Page:A Naval Biographical Dictionary.djvu/1127

Rh where he remained until the early part of 1848. – Fred. Dufaur.

 STEPHENS, formerly Wilkinson. 

died in 1846. He was only son of the late Capt. Thos. Wilkinson, R.N., by Millicent, eldest surviving daughter of Wm. Howe, Esq., of Mistley Thorne, co. Essex; and grand-nephew of the late Sir Philip Stephens, Bart., M.P. for Sandwich, many years Secretary, and afterwards one of the Lords Commissioners, of the Admiralty, whose surname he assumed on inheriting, at the death of Viscount Ranelagh in 1820, estates in which Sir Philip had bequeathed to that nobleman (his son-in-law) a life-interest.

This officer entered the Navy, 4 Aug. 1783, as a Boy, on board the frigate, Capts. Boston, Sandy, and Berkeley, stationed in the West Indies. He served next as Midshipman, from Dec. 1786 until May, 1789, on the coast of Africa in the 44, Capts. Davey and John Nicholson Inglefield, the latter of whom he then followed into the 50. After acting for about three months as Lieutenant in the frigate off Brest, he was confirmed, we believe, to that rank, in Oct. 1790, in the  74, Capt. Henry Harvey. In the course of 1791-2-3 he joined the 100, flag-ship of Lord Hood,  and  frigates, Capts. Alex. Hood and Bartholomew Rowley, and 50, Commodore John Ford. Under the latter officer he shared in the attack upon St. Domingo. He was promoted, 30 March, 1794, to the command of sloop, in the West Indies; was there made Post, 5 Sept. following, into the  32; and was subsequently appointed – in Feb. 1797, to the  32, employed in the Channel and off Cadiz – in May, 1799, to the  32, attached to the Channel fleet – in July, 1800, for five months, to the  38, on the coast of France – in May, 1802, to the, 38, in which ship, during his passage home with despatches from Ferrol, he was wrecked, on the night of 8 Feb. 1804, on the southernmost part of the Saintes – and, in Nov. 1810, to the  74, in the Baltic, where he remained until May, 1813. He was not afterwards employed. He became a Rear-Admiral 4 Dec. 1813; a Vice-Admiral 10 July, 1821; and a full Admiral 10 Jan. 1837.

Admiral Stephens was Deputy-Lieutenant for co. Norfolk. He married, in 1804, Sophia, daughter of Wm. Worth, Esq., of Hayneford, near Norwich.

 STEPHENS. 

entered the Navy 12 Dec. 1812; and passed his examination in 1819. While serving with Capt. Thos. Bennett in the 10, he had the good fortune, 10 July, 1822, with two boats belonging to that vessel, to save all but 4 of the crew of the Sarah free-trader of 900 tons, which was in the act of foundering during a furious north-wester in Table Bay, Cape of Good Hope. “I trust, Sir,” says Mr. James Norton, late commander of the Sarah, in a letter addressed to Capt. Bennett, “that you will permit me the gratification of impressing on your attention the admirable manner in which Mr. Stephens, the officer appointed by you to the dangerous duty, fulfilled your intentions and orders, at the risk of his own life and those of your boats’ crews. His humanity, presence of mind, and cool courage, were the cause of preservation to the many lives that were saved – those qualities were equally and eminently conspicuous during a scene the most appalling and afflicting that can be imagined.” Mr. Stephens was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant 30 March, 1826. He has been in charge, since 7 June, 1831, of a station in the Coast Guard. He married, in Feb. 1830, Miss Ede, of Millbrook.

 STEPHENS. 

died 27 Dec. 1844 at Barnstaple.

This officer entered the Royal Naval College 4 Sept. 1823; and embarked, 22 March, 1825, as a Volunteer, on board the 46, Capt. John Maxwell, stationed off Lisbon. In May, 1826, he removed as Midshipman to the 44, Capt. Jeremiah Coghlan, fitting for South America; whence, we believe, he returned in 1829 with Sir John Gordon Sinclair in the. After serving for a short time at Portsmouth in the 104, Capt. Hon. Geo. Elliott, he was nominated Mate, in Sept. 1829 (immediately after he had passed his examination), of the 74, Capts. Alex. Wilmot Schomberg and Christopher John Williams Nesham, on the Mediterranean station. He next, in Sept. 1830, joined the 18, Capt. Joseph Harrison, on the coast of Africa; where, in Jan. and May, 1833, he was placed in command, with the rank of Acting-Lieutenant, of_ the  steamer and  brig. He was officially promoted 2 April, 1834; and was subsequently, 11 June and 10 Sept. 1836, appointed to the  74, flag-ship of Sir Peter Halkett, and  18, Capts. Robt. Fair and Geo. St. Vincent King, both on the North America and West India station. He was paid off from the, of which vessel he had been the greater part of the time First-Lieutenant, in Nov. 1838; and did not afterwards go afloat.

 STEPHENS. 

entered the Navy 19 Jan. 1829; passed his examination in 1833; obtained his first commission 30 April, 1834; and was subsequently appointed – 18 March, 1836, to the 74, Capt. Alex. Renton Sharpe, fitting at Plymouth – 2 Nov. following, to the 50, Capt. Armar Lowry Corry, in the Mediterranean – and, 7 Nov. 1837 and 28 Dec. 1838, as Senior, to the  18 and  26, Capts. Jas. Wilkinson and Henry Byam Martin, on the same station. For his services in the latter ship during the operations on the coast of Syria, where he commanded the boats in the attack upon Tortosa, and assisted at the bombardment of St. Jean d’Acre, he was promoted to the rank of Commander 4 Nov. 1840. From 14 Dec. 1844 until advanced to his present rank 9 Nov. 1846, he officiated as Second-Captain of the 80, Capt. Armar Lowry Corry, attached to the Channel squadron.

Capt. Stephens is married and has issue. – Case and Loudonsack.

 STEPHENS. 

entered the Navy, 3 Feb. 1808, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the 74, Capt. Hon. Henry Hotham, whom he followed as Midshipman, in 1810, into the  74. In the former ship he co-operated with the patriots on the north coast of Spain; and assisted, in company with a squadron under Rear-Admiral Stopford, at the destruction, 24 Feb. 1809, of three French frigates under the batteries of Sable d’Olonne, on the coast of France, after a contest in which the, added to severe damage experienced in her sails and rigging, sustained a loss of 2 men killed and 25 wounded. In the he was present, in company with the  gun-brig, at the destruction, at the entrance of L’Orient, of the French 40-gun frigates L’Arienne and L’Andromaque and 16-gun brig Mamelouck whose united fire, conjointly with that of a heavy battery, killed 5 and wounded 28 of the ’s people. In Jan. 1813 he was received as a Supernumerary on board the 74, Capt. Benj. Wm. Page, lying at Spithead; he was next, from the following Feb. until Sept. 1817, employed on the coast of North America in the and  frigates, both commanded by Capt. Saml. Jackson; and in May, 1818, after having served at Plymouth as Admiralty-Midshipman in the 104, flag-ship of Lord Exmouth, and  sloop, Capt. Pettman, he joined in that capacity the  38, Capt. John Rich. Lumley, on the East India station; where,