea.

Captain Woodley Losack
Born5 October 1769
Basseterre, Saint Kitts
Died30 May 1838 (1838-05-31) (aged 68)
Nice, France
AllegianceGreat Britain
United Kingdom
Service/branchRoyal Navy
RankCaptain
Commands held
Battles/wars
RelationsAdmiral George Losack (brother)

Family background

He was the youngest of the eight children of Richard (James) Hawkshaw Losack and Christiana Losack (née Maclure). Woodley Losack was born on 5th October, 1769 in Basseterre, Saint Kitts.[1][2] His father Richard was appointed the Lieutenant Governor of the Leeward Islands. His brother George Losack preceded him into the Royal Navy and rose to the rank of admiral.[3]

Early naval career
The cutting out of a French Brig, possibly La Chevrette

As a lieutenant, Losack served on HMS Ville de Paris, the flagship of Admiral William Cornwallis, and participated in the enterprise to cut out la Chevrette, a French corvette, of 20 nine-pounders and 350 men, from under the batteries in Camaret Bay, near Brest, on the night of 21 July 1801. Lieutenant Losack and Lieutenant Keith Maxwell were promoted to the rank of commander for their services in this enterprise.[4][5]

In 1801,he was appointed captain and held the temporary command of the 36-gun fifth rate HMS Jason in the spring of 1801.[4] On 1 May 1801, Jason captured la Dorade, a brig privateer of 14 guns and 51 men.[4] Later that year, he was appointed Captain of HMS Helena (1804), an 18-gun sloop. On 5 June, 1805, the Helena captured the Santa Leocadia, a Spanish privateer of 14 guns and 114 men.[4]

Post-captain

Losack was made post-captain on 22 January 1806.[4] In 1807 he was appointed as Captain of the second rate ship of the line HMS Prince George. Following the concern in Britain that neutral Denmark was entering an alliance with Napoleon, the Prince George sailed in the squadron in the expedition to occupy the Danish West Indies, with the squadron under the command of Rear-Admiral Alexander Cochrane, who sailed in HMS Belleisle. The squadron, which included HMS Northumberland, HMS Canada, HMS Ramillies and HMS Cerberus, captured the Telemaco, Carvalho and Master on 17 April 1807.[6]

The Battle of Tamatave
Battle of Tamatave (Action of 20 May 1811)

From 7 September 1810 to July 1814 he was Captain of the fifth rate HMS Galatea. On 20 May 1811 he took part in the Battle of Tamatave between a squadron, under the command of Captain Charles Marsh Schomberg, which comprised three English frigates (HMS Galatea, HMS Phoebe and HMS Astraea), and the brig-sloop HMS Racehorse, and three French vessels of superior force (Renommée, Clorinde and Néréide).[7]

The action marked the end of the final French attempt to operate in the Indian Ocean during the Napoleonic Wars. The surviving participants in the battle qualified for the Naval General Service Medal, which was awarded in 1847 with clasp "Off Tamatave 20 May 1811".[8]

There were recriminations among the British squadron, Schomberg praising Astraea and Phoebe but omitting Racehorse and Galatea from the recommendations in his post-battle report.[9] Captain Losack was particularly offended as Schomberg had implied that Galatea's distress signal that was flown during the battle was an overreaction in the face of the enemy, despite her casualties being greater than the rest of the squadron combined.[10][Note 1]

He subsequently requested a court martial to clear any suggestion of cowardice from his name but the Admiralty refused,[4] commenting that they were fully satisfied with his conduct. Historian William James claims that opinion within the Navy was also with Losack and that Schomberg had been excessively harsh in his criticism.[11]

Notes
  1. Lieutenant Hugh Peregrine of the Royal Marines and 15 men were either killed or mortally wounded; Captain Losack, Lieutenant Thomas Bevis, Lieutenant Henry Lewis, midshipmen Henry Williams and Alexander Henning, 21 men and three boys were all wounded.[10]

References
  • James, William (2002) [1827]. The Naval History of Great Britain, Volume 6, 1811–1827. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-910-7.
  1. "Descendants of James Losack". Generation No. 2. 25 October 2003. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  2. "Descendants of James Losack". Generation No. 3. 25 October 2003. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  3. The Annual Biography and Obituary, Volume 14 (Biographic Index for 1829). 1829. p. 424.
  4. Marshall, John (1827). Royal Naval Biography; Or, Memoirs of the Services of All the Flag-officers ... Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green.
  5. James, William (1826). The Naval History of Great Britain: From the Declaration of War by France, in February 1793, to the Accession of George IV. in January 1820, Volume 3. Harding, Lepard, and Company. pp. 214–219.
  6. "No. 16236". The London Gazette. 11 March 1809. p. 330.
  7. James, William (1826). The Naval History of Great Britain (Volume 3). Harding, Lepard, and Company. pp. 282–295.
  8. "No. 20939". The London Gazette. 26 January 1849. p. 244.
  9. Burke, Edmund, ed. (1811). Annual Register, Volume 53. pp. 214–219.
  10. "No. 16540". The London Gazette. 12 November 1811. pp. 2185–2192.
  11. James, William (1826). The Naval History of Great Britain (Volume 3). Harding, Lepard, and Company. pp. 294–295.
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