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Charles Codrington Forsyth | |
|---|---|
| Born | ca. 1810 |
| Died | 1873 |
| Allegiance | British Empire |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1826-1870 |
| Rank | Captain (Royal Navy) |
| Commands | Prince Albert, HMS Hornet, HMS Valorous |
| Known for | Prince Albert expedition |
| Battles / wars | Second Opium War (Battle of the Bogue (1856), Battle of Escape Creek, Battle of Fatshan Creek) |
Charles Codrington Forsyth (ca. 1810 – 1873) was a British captain of the Royal Navy. He commanded an 1850 search for Franklin's lost expedition, which was the first to return with news about the expedition's whereabouts since their disappearance in 1845. He later commanded HMS Hornet in both the Crimean War and the Second Opium War. He is the namesake of Forsyth Bay and Forsyth Point on Prince of Wales Island.[1]
Early career
editCharles Codrington Forsyth entered the Royal Navy on December 18, 1826,[2] initially participating in anti-slavery operations off Africa.[1] He later served as a mate on the HMS Beagle where he performed surveying operations off the coast of Australia. Although he passed his lieutenant's examination on November 25, 1836, a blockage in promotions prevented him from actually securing his promotion until 1843.[1]
In the intervening years, his career took him to Burma and Australia, where he met Lady Jane Franklin and Sir John Franklin during the latter's governorship of Van Diemen's Land. Upon his promotion to lieutenant, Forsyth returned to anti-slavery duties and operations supporting the British Army near the Cape of Good Hope.[1][2]
Prince Albert expedition
editIn 1850, Forsyth volunteered to command Lady Franklin's first voyage in search of Sir John's lost expedition. After gaining permission from the admiralty on April 27, 1850, he took command of a ship purchased for the endeavour by Lady Franklin, the Prince Albert. He would be accompanied by William Parker Snow.[1][3] To prepare for the hazards of an Arctic search expedition, Forsyth consulted with veteran polar explorers such as William Edward Parry, James Clark Ross, and Frederick William Beechey.[1][4]
Forsyth's expedition left Aberdeen on June 5, 1850, with instructions to go through Prince Regent Inlet and search the west coast of Boothia Peninsula. Although the Prince Albert successfully entered Prince Regent Inlet, Forsyth and his crew of whalers were soon blocked by ice. Seeing no opportunity to penetrate further, they turned back at Fury Beach on Somerset Island on August 22, 1850.[1]
On their return journey, the Prince Albert expedition rendezvoused with HMS Assistance and HMS Intrepid near Beechey Island, who informed them that Franklin's expedition had made winter quarters nearby.[5] Snow went ashore to investigate and found scattered traces of their camp, including tent rings and naval rope. [4] The expedition reported this information on its return to Britain, making it the first to bring any news about the Franklin expedition since 1845.[1][3] Of the reaction, historian Ian Stone writes:
The reception accorded Forsyth was all that he could have desired, although the Franklin ménage was furious at his early return. [...] Forsyth commented that he had received letters that showed the return had "given fresh hopes to many an aching heart." There was also much favourable comment in the press.[1]
In 1851, Snow published an account of Forsyth's expedition to raise funds and support for a second expedition.[1]
Later career and death
editForsyth did not participate in any further searches for the Franklin expedition. He later became inspecting-commander of the Coast Guard at Berwick-upon-Tweed and Brighton, before gaining command of HMS Hornet. In that capacity, he participated in actions against the Russian Navy off the coast of Siberia during the Crimean War,[1] including a skirmish with the Russian frigate Aurora off Castries Bay.[6]
In 1856, Forsyth commanded HMS Hornet in the Second Opium War against China. Under his command, HMS Hornet and its crew fought in the Battle of the Bogue, Battle of Escape Creek, and the Battle of Fatshan Creek, inflicting heavy losses against Chinese junks and fortifications in the Pearl River delta.[7][1]
Forsyth was promoted captain on August 10, 1857, and received a peacetime command of HMS Valorous. He retired in April 1870 and died in 1873.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Stone, Ian R. (1985). "Charles Codrington Forsyth (ca. 1810-1873)". Arctic. 38 (4): 340–1. doi:10.14430/arctic2155. JSTOR 40511008 – via JSTOR.
- ^ a b O'Byrne, William R. (1849). "Forsyth, Charles Codrington". A Naval Biographical Dictionary – via WikiSource.
- ^ a b Stone, Ian R. (1993). "An episode in the Franklin search: the Prince Albert expedition, 1850. Part 1". Polar Record. 29 (169): 127–142. Bibcode:1993PoRec..29..127S. doi:10.1017/S0032247400023585 – via Cambridge Core.
- ^ a b Snow, William Parker (1851). Voyage of the Prince Albert In Search of Sir John Franklin. London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans. pp. 12–14, 316–320.
- ^ Martin, Peter R. (2024). "'Kalli in the ship': Inughuit abduction and the shaping of Arctic knowledge". History and Anthropology. 35 (5): 1218–1243. doi:10.1080/02757206.2023.2235383. PMC 11601050. PMID 39611056.
- ^ Stephan, John J. (1969). "The Crimean War in the Far East". Modern Asian Studies. 3 (3): 257–277. ISSN 0026-749X.
- ^ Clowes, William Laird (1897). The Royal Navy, a History from the Earliest Times to the Death of Queen Victoria. Vol. 7. London: Samson Low, Marston and Co. pp. 99–112.
External links
edit- Geneaological information at ClanForsythAustralia.org