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Captain George Henry Towry (4 March 1767 – 9 April 1809) was a Royal Navy officer of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century who is best known for his service as commander of the frigate HMS ''Dido'', in the Action of 24 June 1795 in the Western Mediterranean Sea during the French Revolutionary Wars, when, in company with HMS ''Lowestoffe'' he successfully fought and defeated the French frigates ''Minerve'' and ''Artémise'', capturing ''Minerve'' and driving off ''Artémise''. He later commanded HMS ''Diadem'' at the Battle of Cape St Vincent in 1797 and served during the Napoleonic Wars on the Transportation Board. ==Life== Towry was born in March 1767, educated at Eton College and joined the Royal Navy at 13 under the patronage of Lord Longford. He served during the American Revolutionary War aboard HMS ''Alexander'' and participated in the relief of the Great Siege of Gibraltar in 1782. Following the end of the war he continued in service under the Duke of Clarence and at the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars he was attached to the Mediterranean Fleet under the patronage of Lord Hood. He was rapidly promoted and by 1795 was a post captain in command of the small 28-gun frigate HMS ''Dido''.〔Gentleman's Magazine, ''Captain George Henry Towry〕 In June 1795, ''Dido'' was ordered, with HMS ''Lowestoffe'', to detach from the fleet off Minorca and search for the French Mediterranean Fleet near Toulon. On 24 June 1795, at roughly the midpoint between Minorca and Toulon, Towry encountered a French squadron of two frigates on an identical mission from the French commander Contre-amiral Pierre Martin. The squadrons engaged, ''Dido'' narrowly avoiding being crushed during a ramming attempt by ''Minerve'' and becoming entangled in the French ship's rigging. Driving off boarding attempts, ''Dido'' snapped off the French bowsprit and together with ''Lowestoffe'' then battered ''Minerve'' into surrender. the other French ship, ''Artémise'', played little part in the engagement and was easily driven off. Towry brought his prize back to the British fleet, where it was recommissioned as a Royal Navy frigate with the same name and Towry placed in command.〔 In 1796, Towry was given command of the 64-gun ship of the line HMS ''Diadem'' and in February 1797 commanded her at the Battle of Cape St Vincent where the Spanish Fleet was defeated. Shortly afterwards ''Diadem'' returned to Britain and Towry took command of HMS ''Uranie'' and HMS ''Cambrian'' before the Peace of Amiens in 1802.〔 At the outbreak of the Napoleonic Wars Towry was given command of HMS ''Tribune'', but after a winter patrol he became ill and was forced to withdraw from active service. He was given a sinecure on the Transport Board and continued in this position until its dissolution. In 1802 he married a Miss Chamberlayne and had a marriage noted for its "greatest harmony and most perfect happiness" until her untimely death in 1806 which left him grief-stricken. They had three children, two of whom survived infancy. Towry died of natural causes at his father's house in April 1809 and was buried at St Marylebone Parish Church.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「George Henry Towry」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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