Background
Blakeley was born near Seaford, County Down, Ireland.
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Johnston Blakeley
Edit ProfileEducation
Brought to the United States as a child in 1783, he graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a member of The Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies, in 1800, then joined the Navy and was appointed a Midshipman in 1800.
Career
He is considered to be one of the most successful American naval officers of that period. After service in President during the Quasi-War with France and command of Enterprise early in the War of 1812, Master Commandant Blakeley was appointed to command of the newly built sloop-of-war Wasp. In 1814, he made a very successful cruise which in June included the sinking of HMS Reindeer.
In September, in a similar action, Blakeley sunk HMS Avon.
That month he also captured the mercantile brig Atalanta. Wasp was last heard of 9 October 1814 and is believed to have foundered in a gale.
The legislature of North Carolina, on 27 December 1816, after prescribing the destination of the sword they had voted to Captain Blakeley, "Resolved, unanimously, That Captain Blakeley’s child be educated at the expense of this State. And that Mistress Jane Blakeley be requested to draw on the Treasurer of this State, from time to time, for such sums of money as shall be required for the education of the said child."
Three ships were named United States Ship Blakely in Captain Blakeley"s honor.
The first United States Ship Blakely (Tuberculosis-27) launched a new class of torpedo boat in 1904 for the United States Navy, which eventually commissioned eight more of the Blakely Class ships.
The second United States Ship Blakeley (Doctor of Divinity-150) was a Wickes-class destroyer during World World War World War II The third United States Ship Blakely (FF-1072) Knox-class destroyer escort, later to be reclassified as a frigate. She was named for both Captain Johnston Blakeley and Vice Admiral Charles Adams Blakely. Blakely Island, part of the San Juan Islands in Washington state, and Portuguese Blakely were named by Charles Wilkes during the Wilkes Expedition of 1838-1842, in honor of Johnston Blakeley.
Also part of the San Juan Islands chain, incidentally, are a group of islands to which Wilkes bestowed the name "Wasp Islands" after the Wasp.
Their namesake, however, was not the same vessel commanded by Blakely, but an earlier Wasp, also a sloop-of-war, which was commissioned in 1807 and captured by the British in the early months of the War of 1812. The United States. city of Blakely, county seat of Early County in southwest Georgia, was also named for Captain Blakeley.
Achievements
Connections
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Born
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Died
October, 1814 (aged 33) -
Nationality
United Kingdom