# A Naval Biographical Dictionary/McKerlie, John

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​M‘KERLIE. (Rear-Admiral, 1846. f-p., 20; h-p., 33.)
John M‘Kerlie, born 7 June, 1774, is descended from a Scottish warrior, who resided at Cruggleton Castle, co. Wigton, and was thence expelled by the English for his faithful adherence to the renowned Sir Wm. Wallace, who in consequence undertook an expedition for the purpose of reinstating him.
This officer entered the Navy, 23 April, 1794, as A.B., on board the Arethusa 38, Capt. Sir Edw. Pellew; under whom, when in company with other ships, he successively witnessed the capture of Le Babet of 22 guns and 178 men, L’Engageante of 38 guns and 300 men, and La Révolutionnaire of 44 guns and 351 men. On his removal with the same officer to the Indefatigable of 46 guns, he furtlier assisted, as Midshipman, at the taking of L’Unité of 38 guns and 265 men, and La Virginie of 44 guns and 340 men; besides contributing, in company with the Amazon 36, to the destruction, with a loss to the Indefatigable of 19 men wounded, of Les Droits de l’Homme 74. On the latter occasion Mr. M‘Kerlie lost his right arm, and received a wound in the thigh. Following Sir Edw. Pellew, next, into the Impétueux 74, he accompanied in 1800 an expedition sent to co-operate with the Royalists in Quiberon Bay; and, on the occasion of a successful attack made, 6 June in that year, upon the enemy’s shipping in the Morbihan River, he aided in the boats, under Lieut. John Pilfold, in boarding and blowing up L’Insolente, an 18-gun corvette. We may add that in services of a similar nature he was always a volunteer. Three weeks after the latter event he was nominated Acting-Lieutenant of the Thames 32, Capt. Wm. Lukin. He was confirmed 18 Aug. in the same year, in the Megaera fire-ship Capts. Henry Hill and John Newhouse, with the former of whom, during the peace of Amiens he served at Newfoundland in the Camilla 24. Being ​appointed First-Lieutenant, 13 March, 1804, of the Spartiate 74, Capt. Sir Fras. Laforey, Mr. M‘Kerlie in the year following went with Lord Nelson to the West Indies in pursuit of the combined fleets of France and Spain, and on his return shared in the battle of Trafalgar. Although advanced in consequence to the rank of Commander, 24 Dec. 1805, he did not succeed in procuring another appointment until 1808, in June and Aug. of which year we find him assuming successive command of the Diligence 12, fitting for service in the straits of Gibraltar, and Calliope of 10 guns (8 18-pounder carronades and 2 long sixes) and 75 men, destined for the North Sea station. In that vessel Capt. M‘Kerlie accompanied the expedition to the Scheldt, where, after the fall of Flushing, he was invested with the charge of a division of gun-brigs, and gave so much satisfaction that Sir Rich. Strachan gave him the north coast of Holland and the neighbourhood of Heligoland for a cruizing-ground. On 25 Oct. 1810 he contrived, at the end of a running-fight of an hour and a half, fought with much spirit, and attended with a loss to the British of 3 persons wounded, to make prize of a large privateer, the Comtesse d’Hambourg schooner of 14 guns (8 12-pounders and 6 8-pounders) and 51 men. In March, 1813, after having driven another privateer of 16 guns into the Vlie passage, Capt. M‘Kerlie was appointed to the command of the naval force stationed at Heligoland; and in the ensuing April he was directed to employ the sloops, gun-brigs, and other vessels at his disposal as much in co-operation as possible with the Allies in the rivers Ems, Elbe, Weser, and Jade. In the month of May he was the senior officer off Cuxhaven when that place was reoccupied by the French. He continued to command the Heligoland squadron until Oct. 1813, when he was superseded by Capt. Arthur Farquhar, who, it appears, directed him soon afterwards to proceed, with a gun-boat and a strong division of row-boats, up the Weser as far as Braak, for the purpose of there seizing two 20-gun corvettes building, as well as all other vessels, naval stores, &c., which could be found, belonging to the enemy. These orders he fully executed; and when the corvettes were ready for sea he was sent with them to England; on his arrival where, at the close of Dec. 1813, he had the satisfaction of learning that he had been promoted to Post-rank on 4 of that month. Capt. M‘Kerlie’s last appointments were, 14 Feb. and 27 Aug. 1834, to the President 52 and Vernon 50. In the former of those ships he conveyed Sir Colin Campbell, K.C.B., Governor-General of Nova Scotia, to Halifax; and in the latter, an experimental ship, he served for two years and a half in the Mediterranean, outsailing and beating during that period every vessel that competed with him. He accepted his present rank 1 Oct. 1846.
In 1806 Rear-Admiral M‘Kerlie (who is a Magistrate for Wigtonshire, and is in the receipt of a pension of 300l. for the loss of his arm) was instructed by the Admiralty to assist Mr. T. Telford, a Civil Engineer, in making a survey of the line of communication between the north of England and the north of Ireland, and also in surveying the harbours on each side of the Channel. He married Harriet, second daughter of Patrick Stewart, Esq., of Cairnsmore and Burness, by whom he has issue one daughter. Agents – Messrs. Halford and Co.