Richard Bowen (1761 – 25 July 1797) was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars. Bowen saw service with Horatio Nelson, and was killed fighting alongside him at the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Bowen was born into a naval family, and first saw service alongside several distinguished naval figures, including John Jervis, who would become a long-standing friend and patron to Bowen. Bowen rose to prominence after distinguishing himself in several actions, but was unable to gain a commission by the end of the war with America, and spent several years in the Caribbean, hoping to receive promotion. He took the opportunity to carry out a resupply mission to the colonies in Australia during the interwar years, a task he completed successfully, even though it involved a circumnavigation of the globe. Away from Britain for a considerable length of time while carrying this out, he found on his return that war had broken out with France. Reuniting with his old patron Jervis, Bowen returned to the Caribbean and after distinguishing himself in actions against the French colonies there, finally received his own commands. He followed Jervis to the Mediterranean and took part in several hard-fought frigate actions, and even went so far as to attack the Santísima Trinidad, the largest warship in the world at the time, in his 32-gun frigate, . He was operating off Tenerife in 1797 when he came under the command of Rear-Admiral Horatio Nelson, who was quickly impressed by Bowen's zeal and ability. Bowen was given the task of leading the first wave of the assault on the town of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, but the attack went badly. The defenders poured grapeshot onto the attacking British, killing and wounding many, Bowen was killed while Nelson was badly wounded.

Bowen's body was recovered and buried at sea. His friends and relations pressured the authorities for the erection of a memorial in one of the main London churches, but their requests were turned down.

Family and early life Bowen was born in Ilfracombe, Devon in 1761. The Bowens were a seafaring family, with Richard's older brother James and two other siblings, George and Thomas, all serving in the navy. Richard went to sea at the age of thirteen, joining his father, who was captain of merchant ship. After two years with his father Richard joined his elder brother James' merchant ship and made trading voyages between England and Jamaica. He was at Jamaica in 1778 when news reached him of the outbreak of war with the American colonies. He applied to join the navy as a volunteer and a position was found for him by his friend, Captain Benjamin Caldwell, then the commander of the frigate . Caldwell and Bowen sailed to England in 1779, whereupon Caldwell was appointed to command the 50-gun . Finding her to be unready for sea, Bowen and a number of the officers from Emerald joined the guardship at the Nore, . Caldwell went on to equip the 14-gun ship-sloop HMS Lightning for service while awaiting the launch of Hannibal, and Bowen received an appointment to her and the position of midshipman on 12 August 1779. Despite this he does not seem to have served aboard her, instead joining under Captain John Jervis.

Bowen served with Jervis aboard Foudroyant for several years. On 29 July 1781 Foudroyant was part of Vice-Admiral Sir George Darby's fleet when two French warships were sighted. The wind made prevented the British from approaching, causing Darby to order boats to tow into range. Bowen commanded one of the boats, and his actions and exertions caused favourable comments from his superiors. Perseverance was able to capture one of the French ships, which proved to be the former British , while the second French ship, the corvette Hirondelle, escaped by using her sweeps. Bowen's second chance to prove his qualities came in 1782, after Darby had been succeeded by Samuel Barrington as commander of the Channel Fleet. On 20 April an enemy French fleet was sighted by lookouts aboard Captain John MacBride's . A general chase ensued, forcing the French fleet to disperse. Foudroyant led the chase and eventually became separated from the rest of the fleet. Jervis pressed on, bringing the sternmost French ship, the 74-gun Pégase to action early in the morning of 21 April and forcing her to surrender. Bowen acted as aide-de-camp to Jervis during the battle, and acquitted himself so well that Jervis advanced him to acting-lieutenant. Bowen also received a sword from his friend Robert Calder.

The damaged Foudroyant underwent a repair and refit, during which time Jervis arranged for the transfer of some his crew including Bowen to MacBride's Artois. Bowen, serving as third-lieutenant, and MacBride cruised in the Bay of Biscay, with Richard coincidentally serving under his brother James, the elder Bowen being the master of Artois. Richard's service aboard Artois came to an end when Jervis, by now appointed commodore and commander-in-chief of a secret expedition, sent for his men to rejoin Foudroyant. The war came to an end before the expedition could be carried out and Foudroyant was paid off. Jervis found a place for Bowen as master's mate aboard HMS Pegase, the ship he had helped to capture in 1782. From there he was moved to the 98-gun and in late 1783 to the 50-gun . He went out in the later ship to the West Indies with Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Hughes. He spent three years on the station, several times being appointed temporary lieutenant but being unable to have the commission confirmed.

Years of frustration Bowen returned home in 1786, and passed his examination on 7 November 1787. With the prospect of war with the Dutch looming in 1787 he received an appointment to , which was being prepared as the flagship of Admiral Hugh Pigot. Bowen hoped for a lieutenant's commission, but was to be disappointed, the war did not materialise and he found himself unemployed again. He went out to the West Indies on the advice of his brother James, and his patron Jervis, and with their recommendations he was able to secure the attention of the commander of the station Commodore Sir Peter Parker. Parker made him acting-lieutenant of the 50-gun on his arrival in January 1788, but he was superseded shortly afterwards by the arrival of Lord William Beauclerk. Temporarily shelving hopes for promotion, he took command of the government brig Lord Howe at the request of Sir John Orde, the Governor of Dominica. As captain of the Lord Howe he carried out anti-smuggling operations until July 1789.

Promotion During this time Bowen made studies of mathematics, astronomy and surveying, before returning to serve under his old patron, now Rear-Admiral Sir John Jervis, in 1790 during the Spanish Armament. He finally received his long-awaited commission as lieutenant on 21 September 1790, and an appointment to Jervis's flagship . Bowen's friend Robert Calder then requested his services aboard the 64-gun . Stately was paid off after the easing of tensions and Bowen applied to the Navy Board for a posting. The Board gave him command of three transports in the Third Fleet to resupply the colony at Port Jackson, New South Wales. He departed England in March 1791 and reached Port Jackson in July that year. There the Lieutenant-Governor, Philip Gidley King, decided that the rice supply was insufficient for the needs of the colony and despatched Bowen to Bengal to acquire more. Bowen set off on the voyage, dropping King and his family at Norfolk Island on the way, and sailed east past New Caledonia, the Isle of Pines and Terra Arsacides, a route never before sailed. He also sailed a never-before navigated passage, between Borneo and Paragua into the South China Sea. From there he passed through the Straits of Malacca, reaching Bengal in January 1792. After acquiring provisions he made his way back to Port Jackson. He picked up Governor Arthur Phillip in December and returned him to Britain, arriving at Spithead in May 1793. By then he had completed two long voyages, one of them around the world, in a transport vessel.

French Revolutionary Wars

Caribbean By the time of Bowen's arrival war had broken out between France and Britain. He was offered a chance to perform a similar to mission to his earlier voyages to the colonies in Australia, but turned in down in order to serve under Jervis, now commander-in-chief of an expedition to attack the French colonies in the Caribbean. Bowen joined the fleet as fourth-lieutenant and signal-officer aboard the 98-gun , and after the fleet had rendezvoused at Barbados, sailed for Martinique on 3 February 1794. Jervis placed Bowen in command of the guard and gunboats after the fleet's arrival at Fort de France Bay, and instructed him to prepare an assault on a large French frigate, the Bien Venu, chained to the walls of the fort protecting the city. The frigate was rumoured to hold a number of captured English prisoners, whom the French were threatening to kill by blowing up the frigate, should the British attempt to storm the fort. Bowen developed a plan of attack and on 17 February led an assault force consisting of Boynes barge and a number of small boats. The boats rushed the frigate and the boarding party stormed her successfully. The boarding party killed or drove off all of her crew, with the exception of twenty whom Bowen took prisoner, among them the captain and lieutenant. Finding that there were no British prisoners aboard, Bowen manned the cannon and fired a broadside into the fort. He then took his prisoners off and returned to the British ships. Only the contrary wind prevented Bowen from sailing the frigate out as well.

Promotion Bowen received a mention in Jervis's despatches, where he was credited for convincing the commanders to carry out their assault on the fortified French positions. Bowen and the gunboats supported the landings, which resulted in a British victory. Bowen's former quarry, the Bien Venu, was captured and commissioned as under the command of Captain Robert Faulknor, who had distinguished himself in the battle while commanding . Faulknor was given command of Undaunted on 20 March 1794, the same day the Bowen was promoted to master and commander, and succeeded Faulknor in command of Zebra. Bowen was promoted to post-captain in April, and briefly took command of the 64-gun , before moving to the 32-gun . He was sent out in the Terpsichore to North America, where he learnt that , under Captain Sir Charles Knowles, was being blockaded in the Chesapeake by two French frigates. Bowen set out to relieve him, an act he accomplished on 17 May, when the two British ships escaped to sea. The French attempted to pursue, but broke off when the British offered battle. Terpsichore and Daedalus sailed in company to Halifax, after which Bowen returned to the Caribbean.

There he found the British positions on Guadeloupe under pressure from French forces, and helped to resupply them until it was deemed necessary to evacuate them. He ably oversaw the withdrawal, but received a wound to the face from French shot while assisting in the evacuation of the last of the troops. He received notes of praise from Rear-Admiral Charles Thompson and Vice-Admiral Benjamin Caldwell of the navy, and General Sir John Vaughan and Lieutenant-General Robert Prescott from the army. The wound however became dangerous in the Caribbean climate, and he was sent home with the despatches.

North Sea and Mediterranean

Gibraltar and Mahonesa