# A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Croke, Wentworth Parsons

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​CROKE. (Lieut., 1807. f-p., 39; h-p., 10.)
Wentworth Parsons Croke has lost three brothers in the service of their country – John Augustus, who died, in 1840, First Lieutenant of H.M.S. Ocean 80 – George, First-Lieutenant R.A., who was killed at the capture of Guadeloupe – and James, who died while serving in India, as Captain in H.M. 49th Regiment. ​This officer entered the Navy, 21 Sept. 1798, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Kangaroo 18, Capts. Edw. Brace and Geo. Christopher Pulling; and, between that period and the year 1801, saw much active service on the Irish and Mediterranean stations, including the expedition to Egypt and the capture of a fort and convoy at Oropesa. He then joined, as Midshipman, La Carrère frigate, Capt. Fred. Lewis Maitland, under whom he continued, in the Loire and Volontaire 38’s, and Emerald 36, until 1807. During that period Mr. Croke assisted at the capture, 16 March and 17 Aug. 1804, of the French privateers Braave of 16, and (after a running fight of 15 minutes) Blonde of 30 guns; was under fire of the batteries in Muros Bay, when they were gallantly stormed and carried, and the privateers Confiance and Bélier taken, by the boats under Lieut, the late Sir Jas. Lucas Yeo, 4 June, 1805; aided, on 25 of the same month, in capturing another privateer, Le Vaillant, of force similar to the Blonde; was in company, 24 Dec. following, with L’Egyptienne frigate, at the capture, after an obstinate resistance, of La Libre of 40 guns; and conveyed, in July, 1806, to Sir Rich. Keats, off L’Orient, intelligence which led to the capture of Le Rhin of 44 guns. On his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant, which took place 14 March, 1807, Mr. Croke assumed command of the Chub schooner; and, after assisting at the reduction of Martinique, he was removed to thai of the Shamrock 10, which vessel he had the misfortune to lose, on Cape St. Maria, 25 Feb. 1811. We subsequently find him appointed – 2 Sept. 1811, to the Royal William, Capts. Robt. Hall and Geo. Fowke, guard-ship at Spithead – 10 July, 1812, as First, to the Crocodile 28, Capt. Wm. Elliott, on the Guernsey station – 4 Aug. 1812, in a similar capacity, to the San Domingo 74, flag-ship on the coast of North America of Sir John Borlase Warren – 28 Feb. 1813, and 22 April, 1817, to the command of the Canso schooner, and Pigmy cutter, in the former of which he won the thanks of Rear-Admiral Geo. Cockburn for his services on the coast of Georgia, where he witnessed the capture of St. Mary’s – 7 April, 1823, to the Astrea, Capt. Wm. King – and, 24 Nov. 1823, 31 July, 1833, and 31 Jan. 1836, to the successive command of the Emulous, Pandora, and Express packets, on the Falmouth station. His attention during that period to the British and native inhabitants of different places he visited procured him their thanks and a memorial in his favour to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. Mr. Croke resigned command of the Express in 1840, for the purpose of attending to private matters of importance; and has not since been afloat. We should have noticed that, when in the San Domingo, this officer was successively appointed by Sir John B. Warren to the command of the Kangaroo and Colibri sloops; which appointments, however, owing to some informality, were not confirmed.
He married Mary, daughter of John Smith, Esq., of Falmouth, by whom he has issue four sons and four daughters.