# Royal Naval Biography/Shipley, Conway

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GEORGE PIGOT, Esq. [Post-Captain of 1808.]
The paucity of our information respecting this officer, and the circumstance of his having obtained post rank in consequence of the glorious death of another gentleman, with whose history we are well acquainted, induce us to give an outline of the naval services of the latter, whose short life was spent in endeavouring to promote the welfare of his country, and the happiness of his friends. We allude to the late
CONWAY SHIPLEY, Esq.
Son of the Rev. William D. Shipley, M.A., Dean of St. Asaph (and grandson of the late Bishop), who was born at Llannerch Park, in Denbighshire, Aug. 14, 1782.
At the recommendation of Earl Spencer, he was placed under the care of Captain (now Sir Thomas) Pakenham, of the Invincible 74, on the eleventh anniversary of his birth-day; and in the memorable battle of June 1, 1794, he gave earnest of his future reputation, by displaying traits of courage that would have done honor to any boy, however much his senior.
In Jan. 1796, Mr. Shipley was removed, by desire of his ​noble patron, from the Invincible to the Phoebe, a fine frigate commanded by the present Sir Robert Barlow, who, as we have already stated, was then considered the first man in the service for proper attention to the young gentlemen under him; and to whom the subject of this memoir always acknowledged himself indebted for the chief of his professional knowledge.
The excellent qualities both of his head and heart very soon made Mr. Shipley a great favorite with Captain Barlow, who, in a letter to the Dean, his father, written after the capture of la Nereide French frigate, says, “your son behaved very spiritedly indeed in the action; – you know he is an old warrior.”
We need scarcely add, that Mr. Shipley saw much active and severe service in the Phoebe, for no ship was ever more unremittingly, and we may say successfully employed against the enemy, than that frigate whilst commanded by Sir Robert Barlow: it will therefore be sufficient to state that he served the remainder of his time as a Midshipman in her, and that when he went to pass for a Lieutenant, his worthy Captain informed Earl Spencer by letter, “that he was perfect in every branch of his profession, and only wanted experience to be one of the best officers in the navy.”
In 1800, Mr. Shipley received his first commission as a Lieutenant, on which occasion he was appointed to the Endymion frigate, commanded by Sir Thomas Williams, whose entire confidence he very shortly gained; and from the period of that officer’s removal into the Vanguard 74, we find him serving under Captain (now Sir Philip C.) Durham, until the peace, or rather truce, of Amiens; when, being very eager for promotion, he gladly accepted an offer the late Rear-Admiral Totty made him, to go to the West Indies; and accordingly proceeded thither as a passenger on board the Saturn 74, and as a guest at the Admiral’s table.
The Saturn sailed from Spithead, Dec. 13, 1801; and in ​Mar. 1802, Mr. Shipley was appointed junior Lieutenant of that ship, then at Martinique, from whence he returned to England in the month of July following. The cause of his sudden departure from the Leeward Islands will be seen by the following private letter from another officer of the flag-ship:–
“If the public reports have not already informed you, your surprise will be great on receiving a letter from me, dated at Spithead, after having informed you very lately that we expected to remain some time longer in the West Indies.
“Would to God we had remained there for years, rather than that the melancholy circumstance which has caused our return had happened! In that climate even, so inimical to English constitutions, I should have felt myself happy, so long as I continued under the patronage of Admiral Totty. By the blessing of God, I there enjoyed a perfect state of health, although daily hearing of the death of some of my brave shipmates, most of them cut off in the prime of life. In the midst of this mortality, the Admiral, having been on shore for a few days while the ship was painting, was attacked by the fever, and hoping that the fresh air at sea might benefit him, he returned on board, and ordered the Captain to get under weigh. We cruised a day or two off the island, when the Admiral finding his end fast approaching, arranged the public affairs, and appointed a Commodore in the bay. On the 24th May, we sailed for England, and in a day or two we heard the joyful news that the Admiral was mending considerably, and that there were some hopes of his recovery; but Providence, alas! ordained it otherwise; for on the 2d of June, death seized upon its prey, and his noble spirit fled to the realms of bliss, to receive that reward his numberless virtues deserved.”
In this manner did Great Britain lose one of her bravest and most zealous officers, society one of its greatest ornaments, and Lieutenant Shipley a sincere friend and patron. The remains of Rear-Admiral Totty were interred in the garrison chapel at Portsmouth, attended by all the commissioned officers at that place; the Port-Admiral and Lieutenant-Governor acting as chief mourners.
Notwithstanding Lieutenant Shipley’s health had been greatly injured by the baneful climate of Martinique, we find him, on the renewal of hostilities, in 1803, proceeding to the same station with strong recommendations from Earl St. Vincent, Lord Bridport, and several other distinguished characters, to the late Sir Samuel Hood, whose regard and affection he also soon won, and retained to the day of his death. ​By that excellent judge of merit, he was in a short time promoted, and appointed to command the St. Lucia schooner (rated as a sloop of war), in which vessel he captured several of the enemy’s privateers, and rendered such other service to the British trade as obtained him the public thanks of his Commodore, by whom he was subsequently appointed to the Hippomenes, formerly a Dutch corvette, pierced for 18 guns, but mounting only 14, with a complement of 90 officers, men, and boys.
On Captain Shipley’s removal from the St. Lucia, the whole of that vessel’s crew were so desirous of following their youthful commander, that scarcely a dry eye was to be seen among them, as he descended the side. If there was any one part of his character as an officer more remarkable for its merit than another, it was the peculiar art of gaining the affection and respect of all under his command.
On the third day after his appointment to the Hippomenes, Captain Shipley captured a French frigate-built privateer, of 36 guns and 240 men. This exploit, which, considering the enemy’s vast superiority, reflects the greatest possible credit on him for his zeal and gallantry in pursuing her, cannot be better described than in his own modest letter to Commodore Hood; wherein he carefully abstains from attaching the least praise to himself, but at the same time reports the spirited conduct of a brother-officer in a manner becoming an ingenuous British sailor:–
“H.M. sloop Hippomenes, Mar. 29, 1804.
“Sir,– I have the honor to acquaint you with the capture of l’Egyptienne, French privateer (formerly a republican frigate), mounting 36 guns, twelves and nines, commanded by Mons. Placiard, and having 240 men on board, on the evening of the 27th instant, after an arduous chase of fifty-four hours, and a running fight of three hours and twenty minutes, by his Majesty’s sloop under my command, for she struck the moment we fairly got alongside of her. I feel much pleasure in saying, the officers and men behaved with that coolness and intrepidity inherent in Englishmen; and had the enemy allowed them a fair trial alongside, I am convinced her superior force would not have availed them much * * * * * *?. The slight resistance she made, I can only attribute to the fear of being as severely beat as she had been four days previous by the Osprey, who killed 8 of her men, and wounded 19; and whose gallantry astonished them. Mr. John ​Lloyd, Master’s-Mate, is the only person hurt, and he but slightly. I have further to inform you of the recapture of the Reliance, of London, taken by the above frigate.
(Signed)“Conway Shipley.”
Mr. James, in the second edition of his “Naval History,” states, that the complement of the Hippomenes had been made up, “partly of draughts from other ships of war; that is, by freeing each of them of a certain number of skulkers, raw hands, and incorrigible rogues, and partly of foreign rencgadoes.” We have already shewn that Captain Shipley had not commanded this motley crew a sufficient length of time for him to become acquainted with their real character; and the example set him by other gallant commanders, on similar occasions, must serve as his apology, if one should be required, for anticipating “the prowess that would have been displayed by his men, had the enemy possessed courage enough to put it to the test;” their subsequent dastardly conduct, as already described in our memoir of Captain Kenneth Mackenzie, is a sufficient corroboration of Mr. James’s statement respecting them.
The Hippomenes formed part of Commodore Hood’s squadron at the capture of Surinam, in May 1804; and the landing of Brigadier-General Maitland’s division of troops, at Warappa creek, appears to have been effected “under the able superintendence of Captain Shipley”; who was shortly afterwards made post into the Centaur 74, her former captain having been selected to carry home the despatches announcing the conquest of that colony. It will be seen by reference to our memoir of Sir Murray Maxwell, that the fortress of New Amsterdam was surrendered to the British on the 5th May, 1804; and it is worthy of remark, that a commission advancing Captain Shipley to the command of la Sagesse, a French frigate taken at St. Domingo, was signed by the Admiralty on the 4th of the same month, one day previous to his promotion by Sir Samuel Hood. The former was an act of private friendship on the part df Earl St. Vincent, when about to ​retire from office; the latter a just reward for his services in the St. Lucia and Hippomenes. The Patriotic Society at Lloyd’s also voted him a handsome sword (for the capture of l’Egyptienne), which is still in the possession of, and will, no doubt, be carefully preserved by his family.
On joining la Sagesse, at Jamaica, Captain Shipley found that ship in very bad repair, and the yellow fever causing dreadful mortality amongst her crew. He, however, took charge of a valuable fleet then about to sail for England; and after a very tempestuous passage, during which the frigate was with great difficulty kept afloat, arrived at Spithead early in 1805.
We regret that it is not in our power to obtain the Portsmouth paper in which a paragraph appeared expressing the gratitude of the crew of a West Indiaman that foundered in a heavy gale whilst under the convoy of la Sagesse. On this occasion. Captain Shipley, who never pressed his officers to enter upon any service of danger, finding that no one volunteered to go to her assistance, ordered a boat to be lowered, jumped into it himself, and by great exertions rescued the whole of the crew. This noble and disinterested action was of itself sufficient to stamp his character for humanity and intrepidity; he was often heard to declare that he derived more satisfaction from it than from any other act in his life; and, indeed, what could have been more gratifying than the reflection of having saved, at the risk of his own existence, the lives of so many of his fellow creatures.
La Sagesse being paid off in consequence of her very defective state. Captain Shipley was next sent to command the sea fencibles at Tralee, in Ireland, where he continued until the autumn of 1806, notwithstanding every endeavour to obtain more active employment. At the latter period, he was appointed, through the recommendation of Earl Spencer, to the Comus, a new ship, mounting 32 guns, with a complement of 145 men.
Towards the close of the same year. Sir Samuel Hood applied for the Comus to be attached to a squadron then under his orders, and about to sail on a cruise between Madeira and ​the Canary islands. Captain Shipley accordingly left St. Helen’s, in company with his excellent friend, on the 1st Jan. 1807; and was soon afterwards despatched to Mogadore, with permission to cruise as he pleased, after effecting the object of his mission.
A more decided proof of the esteem and regard of Sir Samuel Hood could not have been given; and although Captain Shipley had not the good fortune to make any capture of particular importance, his exertions to distress the enemy were by no means unavailing.
After cruising about six weeks on the coast of Barbary, the Comus proceeded to the Canary islands, where she intercepted several Spanish merchant vessels. In Mar. 1807, we find her boats attacking six brigs in the Puerto de Haz, the whole of which were captured and brought out, although moored close to the beach, and defended by the cross fire of three land batteries. She subsequently had a smart rencontre with some gun-vessels in the Gut of Gibraltar, but was not able to cut any of them off in their retreat to Algeziras. The capture of an armed felucca, in the port of Grand Canaria, by a small party belonging to the Comus, will be more fully noticed under the head of Captain George Edward Watts, whose admirable conduct on that occasion was worthy of the highest panegyric.
On his return to England, in July, 1807, Captain Shipley found himself appointed to la Nymphe frigate, then about to join the expedition destined against Copenhagen; and during the operations in that quarter he was actively employed cutting off the communication between Holstein and Zealand, on which service he underwent much mental and bodily fatigue, occasioned by his unwillingness to entrust the ship, in such an intricate navigation as that of the Great Belt, to any other pilot than himself. He was also indefatigable in his endeavours to obtain fresh provisions for the sickly part of la Nymphe’s crew; and often exposed himself to great risk in the furtherance of that object. On one occasion, having landed with a flag of truce, he was suddenly surrounded by a party of French soldiers, and with difficulty effected his escape. On another excursion of the same nature he owed ​his safety to the good offices of a female servant, who informed him that her master, notwithstanding his manifold professions of friendship, had sent for the military to arrest him.
On the 23d Dec. 1807, Captain Shipley sailed from Portsmouth, with an expedition bound to the coast of Portugal, under the orders of Sir Charles Cotton. The fleet having been dispersed in a gale, while passing the bay of Biscay, la Nymphe was sent from the mouth of the Tagus to Madeira, in search of the missing transports, with instructions to escort such as she might fall in with to Gibraltar. Captain Shipley, however, found none until his arrival at the latter place, from whence he proceeded with them to the Vice-Admiral, who directed him to assume the command of the squadron stationed in shore to watch a Russian force, then moored off Lisbon, under the command of Admiral Siniavin.
We now approach the fatal period which closed Captain Shipley’s short but highly honorable career.
Whilst at anchor off the bar of Lisbon, the lamented subject of this memoir spent a great portion of his time in administering to the comfort of the Portuguese emigrants who succeeded in escaping from French tyranny, and threw themselves upon the mercy of the British; giving them up his cabin, and affording them every accommodation in his power. This, however, was not the only object that engaged Captain Shipley’s attention, for his mind was principally bent on cutting out the Carlotta, a fine frigate of 44 guns; and he accordingly embraced every opportunity of obtaining information respecting her situation, the manner in which she was guarded hy night, and on other points connected with the enterprise in agitation. Not satisfied with the intelligence received from others, he twice rowed up the Tagus, accompanied by his brother, the present Rev. Charles Shipley, and reconnoitred every part of the river, from fort St. Julien to the anchorage ​above Belem, a castle situated on the northern bank, near which was also lying the Gavotte, a large brig mounting 22 guns, and, as Mr. James says, with a complement of “150 men.” At length, deeming it practicable, he resolved to attack the frigate on the night of April 22, 1808, provided the wind was favorable – the other requisites, tide and darkness, he knew would be in his favor.
Imitating the example of Sir Edward Hamilton at Porto Caballo, Captain Shipley determined not to trust the management of so important an expedition to any one but himself, although he meant the honor of success should belong to Captain Pigot, who then commanded the Blossom sloop of war, and whose boats were to assist in the enterprise.
On the night appointed, Captain Shipley, accompanied by his brother, pushed off from la Nymphe, in a 6-oared gig, and was immediately followed by seven boats, containing upwards of 100 volunteer officers, seamen, and marines. To distinguish friends from foes in the dark, each of the sailors had a piece of white cloth in the shape of a crescent sewed upon the right sleeve of his jacket: Captain Shipley himself was distinguished by a white handkerchief bound round his arm by Mr. Charles Shipley, a few minutes before the enemy opened their fire.
At the time of starting, the wind was blowing very fresh down the river; but as the boats approached Belem castle, it suddenly died away, and Captain Shipley’s intention of attacking the frigate was for this reason alone abandoned.
Upon consulting with the commander of the Blossom, who was in a 5-oared gig, Captain Shipley determined to make an attempt on the Gavotte, whose exact position he had ascertained when taking his last view of the Carlotta; and as the tide was still flowing, he directed the boats to remain ​stationary until the turn thereof. Unfortunately, the heavy rains which had recently fallen in the interior caused the ebb tide to make much sooner after slack water than he could possibly have been aware of, and consequently with greater strength than it had done when he last rowed up the river.
Knowing that some gun-boats were constantly stationed near the Gavotte, and concluding that she would be alarmed by them before the whole of the British force could reach her; convinced also that the crews of the two gigs would be sufficient to keep the enemy’s night guard in check until the remainder of the detachment came up, Captains Shipley and Pigot immediately agreed to give way and commence the attack, leaving their respective followers to board the Gavotte in succession; la Nymphe’s on the larboard side, and the Blossom’s on the starboard. The grounds upon which this agreement was founded, were distinctly and repeatedly mentioned in the hearing of every officer and man; and the event, as far as the largest boats were concerned, fully justified its prudence and discretion.
On her arrival within two or three hundred yards of the Gavotte, Captain Shipley’s gig was hailed by the enemy’s gun-vessels, which he answered with the greatest coolness, in their own language, and thereby prevented them from giving an instant alarm. Presently, however, a heavy fire of musketry, and afterwards of great guns, was opened by the enemy, notwithstanding which the gig dashed on until she reached the Gavotte’s larboard bow, as had been agreed upon with Captain Pigot.
The enemy’s brig was surrounded with boarding nettings, and Captain Shipley had nearly reached the top of one of them, when a fatal ball passed through his head, and he fell backwards into the rapid stream. It was afterwards ascertained that he had also been wounded in the body, by the thrust of a pike or sabre.
His brother’s fall being noticed by Mr. Charles Shipley, that young gentleman immediately jumped back into the gig, and by calling out “Save your Captain,” induced the coxswain and his five companions to return also, and push off in search of their beloved commander.
​At this moment, la Nymphe’s barge with 20 men, commanded by her first Lieutenant, Mr. Richard Standish Haly, hooked the Gavotte’s main-chains, which the bowmen let go again upon observing the gig shove off, and at the same time fancying they were ordered to do so likewise. La Nymphe’s launch, under the command of Lieutenant Thomas Hodgskins, was now within a cable’s length of the brig; but the time that was unavoidably lost by the boats getting foul of each other, and the rapidity of the tide, then running at the rate of “seven knots an hour,” rendered it impossible to renew the attack with any prospect of success. Lieutenant Haly, however, did not relinquish the attempt until he had sustained some loss, one of his boat’s crew being killed, and a midshipman and one marine wounded.
Captain Pigot, ignorant of the death of his commanding officer, until he returned on board la Nymphe, assigned the following reasons for not boarding according to the abovementioned agreement:– that he did not understand he was to do so before the other boats came up – that his gig not being so well able to make way against the tide as Captain Shipley’s, induced him to keep nearer the opposite shore – and that, when he did approach the Gavotte, he found that all the boats had fallen down the river, and therefore concluded that the intention to attack her had been abandoned. Captain Shipley, on the other hand, adhering most strictly to what he considered a well-understood agreement, and only anxious that the two gigs should support each other, continually encouraged his men to pull strong, that Captain Pigot might not be left destitute of his assistance.
With respect to what happened immediately after Captain Shipley’s unfortunate death, no blame whatever can be ascribed to Lieutenants Haly and Hodgskins, the senior officers then present. We know that Mr. Charles Shipley, whose unbounded affection for his brother had prompted him to share the manifest dangers of such an enterprise, has always publicly declared that it is to be attributed to himself alone; because, not being a naval officer, (“nor even belonging to the naval profession,”) the moment he saw the gallant ​way fall, the distant chance of saving a life so inexpressibly dear to him, was his first and paramount consideration – compared to this the whole world was then to him as nothing. If, therefore,he had not jumped back into the gig, the bargemen would have immediately boarded; and as they would have been seconded in good time by 30 more from la Nymphe’s launch, the issue could not have been doubtful.
Thus perished, in his 26th year, an officer of the most intrepid courage, united with superior talents, firmness, and the greatest presence of mind. The sincere regret evinced by every one for his untimely, though glorious fate, is a proof how much he was beloved. On hearing of his death, the whole of la Nymphe’s crew shed tears. Sir Charles Cotton, in a public letter to the Admiralty, says, “I feel extreme regret at the painful necessity of thus recording the death of Captain Shipley, who was a most excellent, brave, and highly meritorious officer.” Sir Samuel Hood wrote to Mr. Charles Shipley as follows:– “No one knew his worth as an officer better than myself; the friendship I held for him was unbounded, and his loss has filled me with the deepest regret. He appears to the last to have borne his truly gallant and amiable disposition.” Sir Robert Barlow says, “When I assure you, I have ever experienced much gratification in having contributed to form so excellent a public and private character as your departed brother, you will believe I sympathise most feelingly in the sorrows of his dearest relations; and in the public regret for the loss of an hero, who has fallen in the pursuit of a most glorious career.” Captain (now Sir George) Eyre endeavours to console Mr. Shipley by saying, “I do not indeed know a young man in our profession, whom we could have looked forward to with such fond hopes as to your poor brother. The concern I feel I cannot easily express; and I assure you that the same sentiment is more general than in any instance of the kind I can recollect, for he was universally beloved and respected.” Sir Thomas Williams expresses his belief that, “had it pleased the Almighty to spare his life, he would have added greatly to the laurels he had so early and so conspicuously won; for, with a feeling and an amiable disposition, he possessed an ​intrepidity of mind that would have led him on to the most daring enterprises.” Earl Spencer describes his death as “an event which at once deprived the country of a young officer so well qualified to do it distinguished service, and his family of one whose professional merit must have reflected on them so much honor.”
We cannot close this memoir without first stating that the ships commanded by Captain Shipley were always remarkable for their high state of discipline: the management of the great guns was a part of the service he particularly exercised his men in; and he expressed the highest satisfaction on hearing the manner in which the Comus, with a crew entirely of his own making, behaved at the capture of a Danish frigate, soon after he left her to join la Nymphe. He never inflicted punishment until he had consulted his pillow; nor omitted any opportunity, if the weather was favorable, of reading prayers on the Sabbath to his people. He was himself an excellent practical sailor and navigator; he read and spoke French fluently, and was well versed in history. Such were his natural acquirements, that had he followed any other profession, he must have distinguished himself in it. What might not his country, have expected from Captain Conway Shipley?
On the day after the unfortunate enterprise near Belem, Mr. Charles Shipley wrote to General Junot, requesting he would order the remains of the deceased hero to be searched for, and sent on board la Nymphe, in order that those honors might be paid to them which were due to so much worth and excellence. No notice being taken of this letter, the unhappy brother then wrote to Admiral Siniavin, who immediately promised to meet his wishes if possible. The contrast between the conduct of the French and Russian commanders is great, and speaks for itself; the generous endeavours of the latter, however, were ineffectual.
Captain Shipley’s body floated ashore between Peiras and Passo d’Arcas, on the 30th of the same month. When picked up, the sword was still hanging to his wrist, and the white badge fast round his arm. A handsome monument, ​with an appropriate inscription, was subsequently erected near his grave, under the directions of Vice-Admiral Berkeley.
* ↑ A memoir of Captain Shipley’s venerable father will be found in the "“Annual Biography and Obituary for 1827.”
* ↑ As some of our critical friends will probably say that Mr. Conway Shipley was too young to be of any service on such an occasion, and should therefore have been sent from the scene of death and carnage; we shall meet their objection by asserting, that even the commands of his captain were insufficient to keep him below, as he always contrived to return upon deck, and was at length allowed to continue there, which he persisted in doing even after he had been knocked down by the headless body of a man falling upon him.
* ↑ See Vol. II, Part I, p. 46. Mr. Conway Shipley was then little more than 15 years of age.
* ↑ See Captain Francis Augustus Collier, C.B.
* ↑ See James, Vol. III, p. 390 et seq.
* ↑ See Vol. II. Part II, p. 900.
* ↑ See Vol. I. note † at p. 431 et seq.
* ↑ Mr. Charles Shipley had taken a cruise in the Comus for the benefit of his health; and embarked in la Nymphe for the same purpose, when she returned from the Baltic.
* ↑ According to Mr. James’s account, the brig was the sole object of attack. That gentleman also informing his readers that two unsuccessful attempts were made to obtain possession of her previous to the attack in which Captain Shipley fell. See Nav. Hist. 2d edit. vol. 5, p. 55 et seq. The remainder of his statement will be found to differ in some degree with our own, on the accuracy of which, however, we confidently rely.
* ↑ See Captain George Edward Watts.
* ↑ Captain Pigot was appointed by Sir Charles Cotton to succeed the late Captain Shipley in la Nymphe, and his post commission appears to have been confirmed by the Admiralty on the 17th Sept. following.