page_title: William Bowles (Royal Navy officer)
section_title: Early career
hierarchical_section_title: William Bowles (Royal Navy officer) / Early career
caption_attribution_description: English: On 5th February 1794, Sir John Jervis and Lieutenant General Sir Charles Grey, arrived at Martinique and by 20th March the whole island, with the exception of Fort Bourbon and Fort Royal, had submitted. Jervis ordered the 'Asia', 64 guns and the 'Zebra' sloop to storm Fort Louis, the chief defence of Fort Royal. The 'Asia' was unable to reach her position, and so Commander Faulknor of the 'Zebra' volunteered to attempt to capture it alone. He ran his sloop close under the walls notwithstanding a very heavy fire, jumped overboard and followed by his ship's company, stormed and captured the fort. Meanwhile the boats captured Fort Royal and two days later Fort Bourbon capitulated. The painting shows the beach, with the fort beyond on the right, where a ship's barge has run ashore. Commander Faulknor is shown leading his men up the beach towards the fort, which is shrouded with gunsmoke. To the left of the fort and close under its walls is the 'Zebra' in port-bow view, engaging to port. On the left of the picture another ship's boat is making for the shore, firing a swivel-gun from her bow. Beyond her are other boats heading for the beach and in the background is the 'Asia', starboard-bow view.&#91;1&#93; ↑ National Maritime Museum
context_page_description: Admiral of the Fleet Sir William Bowles, KCB was a senior Royal Navy officer and Conservative Party politician. After serving as a junior officer in the French Revolutionary Wars, he became commanding officer of the sloop HMS Zebra and took part in the bombardment of Copenhagen in September 1807 during the Napoleonic Wars. As commanding officer of the fifth-rate HMS Medusa, he took part in operations off the north coast of Spain and led a naval brigade in a raid on Santoña.
  Bowles went on to be Commander-in-Chief, South America Station before becoming Third Naval Lord in the Second Peel ministry as well as Member of Parliament for Launceston in Cornwall. He published a number of papers arguing for innovations in naval warfare and naval administration before becoming Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth.
context_section_description: Born the son of William Bowles and Dinah Bowles (daughter of Admiral Sir Thomas Frankland), Bowles joined the Royal Navy in September 1796. He was assigned to the third-rate HMS Theseus in the Channel Squadron and saw action off Cádiz during the French Revolutionary Wars. Promoted to midshipman, he transferred to the third-rate HMS Captain in June 1797, to the corvette HMS Daphne in the North Sea early in 1798 and to the fifth-rate HMS Hydra in November 1800. After that, he moved to the fifth-rate HMS Acasta in the Mediterranean Fleet and then to the sloop HMS Driver. Promoted to lieutenant on 30 August 1803, he transferred to the fifth-rate HMS Cambrian on the North America and West Indies Station, then to the fourth-rate HMS Leander and then to the fifth-rate HMS Milan.
  Promoted to commander on 22 January 1806, Bowles became commanding officer of the sloop HMS Zebra in March 1807 and took part in the bombardment of Copenhagen in September 1807 during the Napoleonic Wars. Promoted to captain on 13 October 1807, he went on to command the third-rate HMS Warspite in June 1809 and the fifth-rate HMS Medusa in June 1810. In HMS Medusa, he took part in operations off the north coast of Spain and led a naval brigade in a raid on Santoña. He next became commanding officer of the fifth-rate HMS Aquilon in March 1811 and saw action in the Baltic Sea before becoming commanding officer of the sixth-rate HMS Nemesis in April 1811 and sailing with her for duties off the West Coast of Africa. He served on trade protection duties off the Río de la Plata during 1813.
  Promoted to commodore, Bowles became Commander-in-Chief, South America Station, with his broad pennant in the fifth-rate HMS Amphion, in 1816 and then became commanding officer of the yacht HMY William & Mary early in 1822 before moving on to be Comptroller-General of the Coast Guard in July 1822. In a paper published in 1830 entitled Remarks on the Conduct of the Naval Administration of Great Britain he argued for the introduction of steam warships and the creation of a gunnery school: the latter ambition was realised with the formation of HMS Excellent later that year. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath on 12 April 1839.
caption: The sloop HMS Zebra (centre) which Bowles commanded during the bombardment of Copenhagen
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