Deciphering Royal Navy service record

[silicondale]

Downloaded PDF from the National Archive, service record of Augustus Dalby, Master. Most of it I can work out. He served on HMS Spartan 14 Sept 1806 - 19 Jan 1807. Comment below appears to be H--- H--- but unable to interpret. (could it be Haslar Hospital?)
Then he was on shore for a year. During this time, I know from other records that he was having a house built in Saltash, across the Tamar from Plymouth.
Next ship name was the Suffolk, from 27 April 1808 to 12 Dec. 1808. There is a comment below showing something from 8 Nov.1808. I suspect in connection with the action to capture the French ship Thetis but I cannot read the comment. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_of_10_November_1808
He was then on HMS Owen Glendower 28 Jan.1809 to 5 Nov.1809.
My main problem is the long comment under the HMS Suffolk. Problem is the low resolution of the scanned image in the PDF from TNA. Maybe I'll need to go to Kew to view the original.

[q98]

If you purchased that scan from TNA, request a better scan. That is pitiful.

[silicondale]

I agree, it is pitiful. But it's one of the scans that is available online, free of charge. I'm sure that if I ask for a better scan, they will want to charge for it!

[dobfarm]

I agree, it is pitiful. But it's one of the scans that is available online, free of charge. I'm sure that if I ask for a better scan, they will want to charge for it!

Hi  silicondale

Its down to how much you need the info or its importance to you.

(Though send out an image even for free of this pitiful state - would make one wonder why they even bother to make it available in the first place  - unless it a taster to make you want to buy a quality image)

 

 A long shot ?

Try these free image  enhancers in link below first  then if you get a improvement image   ? then ask the Rootschat photo restorers for help to further make your scan image readable


https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=improve+picture+resolution+online+free&sca_esv=561694184&nord=1&ei=odvwZI6PMcuYhbIP8MmQuAM&ved=0ahUKEwjO48aaw4eBAxVLTEEAHfAkBDcQ4dUDCBA&oq=improve+picture+resolution+online+free&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiJmltcHJvdmUgcGljdHVyZSByZXNvbHV0aW9uIG9ubGluZSBmcmVlSABQAFgAcAB4AZABAJgBAKABAKoBALgBDMgBAOIDBBgAIEE&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

[mckha489]

I agree “Haslar Hospl”

The word below 12 Dec 08 is I believe “shore”

Added. That seems, by the bracket,  to relate to the illegible writing .

[silicondale]

Thanks Dobfarm. I already tried a couple of image enhancer apps - they made it worse! I have sent a complaint to the National Archive and request for a higher resolution scan. Just because they make it available for free doesn't let them off the hook. This abysmal quality doesn't reflect well on their professional attitude.

Thanks mckha489 - Yes, I think this is correct. He had a full year ashore - time enough to recover from injuries as well as build his house.

I tried to find some information on HMS Suffolk. Nothing online - there was a previous HMS Suffolk luaunched 1765 but broken up in 1803. TNA lists crew of a ship of this name in 1808 - 09 so there was evidently a new one. I'll post this question on the military section. Maybe there are sources of naval information that I haven't yet found. My specialism is onshore (mining industry), not maritime.

[shanreagh]

Actually I find the blown up scans hard to read and much prefer to see them scanned at 1:1 resolution and then enlarge at home if need be. 

If a blown up version was all you were offered/got then I agree with making a complaint.

[dublin1850]

Some of the words under Suffolk look like 'Superintending the __________  _________  American (?)   ships'.

[silicondale]

Thanks, all - very helpful! The PDF supplied wasA4 and presumably was 1:1 scale. The fragment I posted was extracted from it. Sadly it was no more legible at 1:1 than in the enlargement.

"Superintending ..." does look likely, not so sure about the "American ships". A good start, if I can get a better copy from TNA. I still suspect some link with the Thetis action, considering the coincidence of the dates.