Thomas Harvey (Royal Navy officer)

Infobox Military Person
name= Thomas Harvey
lived= 1775 – 28 May, 1841
placeofbirth=
placeofdeath= Admiralty House, Bermuda


caption=
nickname=
allegiance= flagicon|United Kingdom United Kingdom
serviceyears= 1787 to 1841
rank= Royal Navy Vice-Admiral
branch=
commands=
unit=
battles= French Revolutionary Wars • Glorious First of June • Battle of Groix • Capture of Trinidad Napoleonic Wars • Dardanelles Operation
awards= Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
laterwork=

Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Harvey, KCB (1775 – 28 May, 1841) was a senior Royal Navy officer who saw service in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and died as commander-in-chief on the West Indies Station. The son of a senior Royal Navy officer and from a family with a long military tradition, Harvey distinguished himself under his father at the Glorious First of June and as a post-captain in his own right at Admiral John Thomas Duckworth's attempt to force the Dardanelles in 1807 and commanded numerous ships and stations in the post-war period.

Early career

Thomas Harvey was born in 1775, shortly before his father Captain Henry Harvey left for service on the North American and West Indian stations during the American Revolutionary War. Raised in Kent with his mother Elizabeth ("neé" Boys) and elder brothers, Harvey was sent to join the Navy aged only 12, serving for the next seven years aboard HMS "Ramillies". In 1793 "Ramillies" became his father's ship and under Captain Harvey, young Thomas participated in the battle of the Glorious First of June when his ship rescued the embattled HMS "Brunswick" commanded by his uncle John Harvey. John Harvey died later of his wounds, but Thomas benefited from the general promotion which followed the action and became a lieutenant. [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/12528?docPos=1 Harvey, Sir Thomas] , "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography", J. K. Laughton, Retrieved 21 November 2007 ]

Harvey moved from "Ramillies" to HMS "Prince of Wales" when his father raised his flag in her and both were aboard during the Battle of Groix where "Prince of Wales" was extensively engaged and three French ships of the line were taken. Remaining with his father during 1795 and the first half of 1796, Harvey benefited from family contacts to receive promotion to commander in July 1796 and take command of the HMS "Pelican", his first independent command aged just 21. In "Pelican" Harvey was present when his father captured Trinidad in 1797 and as a result was awarded with promotion to post-captain at the extremely young age of 22.

Napoleonic Wars

Following promotion, Harvey was given command of the frigates HMS "Lapwing" and HMS "Unité" for brief spells and in 1800 was recalled to England to serve with the force being prepared in the Thames under Horatio Nelson, who had been a shipmate of his father in the 1780s. Following the dispersal and then regrowth of the Navy surrounding the Peace of Amiens in 1801, Harvey was favoured with command of ship of the line HMS "Standard", which was attached to Cuthbert Collingwood's Mediterranean fleet. It was whilst serving with this force in 1807 that Harvey was present at the attempt by Admiral John Thomas Duckworth to force the Dardanelles and drive the Turkish Empire out of the war.

The operation was a failure, after Turkish shore batteries opened a murderous fire on the British squadron attempting to force passage on the 19 February 1807. Harvey had been instrumental in burning a Turkish squadron moored at the entrance to the Dardanelles, but during the return from Constantinople a round shot more than two feet in diameter crashed through "Standard's" lower deck, detonating a ready magazine of gun charges and killing several men before the resulting fire could be brought under control. Across the squadron as a whole, over a hundred men were killed and the operation made no effect on the diplomatic situation. In 1808 Harvey returned to England and commanded the ships of the line HMS "Majestic" in the Baltic Sea and HMS "Sceptre" in the North Sea. He did not participate in any significant actions during the remainder of the war and at the reformation of the Order of the Bath in 1815, Harvey was made a Companion.

Peacetime service

Post-war, Harvey spent long periods on half-pay ashore with his wife Sarah (daughter of his uncle John Harvey) and eight children. Two of his three sons, Thomas Harvey and Henry Harvey later became admirals themselves and led distinguished careers, whilst his third son William Harvey joined the church. From 1819 to 1821 Harvey was given the plum role of commander of the Sheerness guardship HMS "Northumberland" until in 1821 he was promoted to rear-admiral, necessitating a temporary retirement from service until a suitable position opened up.

It was not until 17 years later, in 1839, that Harvey's seniority (now a Vice-Admiral and Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath), allowed him to become Commander-in-Chief of the West Indies station, a position which both his father and his cousin John Harvey had previously held. The command was exercised from Bermuda, and it was there, at Admiralty House that he died, still serving, in May 1841. He was buried on the island.

Notes

References

* cite web
title = Harvey, Sir Thomas
work = Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, J. K. Laughton
url = http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/12528?docPos=1

Persondata
NAME=Harvey, Thomas
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= British Naval admiral
DATE OF BIRTH=1775
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=28 May 1841
PLACE OF DEATH=Admiralty House, Bermuda