# A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Owen, William Fitzwilliam

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​OWEN. (Rear-Admiral, of the Blue, 1847. f-p., 34; h-p., 25.)
William Fitzwilliam Owen is brother of Admiral Sir Edw. W. C. R. Owen, G.C.B., G.C.H.
This officer entered the Navy, 4 June, 1788, as Midshipman, on board the Culloden 74, Capt. Sir Thos. Rich, attached to the force on the Home station; where, and for a short time in the West Indies, he continued to serve in the Zebra sloop, Capts. Chas. Boyles and Hon. Robt. Forbes, Assistance 50, Capt. Lord Cranstoun, Vengeance 74, Capt. John Ford, Hannibal 74, Capt. John Colpoys, and Culloden again, Capts. Sir T. Rich, Isaac Schomberg, and Rich. Randell Burgess, until the close of 1794. In the last-mentioned ship he fought under Capt. Schomberg in the famous action of 1 June. On his return to England from the Cape of Good Hope, whither he had gone in the Ruby 64, Capt. Hon. Henry Edwin Stanhope, he joined, in Nov. 1795, the London 98, bearing the flag in the Channel of Vice-Admiral John Colpoys. For his conduct during the mutiny at Spithead he was promoted, 12 June, 1797, to the rank of Lieutenant; and at the same time placed in command of the Flamer gun-vessel. He was next, between Dec. 1798 and Oct. 1801, employed, principally in the Channel, on board the Charon 44, Capt. John McKellar, Gorgon, Capt. Robt. Williams, and Namur, flag-ship of Earl St. Vincent, and for seven months in command of the Nancy fire-vessel. Assuming command, 8 July, 1803, of the Sea Flower brig of 14 guns, Lieut. Owen, after serving for a time on the French coast, sailed for the East Indies, where he effected the capture, 15 July, 1806, of Le Charles French national ketch. In the following Sept. he explored part of the Maldiva Islands, and their separating channels, which had never been investigated; and on 10 Nov. in the same year he discovered an excellent channel, now bearing the name of his brig, situated between the islands of Sai Berout and Poulo Pora, near the west coast of Sumatra. On 27 of the latter month, having conducted Sir Edw. Fellow’s squadron through a very intricate navigation into Batavia Roads, he there distinguished himself by his gallantry in command of a division of boats at the capture and destruction of a Dutch frigate, seven brigs-of-war, and about 20 armed and other merchant-vessels. We subsequently, 11 Dec. 1807, find him contributing to the destruction of the dockyard and stores at Griessee, in the island of Java, and of all the men-of-war remaining to Holland in India. In Sept. 1808 Lieut. Owen had the misfortune to be taken captive by the French, who detained him in the Mauritius until June, 1810; from Aug. to Nov. in which year he was employed, we believe, in superintending the transports sent from Madras to the Isle of France. He then, having been awarded a second promotal commission bearing date 20 May, 1809, obtained command of the Barracouta 18, part of the force employed in the summer of 1811 at the reduction of the island of Java, where he assisted at the debarkation of the troops at Chillingchiug, and continued attached to the army until after the surrender of Batavia. In Dec. 1811 Capt. Owen, who had been advanced to Post-rank on 2 of the preceding May, and had held for a short time the command of the Piémontaise frigate at Bombay, was appointed to the Cornelia 32. In 1812 he took possession, with a squadron under his orders, of the island of Palembang. He returned to England with a China convoy in June, 1813; and was subsequently appointed – 27 March, 1815, to the Surveying service on the lakes of Canada, whence he came home in May, 1816 – 10 Aug. 1821, to the Leven 24, in which vessel he was for upwards of four years employed in conducting a survey of the coast of Africa – 2 Feb. 1827, to the Eden 26, fitting for another expedition to the African coast, where, prior to his departure for South America, he was engaged in forming a settlement at Fernando Po – and (having paid the last-mentioned ship off at the close of 1831), 22 April, 1847, to the Columbia steam surveying-vessel, of 100 horse-power, stationed in North America. Since 21 Dec. 1847, the date of his elevation to Flag-rank, he has been on half-pay.
Assisted by various officers. Rear-Admiral Owen, during his command of the Leven, constructed the following charts and views: viz. 22 of the West Coast of Africa, 31 of the East Coast of Africa, 12 of the East Coast of Madagascar, 17 of the West Coast of Madagascar, and 1 of the Harbour of Grand Port, in the Mauritius. He also, we understand, surveyed the coast of Asia from Cape Comorin, along the shores of Malabar and Surat, together with the whole extent of the sea-side of Persia and Arabia. In 1828 he constructed two charts of the Seychelles, and one of the port and bay in the island of Mahe. He has executed a chart of the mouth of the river Demarara, and published, in conjunction with Capt. Rich. Owen, ‘Tables of Latitudes and Longitudes by Chronometers of Places in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, with an Essay on the Management and Use of Chronometers.’ Agents – Hallett and Robinson.