ships

Francis William Austen (Frank) and Charles John Austen both took to the seas for the first time in their teenage years and continued to build distinguished careers in the navy.

Below are the details of the ships they sailed on and the dates of their sailings relevant to our novel. 

If you would like to read a comprehensive summary of the full careers of these two brothers, they each have a Wikipedia page. 

The page for Francis Austen can be accessed here.

The page for Charles Austen can be accessed here.

Frank Austen's grandson, John H. Hubback, wrote a book with his daughter, Edith, in 1905, which is dedicated to the lives of the two men, entitled Jane Austen's Sailor Brothers. It is still printed today by Legare Street Press and is freely available online via Project Gutenberg here.

Another member of the Austen's extended family who was highly influential in the career of Charles Austen was Captain Thomas Williams. He was married to Mrs Austen's neice, Jane Cooper, and was knighted for his services in action in 1796.

The Wikipedia page for Captain Thomas Williams can be found here.

francis austen: 1788 to 1801

Frank's first ship was the Perseverance which he boarded at Portsmouth on December 23rd, 1788. He was 14 years old and served as a volunteer under the command of Captain Isaac Smith. The Perseverance was a 36-gun frigate and bound for the East Indies when Frank joined; the Wikipedia page for this ship can be found here.

Frank was promoted to Midshipman aboard the Perseverance on December 22nd, 1789 and remained on board for almost three years. 

He transferred to the Crown very briefly (four days) on 6th November 1791 as Midshipman, still in the East Indies. This would put him under the command of Commodore Hon. W. Cornwallis for his next commission. The Crown was a 64-gun third-rate ship and her Wikipedia page can be found here.

A few days later on 10th November 1791 Frank joined the Minerva as Midshipman under the command of Commodore William Cornwallis. This was a 38-gun fifth-rate frigate and the Wikipedia page for the Minerva can be found here. 

Frank remained on this ship for thirteen months and left on promotion to Lieutenant on December 27th, 1792 aboard the Dispatch. He was now 18 years old, serving first under Captain John Whitby, and later Captain Thomas Le Marchant Gosselin. This was a 12-gun armed brig based in the East Indies at the time. Sadly, I am unable to find any further information or links for this ship.

Frank left the Dispatch six months later on 23rd June, 1793 to return home to England for his first home leave in almost five years. 

Following an impatient few months on dry land, Frank joined the Lark on March 15th, 1794. He served first under Captain Josias Rowley and then Captain W. Ogilvy. She was a newly commissioned vessel when Francis stepped aboard and served the Downs and the North Sea Station. She was also part of a squadron which escorted Princess Caroline of Brunswick to England in 1795 to marry the Prince of Wales (later George IV). The Lark was a 16-gun ship-sloop of the Cormorant class, and her Wikipedia page can be found here.

Frank remained on the Lark for fourteen months and left on May 23rd 1795 to join the Andromeda. He remained on this vessel for almost four months, serving under Captain W. Taylor in convoy duties in the Baltic Sea. The Andromeda was a 32-gun Hermione-class fifth-rate frigate and her Wikipedia page can be found here.

Frank left the Andromeda on 13th September 1795 for his next commission aboard the Prince George, joining on September 14, 1795, under the command of Captain James Bowen sailing towards the West Indies. The Prince George was a second-rate ship with 98 guns and her Wikipedia page can be accessed here.

Frank stayed on the Prince George for two months and left on 23rd November 1795 for the Glory. Captain Bowen transferred with him, still bound for the West Indies. 

The ship's log from the Glory shows that there was strong discipline on board as the seamen were punished by a different amount of 'lashes' according to the severity of their neglect of duty. These punishments were made as public as possible in order to deter their fellow sailors from disobedience.

The Glory was a 98-gun second-rate ship and you can read her Wikipedia page here. Frank remained on this ship for a little over three months and left on March 5th, 1796. 

On March 6th, 1796 Frank joined the Shannon, still at the rank of Lieutenant. She was a newly built vessel, and he served under Captain Alex Fraser on North Sea duties. The Shannon was a 32-gun fifth-rate frigate. Unfortunately, I could not find any further links for this ship. Frank stayed aboard for only 3 months until he was released on leave with half-pay in June.

His next commission came on 21 September 1796 aboard the Triton, serving under Captain John Gore. According to his sister Jane in a letter she wrote to Cassandra, "Frank is much pleased with the prospect." It provided him with his much-desired opportunity to serve in the French Revolutionary Wars in the English Channel. 

The Triton was a 32-gun fifth-rate frigate and newly built. She was a unique build of experimental design, constructed from fir rather than oak due to a shortage of raw materials and saw much action, taking a number of prizes in the channel. You can read more on the Wikipedia page for the Triton, here.

He remained on board the Triton for for a year, until 6th October 1797 when he joined the Seahorse under the command of Captain James Edward Foote heading towards the Mediterranean. The Seahorse was a 38-gun Artois-class fifth-rate frigate and you can read more about her on the Wikipedia page here.

On February 14th 1798 Frank gained a promotion to First Lieutenant and joined the London. He was now 23 years old and serving under Captain John Charles Purvis off the port of Cadiz. 

The London was a 90-gun (later increased to 98) second-rate ship and the surviving logs list the strict punishments that sailors received for insubordination. Mutiny often resulted in a public execution where local ships were called to gather around and witness the event. The Wikipedia page for the London can be found here.

Frank remained on this ship for a little over ten months and left on January 2nd 1799 for his first command. He became Commander of the Peterel on January 3rd 1799 at the age of twenty-four. This was a successful posting for him, and he took many prizes in the Mediterranean. He also provided messenger services for Rear Admiral Nelson. Some logs still remain from the ship's records which give an insight into her battles; the reports were often signed by Frank himself.

The Peterel was a 16-gun Pylades-class ship-sloop and was faster and more nimble than the larger frigates. The Wikipedia page for Peterel can be found here.

Frank remained as Commander of this ship for one year and nine months, leaving on October 22 1800. During his time aboard he earned another promotion for his commendable service and left on the rank of Post Captain.

charles austen: 1794 to 1801

Charles's first ship after graduating from the Naval Academy was the Deadalus. He joined on 14th September 1794 as a Midshipman aged fifteen, under the command of Captain Thomas Williams and was based in the North Sea. The Deadalus was 13-gun fifth-rate frigate launched from Liverpool in 1780. Her Wikipedia page can be found here.

Charles remained on this ship for seven months and then left to accompany Captain Williams on his new commission with the Unicorn in April 1795.

The Unicorn was a 32-gun fifth-rate Pallas-class frigate that initially served off Ireland's west coast. She played a part in many successful military operations, including the capture of two French ships in the French Revolutionary Wars of June 1796 that earned Captain Williams a knighthood. The Wikipedia page for the Unicorn can be accessed here.

The seascape artist Nicholas Pocock created a painting to commemorate 'The capture of La Tribune by HMS Unicorn', from the battle mentioned above. It is part of the Royal Museums Greenwich collection, which is on their website here.

Charles remained on this ship for two and a half years, leaving on promotion to Lieutenant on December 13th 1797 on board the Scorpion. He was now 18 and served under Captain John Tremayne Rodd. Whilst Charles was onboard the crew captured a Dutch brig. The Scorpion was a Dutch Hoy and a brief description can be found on her Wikipedia page here.

Charles remained on board for one year and left at the end of December 1798. He was unhappy with his lack of career progression and asked his father to intervene on his behalf. This plea was successful and Charles joined his next commission on 23rd January 1799 on a promotion to Second Lieutenant with the Tamar. The Tamar was a 38-gun Frigate built of fir, and although I could not find a Wikipedia page for her, the Naval Database on roots web.com details her key activities, which you can read here.

Charles joined the Tamar at Deal, with the intention of travelling with her to Sheerness for refitting. His plans changed abruptly when he discovered his old friend, Captain Williams, was in the same stretch of water on the Endymion at the same time. In a matter of weeks, Charles had transferred aboard his ship instead and joined as Second Lieutenant on 16th February 1799.

Captain Williams had been given this new vessel in March 1797 following his knighthood and his wife, Jane and her brother Edward Cooper went to see the launch. 

The Endymion was purposed with serving the Channel and Irish Station and was involved in many sea chases. She was a 40-gun fifth-rate frigate that quickly gained a reputation for her remarkable sailing qualities.  You can read about her exploits on the Wikipedia page here.

If you would like to learn more about the different functions and duties onboard a Georgian ship,  there is an excellent video by Jacob O'Neal, creator of Animagraffs, which explains 'How an 18th Century Battleship Works'.  You can watch this video animation on YouTube by following the link here.