Daniel Roberts ( Royal Navy officer ) Daniel Roberts ( 18 February 1789 – 18 February 1869 ) was an officer in the Royal Navy who made a series of cameo - like appearances in the lives of Lord Byron , Percy Bysshe Shelley , Edward Ellerker Williams , and Edward John Trelawny . Roberts is best known for having designed and supervised the construction of Shelley ’ s schooner , " Don Juan " , and Lord Byron ’ s yacht , " Bolivar " . Early life . Daniel Roberts was born on 18 February 1789 in Shoreham - by - Sea , West Sussex , England ; he died on his 80th birthday at three in the afternoon on the Island of La Maddalena off the northern coast of Sardinia . When his father Captain Henry Roberts died , Daniel was seven . Henry left his wife Harriet to care for their eight children . Nothing has been written about Daniel Roberts ' childhood until , at the age of 10 , he enlisted in the Royal Navy as a Volunteer 1st Class . Naval career . His career in the Royal Navy followed an atypical path . On enlisting ( at the age of 10 ) in July 1799 , he was assigned to the 64 - gun ( a ship captured from the Dutch , on 22 October 1795 ) , stationed at the Nore ( where the River Thames meets the North Sea ) . He spent four months aboard " Oversyssel " and then , as his service records reveal , he was discharged from the ship in November 1799 . Roberts ’ naval Memorandum of Service is blank for 21 months until it shows he was assigned as an A . B . ( Able seaman ) to HMS " Royal William " at Portsmouth . Since the Navy preferred new enlistees be at least 13 years old , the most probable scenario is Roberts spent the next 20 months in a private school , which specialized in teaching navigation and preparing boys for sea . After seven weeks aboard " Royal William " , he was on shore for eight months until 13 June 1802 , when he was ordered aboard , where at age 13 he served as a midshipman . After Roberts had served on board the " Blenheim " for four months , the vessel was ordered to be stored , and he was again on shore for another eight months . On 28 June 1803 , he was assigned to the recently launched , a 36 - gun frigate . It was here , under a prominent naval personality , Captain Henry Blackwood , that at the age of 15 , Daniel Roberts first experienced naval warfare in an assault on French vessels off Boulogne pier , in October 1804 . After serving for almost two years under Captain Blackwood , and five months before " Euryalus " was to make a significant contribution to Nelson ’ s fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar , Roberts was again on shore for three months . On 8 April 1805 , he joined a hospital ship , HMS Trent for one month ; then back on " Euryalus " for just two weeks and five days until on 23 August 1805 he joined another 36 - gun frigate , , stationed off the French coast in the Bay of Biscay . This ship did not join in the Battle of Trafalgar ; instead she was part of the fleet , which was blockading the French coast . In August 1806 , young midshipman Roberts was provided a few days of excitement when his ship almost captured Napoléon Bonaparte ’ s younger brother Jérôme Bonaparte , captain of the " Vétéran " . Roberts served aboard " Penelope " until 26 May 1807 , when Captain William Robert Broughton took command of , a larger 74 - gun Ship of the Line . How many members of his crew Captain Broughton took with him to " Illustrious " is not known ; that Roberts , at the age of 18 , was one of them , is proof that his Captain valued his service . Upon joining " Illustrious " , Roberts was made a Master ' s mate . Roberts was again on a ship that was to enter into combat . On the night of 11 April 1809 , a British fleet of 25 ships attacked a powerful squadron of French ships anchored in the Basque Roads , a sheltered bay on the Biscay shore of France , bounded by the Ile d ’ Oléron to the west and Ile de Ré to the north . The Battle of Basque Roads was initiated when the British sent several explosion ships into the Roads to blow holes in a mile - long " boom " of heavy spars and chains the French had placed to prevent enemy vessels from reaching their warships . In the attack all but two of the French ships were driven ashore . Although the engagement was to last three days , the British failed to destroy the French fleet ; however , one result of the engagement was that on 12 July 1809 , Master ' s mate Daniel Roberts , age 20 , was promoted to Lieutenant . For the next two years he was on board , a 36 - gun frigate . On 10 January 1810 , Roberts ’ ship chased the 14 - gun French privateer " Charles " , but her prey was lost in a thick fog . The following day , the " Phoenix " discovered her adversary anchored close to the French coast . A boarding attack was launched and , when " Charles " , resisted , one British marine was killed and another wounded . In this engagement Roberts was in charge of one of the boats that carried marines and seamen who boarded the " Charles " . The attack succeeded , and on board the prize they found two English masters and 13 seamen who had been taken out of vessels a few days previously . This event led to Roberts ’ court martial . His conduct during the battle was criticized by a marine officer of " Phoenix " , Lieutenant William Murray , who wrote a letter of accusation to the captain of the ship . Consequently , a commission to judge Roberts ’ professional behaviour was formed . On 17 April 1810 not only were all the accusations discharged , his behaviour was considered worthy and honourable while Murray ’ s accusation were labelled as “ totally unfounded and subversive of the discipline of the Service . ” Within the next few months , " Phoenix " sailed to the East Indies where she would remain for almost a year . On 1 April 1811 , Roberts rejoined HMS " Illustrious " , where in 1809 he had served as a Masters Mate under Captain William Robert Broughton ; now he was wearing the uniform of an officer . Three months later , his ship was engaged in combat with the enemy in the invasion of Java . Roberts ’ posting to " Illustrious " was short lived , for on 5 October 1811 , he was sent home with the dispatches . Roberts ’ service record does not indicate where he was stationed from 17 May 1812 until he was posted to a ship of his own on 20 September 1815 . Although he held the rank of Commander it was proper for his crew to call him " Captain " . The entry in his Memorandum of Service , following that of promotion to Commander , was his assignment to on 20 September 1815 . This vessel was built in 1797 , at Gravesend , as a 38 - gun frigate . When Roberts joined the ship , she was a troopship . The Battle of Waterloo ( 18 June 1815 ) occurred three months before he took command of " Hydra " ; the war had ended . After being in the Baltic for two months before the Treaty of Paris ( 1815 ) was signed , he sailed for the West Indies , on 12 November 1815 . Roberts commanded his troopship for two years . He returned to England from Canada between 3 September 1817 , when the following article was published in ‘ ’ The Edinburgh Observer ’ ’ and 12 November 1817 , when he was discharged from the " Hydra " . Retirement . There is no written record of Roberts ’ activities between the time of his discharge , 12 November 1817 , and when he was in the south of France in May 1820 . The funds he accumulated from his eighteen years in service plus his retirement pension was enough for him not to feel the need to find employment . It was common for military officers with small incomes to retire to the continent where the cost of living was much lower than in England . France , Switzerland and Italy were favourites . Roberts documented his retirement in a series of Journals , which are now housed in the Keats - Shelley Memorial House in Rome . These Journals are covered in detail in " A Biography of Captain Daniel Roberts " by Donald Prell . They cover a span of 20 years , from 18 May 1820 to 3 August 1840 , with the exception of the time Roberts was with Byron , Shelley and the other members of their Pisan Circle . Roberts , Shelley and Byron . Daniel Roberts was responsible for the design and construction of Shelley ’ s schooner , " Don Juan " , and Lord Byron ’ s yacht , " Bolivar " . A week before Shelley and Williams were drowned in a storm off of the coast of Italy ( 8 July 1822 ) , Roberts had sailed with them in the " Don Juan " on the exact reverse course they were taking when the tragedy occurred . In June 1823 , Byron asked Roberts to join his entourage , which was to sail to Greece . Roberts declined the invitation , preferring to remain in Genoa ; he did however join with Byron ’ s banker in locating and arranging for the charter of the merchant brig " Hercules " , the vessel that took Byron to Missolonghi , where he died in 1824 . Throughout his life , Roberts maintained a close friendship with Edward Trelawny . It was Trelawny who asked Roberts to design the boats for the poets . A year following the fatal accident , Roberts purchased the remains of the schooner " Don Juan ’ " and after making repairs , he sailed it single - handed for several years . After losing the " Don Juan " Roberts purchased the " Bolivar " , which Byron had sold prior to going to Greece . These voyages are fully covered in his " Journals " . Roberts also continued corresponding with other members of the " Pisan Circle " , such as Mary Shelley and Claire Clairmont . Last years . The final entry in Roberts ’ Journal IV : Roberts did not record when he was no longer living on his boat . From the above journal entry , it is known he acquired a vineyard sometime before August 1840 . Records indicate it was located on the northeastern shore of La Maddalena . His last years are covered by Authors Giovanna Sotgiu and Alberto Sega in their book describing a group of English citizens who lived in La Maddalena during the 19th century . A chapter is dedicated to Captain Roberts . In 1857 , when Edward Trelawny was preparing to publish his " Recollections of the last days of Shelley and Byron " , he asked Roberts to make a sketch of Casa Magni , where Shelley had been living at the time of his drowning . Trelawny not only included Robert ’ s sketch , he published a number of extracts from Robert ’ s letters . Roberts was to live another eleven years . He died on his 80th birthday , 18 February 1869 at 3 : 00 in the afternoon . No details can be found as to the cause of his death . Timeline . 02 - 18 - 1789 Captain Roberts was born in Shoreham , West Sussex , England . 03 - 23 - 1789 New Shoreham baptism records show that a Daniel Roberts , son of Henry and Harriett Roberts was baptized on that date . 08 - 25 - 1796 Henry Roberts , Captain of the UNDAUNTED , died in the West Indies , where he caught yellow fever . 07 - 30 - 1799 Daniel Roberts entered the Navy as Volunteer First Class . He spent four months on board the OVERYSSEL 64 ; stationed at the Nore under Capt . John Bazely . 08 - 01 - 1801 Spends eight weeks at Portsmouth , aboard HBMS ROYAL WILLIAM , under Capt . Fras . Pickmore . 06 - 01 - 1802 From June to Oct . 1802 , he served as Midshipman on board BLENHEIM , under Capt . Philip Turner Bower . 06 - 01 - 1803 Joined the newly launched HMS EURYALUS 36 , under Captain Hon . Henry Blackwood ; staying with the ship until 5 January 1805 . 08 - 01 - 1805 Stationed on the coast of France in the PENELOPE 36 and , as Master ' s Mate , in the ILLUSTRIOUS 74 , both commanded by Capt . Wm . Robt . Broughton . 07 - 12 - 1809 Promoted to the rank of Lieutenant . 07 - 14 - 1809 Serves almost two years on the Home and East India stations aboard the PHOENIX 36 , under Capt . Zachary Mudge . 05 - 17 - 1810 Court Martial accusations discharged , his behavior was considered worthy and honorable 04 - 01 - 1811 Returns to the ILLUSTRIOUS 74 , bearing the broad pendant of his former Cap . Broughton ( under whom he was involved in taking the island of Java ) . 09 - 30 - 1811 Nominated Acting - Commander of the BARRACOUTA sloop ; a vessel , he was never able to join . 10 - 05 - 1811 Sent home the with the dispatches from Java . 05 - 16 - 1812 Promotion to the rank of Commander . 09 - 15 - 1815 His last appointment was to HMS HYDRA , a troopship in which he served on the Baltic , Newfoundland , Halifax , and West India stations . 11 - 07 - 1815 He is listed as Captain of the HYDRA ; its location was in the Baltic . 09 - 13 - 1817 The HYDRA store - ship , Captain Roberts has taken the 25th regiment from the Leeward Islands to Halifax ; the 2nd battalion 60th regiment is likewise to be removed thence , by her , to Canada . 11 - 12 - 1817 Discharged from HMS HYDRA . 09 - 20 - 1820 According to Edward John Trelawny : When Roberts and Trelawny were staying at a hotel in Lausanne , Roberts made the acquaintance of two English ladies when he was sketching in the town . When introductions were made , it turned out that they were Mary and Dorothy Wordsworth . 12 - 26 - 1821 In a letter to Trelawny , Edward E . Williams wrote : “ Have a boat we must and if we can get Roberts to build her , so much the better . ” 01 - 15 - 1822 From Williams ’ Journal : “ Trelawny called , and brought with him the model of an American schooner on which it is settled with S [ helley ] & myself to build a boat 30 feet long , and T [ relawny ] writes to Roberts in Genoa to commence on it directly . ” 01 - 25 - 1822 From Williams ’ Journal : “ Trelawny heard from Roberts about the boat . ” 02 - 05 - 1822 In a letter from Trelawney to Roberts ( who was in Genoa ) , Trelawny issued instructions regarding building a tender for Byron ’ s yacht , the " Bolivar " . 02 - 12 - 1822 From Williams ’ Journal : “ Trelawny called and brought with him Roberts ’ drawing of Lord B ’ s boat . ” 03 - 21 - 1822 From Williams ’ Journal : “ Trelawny called . He has heard from Roberts that S [ helley ] ‘ s boat will be launched today . ” 03 - 27 - 1822 From Williams ’ Journal : “ A letter from Roberts to T [ relawny ] informs us that the boat will not be finished in less than 12 or 14 days . ” 03 - 30 - 1822 From Williams ’ Journal : “ Wrote to Roberts at Genoa about a house . ” 04 - 01 - 1922 From Williams ’ Journal : “ Heard from Roberts about the boat . ” 04 - 05 - 1822 From Williams ’ Journal : “ Called on Trelawny with a letter from Roberts – S [ helley ’ s ] boat to be finished in 10 days . ” 04 - 08 - 1822 From Williams ’ Journal : “ Heard from Roberts at Genoa - - - no Houses to be had in an eligible situation nearer than Villa Francha near Nice . ” 05 - 17 - 1822From Williams ’ Journal : “ Unbent the main sail and took it to Magliana to see if the letters could be erased which Lord B [ yron ] in his contemptible vanity or for some other purpose begged of Roberts to inscribe on the boat ’ s main sail - - - all efforts useless . ” 06 - 13 - 1822 From Williams ’ Journal : “ The Bolivar with Roberts and Trelawny on board are taking her round to Livorno . Roberts and Trelawny dined here . ” 06 - 14 - 1822 From Williams ’ Journal : “ Went with Roberts to try the river for trout about 10 miles up from Santa Stephano . ” 06 - 15 - 1822 From Williams ’ Journal : “ Roberts and T . dined and in the evening Mary [ Shelley ] and Jane [ Williams ] go on board . ” 06 - 16 - 1822 From Williams ’ Journal : “ Roberts unrigged the Don Juan and got the masts on deck - - - his men employed putting tressel - trees to the masts as he intends to fit 2 topmasts to her . ” 06 - 17 - 1822 From Williams ’ Journal : “ Consulted with Roberts and S [ helley ] about a false stern . ” 07 - 01 - 1822 From Williams ’ Journal : “ At 2 stretched across to Lerici to pick up Roberts and ½ past found ourselves in the offering with a side wind . At ½ past 9 arrived at Leghorn - - - a run of 45 to 50 miles in 7 hours and a half . ” ( This day Roberts that sailed with Williams was just one week before Shelley and Williams were drowned while returning to their home near Livorno . ) 09 - 14 - 1822 From Pisa , Roberts writes to Mary Shelley about finding the " Don Juan " . 09 - 18 - 1822 Roberts writes to Trelawny informing him about his letter of 14 September to Mary Shelley . He then describes the condition of the " Don Juan " , what Byron wishes to do with it and his plans for Byron ’ s yacht the " Bolivar " . 09 - 21 - 1822 Byron writes to Trelawny : “ Thank you , I was just going to send you down some books , and the compass of the " Don Juan , " which I believe belongs to Captain Roberts . ” 05 - 15 - 1823 Roberts is with Trelawny , sailing along the coast of Italy . 05 - 26 - 1823 Roberts writes to Trelawny : “ Between you and me , I think , there is small chance of Byron ’ s going to Greece ; so I think from the wavering manner in which he speaks of it ; he said the other day , ‘ Well , Captain , if we do not go to Greece , I am determined to go somewhere and hope we shall all be at sea together by next month , as I am tired of this place , the shore , and all the people in it . ’ “ 06 - 01 - 1823 Count Alfred D ’ Orsay produces a sketch of Roberts during a visit to Lady and Lord Blessingtion ’ s residence in Genoa . 06 - 05 - 1823 Roberts writes to Trelawny about Byron selling the " Bolivar " to Lord Blessington , and about Byron ’ s desire for Trelawny ’ s opinion of what steps to take to prepare for a trip to Greece . 06 - 18 - 1823 Roberts and Charles F . Barry ( Lord Byron ’ s Banker ) arrange for the charter of the merchant Brig " Hercules " , the vessel , which took Byron to Greece where he died in 1824 . 06 - 30 - 1823 Declines Lord Byron ’ s invitation to join the Greek expedition . 10 - 20 - 1825 From Cephalonia , Ionian Islands , Trelawny writes to Roberts about having been shot and almost killed . 1833 - 1840 Spends 8 years charting Western Italian waters from Nice to La Maddalena . 06 - 25 - 1845 Accepts the rank of Captain ( Rtd . ) at half - pay of £191 12s 6d . 12 - 01 - 1857 Sends Trelawny a woodcut of the Villa Magni , which contains a sketch of a boat , which Trelawny incorrectly identifies as Shelley ’ s yacht , the " Don Juan " . 12 - 07 - 1857 Trelawny acknowledges Roberts letter of 1 December , and points out to Roberts , his errors in depicting the Villa Magni . 04 - 02 - 1858 Receives a letter from Trelawny acknowledging his place in Trelawny ’ s " Recollections of the Last Days of Shelley and Byron " . 09 - 19 - 1858 Receives a letter from Trelawny asking “ How are you ? - - - In your last letter you were slowly recovering from what you called an attack of apoplexy but what I should have called Epilepsy . ” In the letter , Trelawny asks Roberts : “ What sort of Isle is Maddalena - - extent , population - - sort of inhabitants - - - productions ? - how good and how situated ” 02 - 18 - 1869 Roberts dies in La Maddalena , age 80 .