William Mounsey

William Mounsey CB (1766 – 25 September 1830) was a Royal Navy officer who served in the American Revolutionary, the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars, rising to the rank of Captain.

Family and early life Mounsey was born in 1766, as the fifth son of George Mounsey, of Carlisle. He joined the navy on 23 February 1780, at the age of 13, becoming a midshipman aboard , under Captain Sir Digby Dent, who would become Mounsey's patron. The Royal Oak was sent to the North American Station in May to reinforce Vice-admiral Mariot Arbuthnot's fleet. During the voyage Mounsey took part in the capture of a French East Indiaman. They reached their destination on 13 July, after which Arbuthnot raised his flag aboard the Royal Oak, whilst Dent and Mounsey moved aboard . He returned to England after completing this, and on 18 June sailed from Spithead in company with . The two were acting as escorts for a convoy bound for Quebec. Whilst travelling with the convoy on 2 July, a suspicious sail was sighted astern, and Mounsey dropped back to investigate.

Command of the Furieuse Mounsey and the Furieuse were initially employed in escorting a convoy to the Mediterranean, after which she joined the fleet blockading Toulon under Admiral Edward Pellew. The French fleet sailed out in May 1812, consisting of 12 sail of the line and seven frigates, of which one ship of the line and two frigates began to chase the British inshore squadron, consisting of the Furieuse, and the frigates and , and the brig . The French gave up the chase when the British made clear their intention to fight. Mounsey was nominated a Companion of the Order of the Bath in June 1815, and also received the Naval Gold Medal for the capture of the Furieuse. With the end of the wars with France he retired from active service, and died on 25 September 1830 at the age of 64.