, 1803,
National Library of Australia Fowler, born 1778 at
Horncastle, Lincolnshire,
England joined the Royal Navy in May 1793 as a volunteer. He served as
midshipman on
Royal William and was promoted to
lieutenant in February 1800. He was posted to
HMS Xenophon (later
Investigator) as
first lieutenant and second-in-command to Flinders during the years 1801–03. He was subsequently appointed to command
HMS Porpoise which was wrecked off what is now
Queensland on the homeward voyage during August 1803. Fowler was exonerated for the responsibility for the shipwreck at court-martial in 1804. In 1804, Fowler and other survivors of the
Porpoise joined a British fleet in
Canton commanded by
Captain Nathaniel Dance heading for the
United Kingdom. Fowler distinguished himself at the
Battle of Pulo Aura in February 1804 where a numerically superior French squadron under the command of
Admiral Linois was repelled near
Pulau Aur in what is now
Malaysia. As an acknowledgement of his contribution, Fowler received a sword from
Lloyd's Patriotic Fund. Fowler was promoted to
commander in 1806 and was on active service in home waters and West Indies Station during the years 1805–11. He promoted to
post-captain in 1811. Fowler was promoted to
rear-admiral in 1846 and
vice-admiral on the Retired List in 1858. Fowler retired to Walliscote House at
Whitchurch-on-Thames in
Oxfordshire and died in 1860. He was remembered by Flinders in 1802 in the naming of the following geographical places in
South Australia:
Fowlers Bay and Point Fowler. - A small group of large ships on the left engages a line of ships on the right, which is protecting several smaller ships. Clouds of smoke hang over the fight as the ships fire their cannons.'' ==Notes==