Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Thomas Durell (1685 23 August 1741) was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

officer most famous for his role in the capture of the Spanish ship ''Princesa''.

Early life

Thomas Durell was born in 1685 to John Durell, who was the Lieutenant-Bailiff of

Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...

and Ann Dumaresq, who was the daughter of Elias Dumaresq, 3rd Seigneur of Augrès.

Early career

Durell joined the

in 1697 and was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in 1705 after passing the lieutenant's examination. He was promoted to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

in 1716 and was later given command of the 42-gun HMS ''Speedwell''. He was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in 1720.

Nova Scotia

After the

Peace of Utrecht The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaty, peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vac ...

, which ended the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...

, the British gained control of part of the

Acadia Acadia (; ) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the The Maritimes, Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. The population of Acadia included the various ...

n lands in modern-day

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

. Durell who was in command of HMS ''Seahorse'' under the orders of General

Richard Philipps General Richard Philipps ( 1661 – 14 October 1750) was said to have been in the employ of William III as a young man and for his service gained the rank of captain in the British army. He served at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 and promo ...

, who was the

Governor of Nova Scotia The following is a list of the governors and lieutenant governors of Nova Scotia. Though the present day office of the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, lieutenant governor in Nova Scotia came into being only upon the province's entry into Can ...

, surveyed the coasts and harbours of the newly acquired colony. This service was vital to the British governors; Durell's surveys were later used to create maps of Nova Scotia and the greater area. For Durell's services there is an island named in his honour near

Canso, Nova Scotia Canso is an unincorporated community and former incorporated town in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia, Canada. Canso lies on the far north eastern tip of mainland Nova Scotia at the mouth of Chedabucto Bay. It was incorporated as a town ...

named Durell's Island.

Capture of ''Princesa''

During the

War of Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King George's War in Nort ...

, Durell took part in the action of 8 April 1740. Durell, who commanded HMS ''Kent'', fought alongside Captain Covill Mayne who commanded HMS ''Lenox'' and Captain

Lord Augustus Fitzroy Lord Augustus FitzRoy (16 October 171624 May 1741) was a British officer of the Royal Navy. He served during the War of the Austrian Succession, and was involved in the capture of the Spanish ship of the line, HMS Princess (1740), ''Princesa'', ...

who commanded HMS ''Orford''. Together the ships fought at close range with the Spanish man of war ''Princesa'', which was captured and became HMS ''Princess''. During the battle Durell injured his hand.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Durell, Thomas 18th-century Royal Navy personnel Military personnel from Saint Helier 1685 births 1741 deaths