Surname Index
Contact
HomeFrom: A Naval Biographical Dictionary, by William R O'Byrne.
Published by John Murray, Alvemarle Street, London. Page 841
OTWAY, Bart (CAPTAIN 1846)
SIR GEORGE GRAHAM OTWAY, born in September 1816, is eldest surviving son of the late Admiral Sir Robt. Waller Otway, Bart., GCB, whom he succeeded 12th May 1846.
This officer entered the Navy 15th July 1828; and on the occasion of his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant, 10th Oct 1838, was appointed Additional of the PRINCESS CHARLOTTE 104, bearing the flag of Hon. Sir Robt. Stopford in the Mediterranean, where he removed, 21st Feb. 1839, to the HAZARD 18, Capt. Jas. Wilkinson. His succeeding appointments were:
- 8th Nov. 1839, to the VANGUARD 80, Capt. Sir Thos. Fellowes, with whom he returned to England.
- 5th June 1840, to the SOUTHAMPTON 50, Capt. Wm Hillyar, fitting at Chatham
- 13th Aug. following, to the MEDEA steamer, Capt. Fred. Warden, in the Mediterranean.
Being awarded a second promotal commission 25th Jan. 1841 he was next
- from 25th May, 1843, until advanced, in compliment to his father's memory, to Post-rank,
- 18th May 1846 - employed in command of the VIRAGO steam-sloop, of 300 horse power, again in the Mediterranean.
He has since been on half-pay. AGENTS - Hallett and Robinson.
OTWAY (COMMANDER, 1837. F-P., 13; H-P., 29)
ROBERT OTWAY entered the Navy, 10th Jane. 1805, as Midshipman, on board the PALLAS 32, Capt. Lord Cochrane. Under that gallant officer he assisted, in March, 1805, at the capture of a galleon, IL FORTUNA, laden with specie to the amount of L50,000L., and with merchandize of nearly equal value; he witnessed also, in May, 1806, the destruction of the semaphores along the French coast; and, in the course of the same month, he was present, under a heavy fire from the batteries on Ile d'Aix, in a single-handed attack made by the PALLAS on the French 40-gun frigate LA MINERVE, in company with three 18-gun brigs. On the latter occasion the British ship, while preparing to board, unfortunately ran foul of her opponent, and by the tremendous shock was reduced to a complete wreck. Between June, 1806 and Feb. 1812, Mr Otway was successively employed, on the West India and Home stations, part of the time as Master's Mate, in the NORTHUMBERLAND and BELLEISLE 74's, both flagships of Hon. Sir Alex Cochrane, ETHALION 36, Capt. Wm. Chas. Fahie, BELLEISLE again, bearing the broad pendant of Commodore Geo. Cockburn, NEPTUNE 98, Capt. W.C. Fahie, ABERCROMBIE 74, Capt. Sir Jas. Athol Wood, DRAGON 74, flag-ship of Sir Fras. Laforey, WANDERER sloop, Capt. Frank Gore Willock, DRAGON a second time, NAYADEN frigate, Capt. Robt. Merrick Fowler, HELENA sloop, Capt. Henry Montresor, and again in the DRAGON. In the ETHALION we find him aiding, as Master's Mate, at the reduction, in Dec. 1807, of the Danish islands of St. Thomas and Ste Croix; and in the BELLEISLE, in 1809, at the capture of Martinique and Flushing. He was confirmed in the rank of Lieutenant (after having acted for three months as such in the DERMERARA. Captain W Smith, on the West India station) 14th May, 1812; and was subsequently appointed - for a few months in 1813, to the BOYNE 98 and VILLE DE PARIS 110, flag-ships of Sir Harry Burrard Neale in the Channel - 17th Sept. 1822, to the BULWARK 76, Capt. Thos. Dundas, lying at Plymouth, where he remained upwards of 12 months - 22nd July 1830 to the command (which he retained until the close of 1833) of the ECHO steam-vessel - and, 23rd April 1836, to the command (with his name on the books of the WILLIAM AND MARY yacht) of the COMET, another steamer. As an especial mark of the approbation entertained by the Admirality of his services in the ECHO and COMET on the coasts of Spain and Portugal during the civil war, he was advanced to his present rank 6th Jan. 1837. He has since been on half-pay.
In 1838 Commander Otway published 'An Elementary Treatise on Steam.' He is married and has issued. AGENT: Joseph Woodhead.
OTWAY. (COMMANDER, 1846. F-P., 19; H-P., 7).
ROBERT JOCELYN OTWAY is youngest son of the Rev. J Sam. Otway; and nephew of the late Admiral Sir Robt. Otway Bart., GCB.
This officer entered the Navy 3rd May 1821; passed his examination in 1827; and was made Lieutenant 13th Nov. 1828, into the SAPPHIRE 28, Capt. Henry Dundas, on the South American station, whence he returned home and was paid off in 1830. His succeeding appointments were:
- 8th Oct. 1832, for nearly three years, to the SPARTIATE 76, Capt. Robt. Tait, successive flag-ship of Sir Michael Seymour and Sir Graham Eden Hammond, again in South America.
- 22nd Aug. 1840, to the CALCUTTA 84, Capts. Sir Sam. Roberts and Geo. Fred. Rich, with whom he served in the Mediterranean and off Lisbon, until paid off at the close of 1842, the chief part of the time as First-Lieutenant.
- 16th May, 1843, in the latter capacity, to the CASTOR 36, Capt. Chas. Graham, fitting for the East Indies.
In Dec. 1845, being at the time at New Zealand, Lieut. Otway landed in command of 188 officers, seamen and marines belonging to the latter ship, and on 11 of the following month, after having most usefully participated for three weeks in a series of trying operations (more particularly alluded to in our memoir of Capt. Graham), assisted, and was officially mentioned for his conduct at the storming and capture, notwithstanding a desperate resistance of four hours, of a strongly fortified pah belonging to a rebel chieftain named Kawiti. He was in consequence promoted to the rank of Commander by commission bearing date the day of the occurence.* He returned to England in the course of the same year, and is now on half-pay.
Commander Otway married, 17th Aug. 1836, Anne Digby, youngest daughter of the late Sir Hugh Crofton, Bart., of Mohill House, Co. Leitrim, by whom he has issued. AGENTS: Hallett and Robinson.
VIDE Gaz. 1846, pp. 2345, 2346, 2348. 5P.
Name Index Surname Index
Contact
Home