1139 | iii. | Capt Thomas Dycke Acland FORTESCUE RN87 was born on 22 July 1821. He died on 10 May 1865 in Malta. 8 October 1846 Lieutenant
28 April 1854 Commander
7 September 1857 Captain
23 February 1855 Commander in Barracouta, East Indies (including 2nd Anglo-Chinese War)
23 September 1862 10 May 1865 Captain in Phoebe (from commissioning at Plymouth), Mediterranean (until Fortescue died) Extract concerning Anglo-Chinese War the Opium War Commodore Elliot was ordered to take the Barracouta, Coromandel, and ships' boats, and disperse or capture the junks; and, Commander Bate having buoyed the narrow channel, the force proceeded at daylight on the 6th, and Fortescue presently anchored the Barracouta 800 yards above French Folly, and within 200 yards of the nearest of the hostile vessels, which were all ready for action. The Barracouta, in order to prevent the Chinese from training their guns on her, fired her bow pivot gun as she approached, and so provoked the enemy, who, from more than 150 pieces, retaliated ere she could bring her broadside to bear. In about five-and-thirty minutes, however, her grape and canister, and the approaching boats, under Captain Thomas Wilson, drove the people from their vessels; and the sloop was then able to give her undivided attention to French Folly, which, being soon silenced, was taken possession of by a landing-party under Captain King Hall. Its guns and ammunition were destroyed. Two 32-prs. in Dutch Folly rendered material help during the engagement. The junks, being aground, or sunk, were burnt, with the exception of the admiral's ship, which was brought off, and two more, which escaped for the time, though one of them was afterwards burnt by Captain King Hall. Seymour mentions with praise the conduct of Commander Fortescue, of his senior Lieutenant, William Kemptown Bush, and of Lieutenant Henry Hamilton Beamish, of the Calcutta, who, under a very heavy fire, carried out the anchor by means of which the Barracouta (her hull was pierced by 28 large shot, besides smaller ones) was enabled to spring her broadside. The affair, very bloody to the enemy, cost the British a loss of but 1 killed and 4 wounded.
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