William Mounsey ( Royal Navy officer ) William Mounsey CB ( 1766 – 25 September 1830 ) was a British officer of the Royal Navy . He served during the American Revolutionary , the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars , rising to the rank of Captain . Family and early life . Mounsey was born in 1766 , as the fifth son of George Mounsey , of Carlisle . He joined the navy on 23 February 1780 , at the age of 13 , becoming a midshipman aboard , under Captain Sir Digby Dent , who would become Mounsey ' s patron . The " Royal Oak " was sent to the North American Station in May to reinforce Vice - admiral Mariot Arbuthnot ' s fleet . During the voyage Mounsey took part in the capture of a French East Indiaman . They reached their destination on 13 July , after which Arbuthnot raised his flag aboard the " Royal Oak " , whilst Dent and Mounsey moved aboard . The " Raisonnable " then returned home with despatches , but the ship was so badly damaged by a gale whilst crossing the Atlantic , that she was paid off on her arrival for large - scale repairs . Dent and Mounsey transferred again , this time to , initially under Vice - Admiral George Darby , but later being detached to land stores at Gibraltar in April 1781 . Dent and Mounsey were transferred again at the end of the year , this time to the third rate . Dent retired about this time due to ill - health , with Captain William Allen . Mounsey and the " Cumberland " sailed to the East Indies on 6 February 1782 , joining the squadron there under Sir Richard Bickerton . They were in time to see action at the Battle of Cuddalore , between Sir Edward Hughes and the Bailli de Suffren . " Cumberland " had two killed and 11 wounded in the battle , fought on 20 June 1783 . Mounsey returned to England in May 1784 , becoming midshipman aboard the sloop . He passed his lieutenant ' s examination on 3 December 1788 , and went on to serve aboard , , and . Lieutenancy and promotions . With the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars , Mounsey returned to HMS " Victory " , then under Admiral Lord Hood . He was promoted to lieutenant on 22 May 1793 , and appointed to , under Robert Manners - Sutton , and then to the frigate . He was present at the occupation of Toulon , and at numerous assaults during the capture of Corsica . Whilst blockading Bastia , he led a dangerous attempt to cut - out a vessel laden with gunpowder , lying the harbour . Mounsey was successful , and the loss of the ship accelerate the fall of the city . He returned to Britain aboard , and was afterwards appointed to , , HMS " Duke " , and in succession . On 6 July 1801 he led the boats from " Clyde " and her escorts to destroy the beached wreck of , coming under heavy fire as they did so . Mounsey remained aboard HMS " Clyde " until being promoted to commander on 29 April 1802 . He took command of the sloop HMS " Rosario " on 17 May 1802 . During his time aboard her he was tasked with carrying despatches , reconnoitring enemy positions , escorting convoys and conducting revenue duties . Also during this period he captured a number of enemy merchants , as well as a 22 - gun privateer . HMS " Bonne Citoyenne " and the " Furieuse " . He left the " Rosario " in autumn 1808 , and on 18 April 1809 , he was appointed to the 20 - gun . He was sent with despatches for Earl St Vincent then at Lisbon . He returned to England after completing this , and on 18 June sailed from Spithead in company with . The two were acting as escorts for a convoy bound for Quebec . Whilst travelling with the convoy on 2 July , a suspicious sail was sighted astern , and Mounsey dropped back to investigate . In doing so he lost sight of the convoy and in sailing to rejoin them , came across a French frigate on 5 July , which was in the process of capturing an English merchant . Despite the much larger size of the frigate , Mounsey immediately gave chase , at which the French ship fled northwards . After a chase lasting 18 hours the " Bonne Citoyenne " caught up with the French ship on the morning of 6 July and brought her to battle . The subsequent engagement lasted seven hours , with " Bonne Citoyenne " at an disadvantage early on , when three of her guns were dismounted . She nevertheless fired 129 broadsides to the enemy ' s 70 . By the end of the battle " Bonne Citoyenne " had lost her top masts , her lower masts were badly damaged , and her rigging , sails and boats had been shot to pieces . Running out of powder Mounsey decided to force the issue and ordered his men to be prepared to board the French ship . Before he could do so , the French surrendered and Mounsey took possession . The enemy ship was discovered to be the " Furieuse " , which had sailed from the Îles des Saintes on 1 April , carrying sugar and coffee to France . She was capable of carrying 48 guns , but was only carrying 20 at the time . Despite this she had a much larger crew , with 200 sailors , 40 soldiers , and a detachment of troops from the 60th regiment of the line . She had suffered heavy damage , with her masts shot away , five feet of water in the hold and 35 killed and 37 wounded . In contrast , " Bonne Citoyenne " had just one man killed and five wounded . The frigate was patched up and towed into Halifax , where both were repaired . The captured frigate was later commissioned into the Royal Navy as , whilst the " Bonne Citoyenne " returned to England in September . The capture of the " Furieuse " was hailed as a great victory . Henry Phipps , First Lord of the Admiralty wrote to Mounsey Sir , - I did not fail this day , to lay before his Majesty the particulars of your conduct in the attack and capture of the Furieuse , French frigate , on 6 July . The enterprising gallantry with which you approached and attack a ship bearing such an appearance of a commanding superiority of force , and the skill , courage , and perseverance manifested by you , and the officers , seamen , and marines under your command , during an action of such long continuance , and so warmly contested , have received his Majesty ' s fullest approbation . . . A round of promotions followed the victory , the first lieutenant was promoted to commander and Mounsey was promoted to post captain . He was offered command of the " Furieuse " , once she had been repaired , which he accepted , taking command on her commissioning in November 1811 . Command of the " Furieuse " . Mounsey and the " Furieuse " were initially employed in escorting a convoy to the Mediterranean , after which she joined the fleet blockading Toulon under Admiral Edward Pellew . The French fleet sailed out in May 1812 , consisting of 12 sail of the line and seven frigates , of which one ship of the line and two frigates began to chase the British inshore squadron , consisting of the " Furieuse " , and the frigates and , and the brig . The French gave up the chase when the British made clear their intention to fight . On 9 November 1812 Mounsey captured the French privateer " Nebrophonus " , and on 10 January 1813 captured the privateer " Argus " . In February 1813 Mounsey supported Charles John Napier in in the capture of the island of Ponza . They landed troops on 26 February , under fire from shore batteries , which soon subdued resistance . The capture of the harbour eliminated an infamous corsair haven , and provided an anchorage for Royal Navy ships watching Naples . On 7 May boats from " Furieuse " captured the French " Conception " , towing her out to sea under heavy fire . One man was killed and another five wounded in this operation . On 4 October a convoy was sighted off Civitavecchia . Despite being heavily protected by two gunboats and a number of shore batteries , an operation was attempted . Marines from " Furieuse " ′ s boats stormed and captured a fort , under cover from " Furieuse " ′ s guns . The enemy retreated to a nearby castle and continued to fire on the British forces . Nevertheless the British were able to sink the gunboats , and bring out 16 of the merchant ships . The " Furieuse " kept up a steady fire , preventing reinforcements from Civitavecchia from intervening . Two of the British party were killed and 10 wounded in the operation . For the rest of 1813 " Furieuse " formed part of Admiral Sir Josias Rowley ' s squadron , and was present at the capture of Via Reggio , and the unsuccessful assault on Livorno in December . In early March 1814 , still with Rowley , " Furieuse " assisted in the occupation of La Spezia and the surrounding areas . On 17 April a squadron consisting of " Furieuse " , , , and supported the successful assault on Genoa . The end of the War of the Sixth Coalition in 1814 led to " Furieuse " transferring to the Caribbean , where she escorted transports . She conveyed the 62nd regiment to Halifax , and with the end of the War of 1812 , remained in the area to support the troops . HMS " Furieuse " was paid off in autumn 1815 and was sold for breaking up in October 1816 at Deptford . Mounsey was nominated a Companion of the Order of the Bath in June 1815 , and also received the Naval Gold Medal for the capture of the " Furieuse " . With the end of the wars with France he retired from active service , and died on 25 September 1830 at the age of 64 .