# A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Poate, James

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​POATE. (Retired Commander, 1845. f-p., 17; h-p., 46.)
James Poate is nephew of Capt. Jas. Colnett, R.N., who went round the world with Capt. Cook, and afterwards circumnavigated it several times by himself.
This officer entered the Navy, 28 Dec. 1784, as Lieutenant’s Servant, on board the Pégase sloop, Capt. Marshall, lying in Portsmouth Harbour, where he remained until Aug. 1786. On 14 June, 1796, he again embarked, on board the York 64, Capt. John Ferrier; and in the following Oct., after having been borne on the books of the Ardent 64, Capt. Rich. Rundell Burgess, and Arrow sloop, Capt. Nathaniel Portlock, he was received by his uncle, Capt. Colnett, on board the Hussar 28. In that ship, in which he had attained the rating of Midshipman, it was his lot to be wrecked, 27 Dec. in the same year, on the coast of France; where he was for six months detained a prisoner of war, subject, nearly the whole time, to very great privations. In June, 1797, having regained his liberty, he rejoined Capt. Portlock on board the Arrow, then at Spithead; and in the ensuing Jan. he removed to the Impétueux 74, Capts. John Willet Payne, Sampson Edwards, and Sir Edw. Pellew. While at anchor off Belleisle in 1799 Mr. Poate was sent in the barge of the latter ship to endeavour to obtain possession of a coasting vessel which had run on shore in Quiberon Bay; he had scarcely, however, succeeded in boarding her, when an attack from 80 French soldiers compelled him to take to his boat and return to the Impétueux. After the expedition to Ferrol we find him present, 29 Aug. 1800, at the cutting-out, close to the batteries in Vigo Bay, of La Guêpe privateer of 18 guns and 161 men – an exploit more fully alluded to in our narrative of the services of Capt. Geo. Hills. He was made Lieutenant, 22 Dec. 1800, into the Raven 18, Capt. Jas. Sanders, lying in the Downs; and subsequently appointed – 15 Sept. 1801, for nine months, to the Donegal 74, Capt. Sir Rich. John Strachan, attached to the Channel fleet – 20 Aug. and 19 Dec. 1804, to the Hindostan 54, Capt. Alex. Eraser, and Glatton 50, Capt, Jas. Colnett – 2 March, 1805, to the Helder guard-ship in the river Humber, Capt. Benj. Walker – and 15 Nov. following, to the Minerva frigate, Capts. Sir Geo. Fielding, Geo. Ralph Collier, and Rich. Hawkins, of which he was for seven years First-Lieutenant. While the latter ship was fitting out in Jan. 1806 in the river Thames, Mr. Poate had the honour of attending the funeral of Lord Nelson; on which occasion he was present in the headmost boat, bearing the hero’s flag, during the advance of the procession from Greenwich to the Admiralty, and as a supporter to Capt. Philip Durham on its route thence to St. Paul’s. During the years 1807-8 Mr. Poate saw much boat service on the coast of France, where he contributed to the capture and destruction of 36 of the enemy’s vessels, and on one occasion boarded and carried, with the two cutters, although five miles away from the ship and close in-shore, the Epervier French letter-of-marque, of 8 guns and 35 men. Having conducted his prize to London, and rejoined the Minerva, he was on board of her in Sept. 1808 when she fell in with a brig, the Josephina letter-of-marque, of 8 guns, pierced for 18, and 50 men, which overset and went down just as the British frigate, after a chase of 75 miles, had arrived within gun-shot of her – barely allowing time for rescue to 16 out of her unfortunate crew. In Jan. 1809 Mr. Poate was sent with the Minerva’s boats to assist in bringing off the wounded after the battle of Corunna. He subsequently witnessed the destruction of the French frigate Amphitrite, and saw service in the West Indies and at Newfoundland. In Aug. 1813 he invalided home from Halifax, bringing with him a high testimonial of conduct from Capt. Hawkins. He accepted his present rank 25 Sept. 1845.
Commander Poate married 20 Jan. 1810; and has issue one son (educated at the Upper School at Greenwich) and four daughters.