Commander Edward Noble Price R.N. (Rtd) Naval Career

Edward Noble Price was born in Hornsey on 7th March 1851. He did not follow his father’s footsteps in trade, but instead enlisted in the Royal Navy, joining as a midshipman in 1864. He continued serving in the Navy until retiring with the rank of Commander in October 1885, and later given the rank of Captain. In the course of one of his visits to Malta, he met and fell in love with Giuseppina Messina, daughter of Count Rosario Messina. They got married on 24th August 1885 in Naples, officiated by the Cardinal Archbishop of Naples in a private chapel at his own Palace. The year after, Edward, together with Giuseppina, moved into Villa Frere, where they lived the rest of their married lives. He immediately embarked on massive restoration of the neglected gardens and further added a cactus garden, an English gnome garden and a Japanese garden. Edward Price passed away on 27th June 1933, aged 82.  

Entered the Royal Navy in June 1864

Date	Ship	Rank	Station	Flag & Commanding Officers
Aug  9 1864 – July 251865	H.M.S. Britannia	Cadet	Dartmouth	Capt R.A. Powell
July 26 1865 – Aug 21 1868	H.M.S. Victory	Cadet
Sept 27 1965 – Jan 7 1866	H.M.S. Arethusa	Cadet
Jan 27 1866 – Jan 26 1869	H.M.S. Liffey	Midshipman	Around the World – The Flying Squadron
Jan 26 1869 – July 27 1870	H.M.S. Liffey	Sub Lieutenant
July 28 1870		Acting Sub Lieutenant
March 18 1871 – June 20 1871	H.M.S. Glascow	Sub Lieutenant	East Indies	Capt. T.M. Jones.
June 21  1871 – May 10 1872	H.M.S.  Rapid	Sub Lieutenant	Mediterranean	Comdr. Hon. V Montagu
May 11 1872 – July 24 1872	H.M.S.  Helicon	Sub Lieutenant (Addl)	Mediterranean	Comdr. H.E. Crozier
Aug 1872 – Sept 1872	H.M.S.  Lord Warden	Sub Lieutenant (addl)	Mediterranean	Flagship C In C Vice Adl Sir Hastings Yelverton Capt. T Brandreth
Sept 1872 – Jan 1874	H.M.S.  Helicon	Sub Lieutenant	Mediterranean	Lieut. F. Rougemont
March 2 1875 – Dec 12 1879	H.M.S.  Undaunted	Lieutenant	East Indies	Flagship C in C Rear All. R.J. Macdonald Capt. H Campbell Capt H.W.Brent Rear All. J Corbett Capt N. Bowden-Smith
Dec 19 1879 – Feb 5 1879	H.M.S.  Duncan	Flag Lieutenant	The Nore	C in C Nore Vice Adl.Sir R.J. Macdonald
April 23 1980 – Dec 12 1982	H.M.S.  Phoenix	Ist Lieutenant	North America and West Indies	Comdr. H.N.Grenfell See notes below Wrecked off Cape East, Prince Edward Island Canada – Officers and Crew all saved
Dec 13 1882 – Jan 14 1883	H.M.S. Royal Adelaide
Jan 5 1983 – June 28  1983	H.M.S.  Lively	1st Lieutenant	Channel Squadron	Comdr.A.A.C. Parr
Sept 7 1983 – Apr 10 1984	H.M.S.  Agincourt	Lieutenant	Channel Squadron	Flagship R.A.2nd I/C Rear All. J.C. Wilson Capt.J.G. Mead
Aug 1984 – Aug 1985	H.M.S.  Carysfort	1st Lieutenant	Mediterranean	Capt. Walter Stewart Capt. A.E. Dupuis
October 10 1885		Retired Commander
Feb 1915 – 1918	President	Rtd Commander	For Misc: Service under Admiral Commanding Coast Guard & Reserves
	Additional notes
First Lieutenant of Carysfort during the naval and military operations in the Eastern Sudan, 1884 – 1885, and on invaliding of Captain Walter Stewart, acting Captain;  Largely employed at Saukin; mentioned in despatches (Egyptain Medal, Suakin 1885 Clasp, Khedive’s Bronze Star).

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Phoenix left Gaspé, Quebec on the morning of 12 September 1882 under the command of Commander Hubert Grenfell. In company with Northampton, she was on her way to Canso, Nova Scotia. The wind was a north-east gale and the sea was thick with rain squalls.^[2] As she approached East Point from the north-west, under short sail and in the dark, the distance to East Point Light was judged to be 4 or 5 miles. In fact, the distance was deceptive, and with the tidal stream carrying the ship towards East Point at as much as 6 knots (11 km/h), the ship was swept onto the East Point Reef^[2] in an approximate position of 46°28.5′N 61°58′WCoordinates: 46°28.5′N 61°58′W.

The water-tight doors were immediately closed, and all hands were summoned to save ship. The sailors worked calmly and without confusion. As she was bumping heavily on the reef steam was got up, when suddenly the sternpost was smashed, and the screw propeller dropped into the sea. There upon the captain ordered part of the men to construct a raft, the remainder being engaged on pumping, as sea had by this time forced its way through the bottom, and flooded the engine-room and cabins.

— The Graphic, London, 21 October 1882

The whole of 13 September was spent trying to save the ship, but the sea was too rough for boats to travel between the ship and the land. By 14 September 4 local fishermen were able to take a boat to Phoenix, which by now was sitting upright on the reef and flooded to the deck. Grenfell ordered the boats and rafts to make for the shore, and everybody on board was landed safely.^[2]

Northampton was recalled by telegram from Halifax and brought with her Rear Admiral Sir Francis Leopold McClintock, the commander-in-chief of the North America and West Indies Station. The weather remained poor, and it was not until 19 September that the ship’s company of Phoenix could be embarked. With the help of two small vessels, Foam and Charger, Phoenix‘s guns and heavy equipment were salvaged, but it was clear that the ship could not be refloated, and the salvage rights to the wreck were sold for £3,000.^[2]

The board of enquiry found that insufficient efforts had been made to establish the range of the light, and that the courses steered had been hazardous. Commander Grenfell was given a severe reprimand and dismissed ship,^{[Note 1]} Lieutenant John Hill, the navigating officer, forfeited a year’s seniority, and the gunner was reprimanded.^[2]

By December 1883 there were only a few ribs to be seen at low water,^[2] and the scattered remains of the wreck now lie in less than 30 feet (9.1 m) of water. The wreck can be dived, although strong tidal streams make the area dangerous for all but the most experienced.^[3]