HMS Janissary

Genl Menou Mounted on a Drom[...]; The [Janissary] Gun Boat Protecting the Landing of the Troops; The head of the Sphinx near Aboukir supposed to be near 2000 years old; Lord [K]ieth [sic] on board the Foudroyant, by Sir Robert Ker, c.1801, Victoria and Albert Museum

HMS Janissary or Janizary was a gun-boat that served in the Royal Navy's Egyptian campaign (8 March to 2 September 1801). She appears in the records only in connection with the campaign and her origins before 1800 or service after 1801 are lost. Her name honours the Janissaries, a body of Ottoman troops.

On 2 March, while under the command of Lieutenant John Whilley, Janissary, together with the cutter Cruelle and the gun-vessel Dangereuse, protected the left flank during the landing of troops in Aboukir Bay.^[1] The cutter Entreprenante, schooner Malta, and the gun-vessel Negresse covered the right flank.^[1] Janissary's officers and crew therefore qualified for the clasp "Egypt" to the Naval General Service Medal that the Admiralty authorised in 1850 to all surviving claimants.^[2]

Citations, and references

Citations

1. The London Gazette: no. 15362. pp. 496–498. 5 May 1801.
2. The London Gazette: no. 21077. pp. 791–792. 15 March 1850.

References

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8. OCLC 67375475.