User:Wee Curry Monster/Henry Smith

Henry Smith Captain
Born	4 July 1797 Montreal, Canada
Died	August 19, 1854(1854-08-19) (aged 58) Varna Bay, Bulgaria
Cause of death	Suspected to be Cholera
Occupation	Naval Officer
Organization	Royal Navy
Known for	First British resident in the Falkland Islands, Commander of HMS Rattler
Successor	Lt Robert Lowcay
Spouse	Elisa

Captain Henry Smith was a 19th Century naval officer in the Royal Navy. Whilst still a Lieutenant serving aboard HMS Tyne, in 1832 he volunteered to become the first British resident in the Falkland Islands, a position he remained in until he resigned the post in 1838. Although he was solely responsible for redeveloping the settlement at Port Louis in the Falkland Islands from a dilipidated state, he never received official recognition for his efforts and was even censored by his commanding officer. After resigning he returned to the UK and in 1844 was appointed as commander of the sloop HMS Rattler, a ship built to test the merits of the screw propeller which was tested against paddle steamers to prove the superiority of this form of naval propulsion. In 1853, he was appointed to command the iron screw ship HMS Simoom in the Crimean War but died aboard the ship the following year.

Naval career

Fakland Islands

An image of Port Louis in 1834 by the artist Conrad Martens. The White Ensign flies over Lt.Smith's residence.

HMS Rattler

HMS Rattler (left) and Alecto (right) in their 1845 competition

Crimean War

HMS Simoom was Henry Smith's last command

References

Bibliography

• Mary Cawkell (January 1983). The Falkland story, 1592–1982. A. Nelson. ISBN 978-0-904614-08-4. Retrieved 8 November 2011.

• M. B. R. Cawkell; Mary Cawkell (1960). The Falkland Islands: by M.B.R. Cawkell, D. H. Maling and E. M. Cawkell. Macmillan. Retrieved 8 November 2011.

• Mary Cawkell (2001). The History of the Falkland Islands. Anthony Nelson. ISBN 978-0-904614-55-8. Retrieved 20 September 2012.

• David, Andrew; Tatham, David (1 June 2008). "Smith, Henry". In David Tatham (ed.). The Dictionary of Falklands Biography (Including South Georgia): From Discovery Up to 1981. D. Tatham. pp. 497–498. ISBN 978-0-9558985-0-1. Retrieved 15 August 2011.

• Ian J. Strange (1983). The Falkland Islands. David & Charles. ISBN 978-0-7153-8531-9.

• The Annual Register: Or a View of the History, Politics and Literature, for the Year 1854. Dodsley. 1855. p. 325.

• Great Britain. Admiralty (1854). The Navy List. H.M. Stationery Office. pp. 169–.

• The Gentleman's Magazine. F. Jefferies. 1854. pp. 528–.