James Bowen (Royal Navy officer)
| James Bowen | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 1751 Ilfracombe, Devon |
| Died | 27 April 1835 Ilfracombe, Devon |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
| Service/branch | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | –1825 |
| Rank | Rear-Admiral |
| Commands held |
HMS Thunderer HMS Argo HMS Dreadnought |
| Battles/wars | |
| Relations |
Richard Bowen (brother) John Bowen (son) |
James Bowen (1751 – 27 April 1835) was an officer of the Royal Navy.
Bowen was born in Ilfracombe, Devon in 1751. His father was a maritime trader who sailed from the Bristol Channel to West Africa and the West Indies. His younger brother, Richard Bowen, also embarked on a career at sea. James joined his father's ship in 1764 and commanded his own ship in the African and West India trade by 1776. He entered the Royal Navy as a master, serving aboard the 38-gun HMS Artois under Captain John MacBride. He followed MacBride to a succession of ships in the period 1781 to 1789 and saw action at the Battle of Dogger Bank on 5 August 1781. He was afterwards inspecting agent of transports in the Thames.
After the outbreak of war with France in 1793, Admiral Lord Howe asked Bowen to be master of his flagship, the 100-gun HMS Queen Charlotte. Howe commanded her at the Glorious First of June, 1794, when she engaged the French ship Montagne, the flagship of the French commander Rear-Admiral Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse, and the Jacobin. During the battle Howe ordered Bowen to turn to starboard. Bowen warned him, ‘My lord, you'll be foul of the French ship if you don't take care’. ‘What is that to you, sir?’ replied the admiral, sharply; ‘starboard!’ ‘Starboard!’ cried Bowen, muttering by no means inaudibly, ‘Damned if I care, if you don't. I'll take you near enough to singe your black whiskers’. Bowen then took Queen Charlotte across the stern of the Montagne, close enough for the French ensign hanging off her stern to brush the Queen Charlotte's main and mizzen shrouds.
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