All Things Age of Sail/British Royal Navy/1800's/Sailing--pt 6

 

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_battle_in_the_Atlantic_campaign_of_1806

Order of battle in the Atlantic campaign of 1806

The Battle of San Domingo, 6 February 1806, with H.M.S. Canopus Joining the Action, Thomas Lyde Hornbrook

The Atlantic campaign of 1806 was one of the most important and complex naval campaigns of the post-Trafalgar Napoleonic Wars.[1] Seeking to take advantage of the withdrawal of British forces from the Atlantic in the aftermath of the Battle of Trafalgar, Emperor Napoleon ordered two battle squadrons to sea from the fleet stationed at Brest, during December 1805.[2] Escaping deep into the Atlantic, these squadrons succeeded in disrupting British convoys, evading pursuit by British battle squadrons and reinforcing the French garrison at Santo Domingo. The period of French success was brief: on 6 February 1806 one of the squadrons, under Vice-Admiral Corentin Urbain Leissègues, was intercepted by a British squadron at the Battle of San Domingo and destroyed, losing all five of its ships of the line.[3]

The second French squadron, under Vice-Admiral Jean-Baptiste Willaumez, cruised in the South Atlantic and the Caribbean during the spring and summer of 1806, conducting several successful raids on British islands in the West Indies. His ability to affect British trade was hampered by the deployment of British squadrons against him and the disobedience of Captain Jérôme Bonaparte, the Emperor's brother.[4] On 18 August an Atlantic hurricane dispersed his ships, causing severe damage and forcing them to take shelter in friendly or neutral harbours in the Americas. Waiting British ships destroyed one vessel, and several others were so badly damaged that they never sailed again, the four survivors limping back to France individually over the next two years.[5] The various British squadrons deployed against him failed to catch Willaumez, but their presence had limited his ability to raid British trade routes.[6]

The campaign included a number of subsidiary operations by both British and French ships, some taking advantage of the campaign to conduct smaller operations while the main enemy forces were distracted, others operating as diversions to the principal campaign to attack undefended areas or lure British ships away from the principal French squadrons. Among these operations was the return of the squadron under Contre-Admiral Charles-Alexandre Durand Linois from the Indian Ocean, which was captured at the Action of 13 March 1806;[7] the raiding cruises of L'Hermite's expedition and Lamellerie's expedition, which captured a number of merchant ships but each lost a frigate breaking through the blockade of the French coast;[1] and the destruction of a convoy of seven French ships destined with supplies for the French West Indies at the Action of 25 September 1806.[8]

French squadrons

Admiral Leissègues' squadron

Both of the principal French squadrons departed Brest on 13 December, remaining together for the first two days before dividing in pursuit of separate British merchant convoys on 15 December. The squadron under Leissègues clashed with the convoy's escort, before breaking off and sailing south for the French Caribbean, where Leissègues was intending to land the 1,000 soldiers carried aboard as reinforcements for the garrison at Santo Domingo, via the Azores.[9] The voyage was long and difficult, Leissègues struggling through winter storms that divided his squadron and inflicted severe damage to his ships. Arriving at Santo Domingo on 20 January, Leissègues disembarked his troops and began extensive repairs to his ships in preparation for raiding cruises in the Caribbean.[9][10]

On 6 February, Leissègues was surprised at anchor by a squadron under Vice-Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth, which had been taking on fresh supplies at Basseterre when news of Leissègues' arrival reached him. Joined by ships from the West Indian squadron, Duckworth's force was larger than Leissègues' and also had the advantage of the wind that prevented the unprepared French squadron from escaping.[11] Sailing westwards along the coast in a line of battle, Leissègues' flagship Impérial was the first to be attacked, eventually driving ashore along with the next in line, while three others surrendered at the Battle of San Domingo.[12] Leissègues himself escaped ashore; the only surviving ships of his squadron were the frigates, all of which eventually returned to France later in the spring.[13]

Admiral Leissègues' squadron
Ship	Guns	Commander	Notes
Impérial	120	Vice-Admiral Corentin Urbain Leissègues Captain Julien-Gabriel Bigot	Driven ashore and destroyed at the Battle of San Domingo
Alexandre	80	Captain Pierre-Elie Garreau	Captured at the Battle of San Domingo
Brave	74	Commodore Louis-Marie Coudé	Captured at the Battle of San Domingo
Diomède	74	Captain Jean-Baptiste Henry	Driven ashore and destroyed at the Battle of San Domingo.
Jupiter	74	Captain Gaspard Laignel	Captured at the Battle of San Domingo
Comète	40		Returned to France in 1806
Félicité	40		Returned to France in 1806
Diligente	20	Captain Raymond Cocault	Returned to France in 1806
Source: James, Vol. 4, p. 184, Gardiner, The Victory of Seapower, p. 23

Admiral Willaumez's squadron

Vétéran reaching the French port of Concarneau, Michel Bouquet

After separating from Leissègues on 15 December, Willaumez sailed south, capturing a number of vessels from a British troop convoy and sending the prizes, with the frigate Volontaire, to Tenerife.[14] Willaumez's intention was to raid the China Fleet, a large convoy of valuable East Indiamen that sailed from the Far East to Britain every year. However, on 23 December he was pursued by Duckworth and driven far off course, so that by the time he reached the Cape of Good Hope, where he planned to resupply his ships, it had already been captured by a British expeditionary force. Turning westwards, Willaumez raided shipping in the South Atlantic until April, when he anchored at Salvador in neutral Brazil. By early May, Willaumez was at sea again, stopping at Cayenne and then splitting his force to raid shipping in the Leeward Islands prior to reuniting at Fort-de-France on Martinique in June.[15]

On 1 July, Willaumez sailed again, attacking shipping at Montserrat, Nevis and St. Kitts before sailing to Tortola in preparation for an attack on the Jamaica convoy. Before he could reach the convoy, Willaumez was intercepted off the Passage Islands by a squadron under Rear-Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane and driven northwards into the Bahamas.[4] There he waited for the Jamaica convoy to pass, seizing any ship of any nationality that came within sight, in case they should reveal his position. After several weeks of waiting, Captain Bonaparte, the Emperor's brother and commander of the ship Vétéran, decided that he would no longer submit to Willaumez's command and sailed north during the night of 31 July, without orders or even notifying the admiral.[16] Vétéran eventually returned to France on 26 August, after destroying six ships from a Quebec convoy. Panicked by the unexplained disappearance of one of his ships and its illustrious captain, Willaumez struck north in search of the vessel and as a result missed the passage of the Jamaica convoy, also narrowly avoiding an encounter with the squadrons under Warren and Strachan. On 18 August a hurricane dispersed his ships, severely damaging them and scattering them along the Atlantic Seaboard of the Americas. One was destroyed by a British patrol, two others were too badly damaged to be repaired and were broken up, and three of his ships successfully made the journey back to France over the next two years.[5]

Admiral Willaumez's squadron
Ship	Guns	Commander	Notes
Foudroyant	80	Vice-Admiral Jean-Baptiste Phillibert Willaumez Captain Antoine Henri	Badly damaged in an August hurricane, sheltered in Havana. Returned to France in early 1807.
Cassard	74	Commodore Gilbert-Amable Faure	Separated in August hurricane, returned to Brest on 13 October.
Impétueux	74	Commodore Alain-Joseph Le Veyer-Belair	Badly damaged in an August hurricane, driven ashore and destroyed by British ships on 14 September 1806.
Patriote	74	Commodore Joseph-Hyacinthe-Isidore Khrom	Badly damaged in an August hurricane, sheltered in Annapolis. Returned to France in January 1808.
Éole	74	Captain Louis-Gilles Prévost de Lacroix	Badly damaged in an August hurricane, sheltered in Annapolis. Eventually broken up as beyond repair.
Vétéran	74	Captain Jérôme Bonaparte	Separated without orders on 31 July, returning to France alone on 26 August.
Valeureuse	40		Badly damaged in an August hurricane, sheltered in Philadelphia. Eventually broken up as beyond repair.
Volontaire	40	Captain Bretel	Detached in December 1805 to Tenerife. Captured on 4 March 1806 at Cape Town.
Also two corvettes, names unknown
Source: James, Vol. 4, p. 185

Admiral Linois's squadron

Further information: Action of 13 March 1806

One of the minor French squadrons that participated in the campaign was the force under Contre-Admiral Linois, who had sailed for the Indian Ocean with a ship of the line and four frigates in March 1803 during the Peace of Amiens. After brief stops at Puducherry and Île de France, Linois sailed on a raiding cruise to the South China Sea only to be driven off by a British merchant convoy at the Battle of Pulo Aura.[17] Despite subsequent minor success against merchant ships, including the Battle of Vizagapatam, Linois's failure to inflict significant damage to British trade in the Far East enraged Napoleon, and in late 1805, with supplies running low and his ships in need of repair, Linois began the return journey to Europe with just his flagship and a single frigate remaining.[18]

By the early morning of 13 March 1806 he was in the Mid-Atlantic when his lookouts spotted sails in the distance. Turning his force around to investigate, Linois hoped to encounter a merchant convoy but instead discovered the large British second rate HMS London looming out of the darkness ahead.[19] Unable to escape, Linois fought until his ships were battered and he himself was badly wounded, but he eventually surrendered to the squadron under Admiral Warren that had followed London. Napoleon's fury at Linois was unabated and the French admiral remained a prisoner of war for the next eight years.[20]

Admiral Linois's squadron
Ship	Guns	Commander	Notes
Marengo	74	Contre-Admiral Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand Linois Captain Joseph-Marie Vrignaud	Captured at the Action of 13 March 1806.
Belle Poule	40	Captain Alain-Adélaïde-Marie Bruilhac	Captured at the Action of 13 March 1806.
Source: James, Vol. 3, p. 176, Clowes, p. 58

Commodore L'Hermite's squadron

Further information: L'Hermite's expedition

One of the principal French diversionary operations during 1806 was by a force that had been sent to sea in October 1805 as a diversion during the Trafalgar campaign, which by then was almost over. Sailing from Lorient to West Africa, L'Hermite was supposed to have been reinforced by a squadron under Jérôme Bonaparte and attack and capture British forts on the West African coast, thus forcing the detachment of British forces from the main campaign in pursuit.[6] The events of the end of the Trafalgar campaign cancelled these plans, and the scheduled reinforcements were instead attached to Willaumez's squadron. Despite this setback, L'Hermite continued with elements of the original plan and attacked British merchant ships and slave ships off West Africa during the spring of 1806, inflicting some local damage but failing to capture a trading post or to affect the wider strategic situation.[21] In June, L'Hermite sailed to Cayenne for supplies and then returned to Europe the following month, encountering part of the British blockade squadron under Rear-Admiral Thomas Louis on his return and losing the frigate Président.[22]

Commodore L'Hermite's squadron
Ship	Guns	Commander	Notes
Régulus	74	Commodore Jean-Marthe-Adrien L'Hermite	Returned to Brest on 5 October
Président	40	Captain Labrosse	Captured by a British squadron in the Bay of Biscay on 27 September 1806
Cybèle	40		Damaged in a hurricane on 20 August, forced to shelter in Hampton Roads. Returned to Rochefort in 1807.
Surveillant	corvette		Returned to France in January 1806
Favourite	18		Captured off West Africa on 6 January and attached to squadron. Remained in the Caribbean and was captured by HMS Jason on 27 January 1807.
Source: James, Vol. 4, p. 264

Commodore La Meillerie's squadron

Further information: La Meillerie's expedition

One of the French squadrons that operated in the Atlantic campaign of 1806 was the result of opportunity rather than strategy. After the Battle of Trafalgar, most of the French survivors had retreated to Cadiz, where they remained until Duckworth's blockade squadron abandoned the port in November 1805. Although Duckworth's ships were replaced by forces under Lord Collingwood, the replacements were inadequate and on 26 February 1806, while the blockade squadron, which had been pulled back in the hope of luring the French out of the port, had been blown off station, four frigates and a brig escaped.[23] Chased by the British frigate HMS Hydra, Commodore Louis La-Marre-la-Meillerie refused battle and abandoned the brig Furet to the British in his haste to escape.[24]

Sailing to Senegal and then Cayenne, La Meillerie's operations had little effect and by 18 May he was already on the return journey to France, hoping to anchor in the Biscay port of Rochefort. On 27 July, the frigates were spotted by HMS Mars, a ship of the line of the British blockade squadron, and chased with the frigate Rhin rapidly falling behind. Declining to support the straggler, La Meillerie ran on towards France while Mars took possession of Rhin, and the surviving ships found safe ports along the Biscay coast.[25]

Commodore La Meillerie's squadron
Ship	Guns	Commander	Notes
Hortense	40	Commodore Louis La-Marre-la-Meillerie	Returned to Bordeaux on 28 July
Rhin	40	Captain Michel-Jean-André Chesneau	Captured on 28 July by HMS Mars
Hermione	40	Captain Jean-Michel Mahé	Returned to Bordeaux on 28 July
Thémis	36	Commodore Nicolas Jugan	Returned to Rochefort on 28 July
Furet	18	Lieutenant Pierre-Antoine-Toussaint Demai	Captured on 28 February by HMS Hydra
Source: James, Vol. 4, p. 253, Clowes, p. 387

Commodore Soleil's squadron

Further information: Action of 25 September 1806

The final French operation in the Atlantic during the campaign was an attempt to send seven frigates and corvettes to the French West Indies in September, laden with supplies to help maintain the strength and morale of the garrisons.[26] With Willaumez believed to be still at sea, September 1806 seemed a good time to send a squadron into the Atlantic, but in fact the force was spotted within hours of leaving Rochefort by the British blockade force under Commodore Sir Samuel Hood.[27] Hood's force gave chase and the large ships of the line soon caught up the frigates in heavy weather. Sending four of his ships off in different directions, Soleil attempted to give them cover with his three largest vessels, but after a hard-fought battle in which Hood lost an arm, four of the French frigates were captured.[28]

Commodore Soleil's Squadron
Ship	Guns	Commander	Notes
Gloire	40	Commodore Eleonore-Jean-Nicolas Soleil	Captured at Action of 25 September 1806
Minerve	40	Captain Joseph Collet	Captured at Action of 25 September 1806
Armide	40	Captain Jean-Jacques-Jude Langlois	Captured at Action of 25 September 1806
Infatigable	40	Captain Joseph-Maurice Girardias	Captured at Action of 25 September 1806
Thétis	36	Captain Jacques Pinsum
Lynx	16
Sylphe	16
Source: James, Vol. 4, p. 262, Clowes, p. 390, Woodman, p. 226, "No. 15962". The London Gazette. 30 September 1806. p. 1306.

British squadrons

Admiral Warren's squadron

The London Man of War capturing the Marengo Admiral Linois, 13 March 1806, Contemporary engraving by "W. C I"

The squadron under Admiral Warren prepared at Spithead in December 1805 included one second rate, one 80-gun ship of the line and five 74-gun ships of line, but no frigates or smaller vessels to operate as scouts.[29] Prevented from sailing during December by high winds, Warren remained off St Helens on the Isle of Wight until the middle of January, when the winds lifted and he set a course for Madeira. There he was to search for information of the French squadrons and, if no information was forthcoming, to sail for Barbados and augment the squadrons in the Caribbean.[30] For the next two months, Warren remained in the central eastern Atlantic Ocean, aware that Willaumez was cruising to the south and that Leissègues had been destroyed off San Domingo. During February his force was joined by the independently sailing frigate HMS Amazon.[29]

On 13 March 1806, Warren's squadron sighted and pursued two sails to the northeast, which were eventually recognised as the squadron under Admiral Linois, returning to France from an extended cruise in the Indian Ocean.[18] In the ensuing Action of 13 March 1806, London and Amazon were able to defeat and capture the French ships Marengo and Belle Poule, the resulting damage and prizes prompting Warren to return to Britain. During the return journey his squadron was struck by a spring storm and several ships suffered damage and were separated, eventually rejoining Warren's main force and returning to Spithead.[20] In Britain, Warren's ships underwent repairs and London and Repulse were detached, replaced by HMS Fame under Captain Richard Bennet. In late June Warren's squadron sailed again, under orders to intercept Willaumez off the Bahamas. Arriving in the Caribbean on 12 July, Warren narrowly missed intercepting Willaumez's squadron, which had sailed to the north in search of Vétéran.[16]

Admiral Warren's first squadron
Ship	Guns	Commander	Notes
HMS London	98	Captain Sir Harry Burrard Neale	Engaged at the Action of 13 March 1806
HMS Foudroyant	80	Rear-Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren Captain John Chambers White
HMS Ramillies	74	Captain Francis Pickmore	Badly damaged in the storm of 23 April 1806
HMS Hero	74	Captain Alan Gardner
HMS Namur	74	Captain Lawrence Halsted
HMS Repulse	74	Captain Arthur Kaye Legge
HMS Courageux	74	Captain James Bissett
HMS Amazon	38	Captain William Parker	Joined the squadron during February. Engaged at the Action of 13 March 1806.
Source: James, Vol. 4, p. 185

Admiral Warren's second squadron
Ship	Guns	Commander	Notes
HMS Foudroyant	80	Rear-Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren Captain John Chambers White
HMS Ramillies	74	Captain Francis Pickmore
HMS Hero	74	Captain Alan Gardner
HMS Namur	74	Captain Lawrence Halsted
HMS Fame	74	Captain Richard Bennet
HMS Courageux	74	Captain James Bissett
HMS Amazon	38	Captain William Parker
Source: James, Vol. 4, p. 185

Admiral Strachan's squadron

Admiral Strachan's squadron was ordered to prepare for sea during December at Plymouth, but like Warren's force, Strachan was trapped by strong winds in Cawsand Bay and could not sail until mid-January. Strachan's orders were to sail for Saint Helena and search for signs of the French squadrons. If their whereabouts could not be discovered, Strachan was to join the squadron under Admiral Sir Home Riggs Popham detailed to invade the Dutch colony at the Cape of Good Hope.[30] During February and March Strachan searched in vain, eventually receiving the news that Willaumez had anchored in neutral Salvador in Brazil during April. Steering northwest in the hope of intercepting the French squadron, Strachan was hampered by the presence of HMS St George, which proved too slow for a flying squadron. Returning to Plymouth, Strachan detached St George and Centaur, which had been made the flagship of the Rochefort blockade squadron and was given HMS Belleisle, HMS Audacious and HMS Montagu as replacements, as well as two frigates.[31]

Departing Plymouth on 19 May, Strachan sailed for the Caribbean, passing Madeira and the Canary Islands before anchoring at Carlisle Bay, Barbados on 8 August. Five days later Strachan sail northwards in pursuit of Willaumez and on 18 August was caught in the same hurricane that dispersed Willaumez's squadron slightly to the north.[32] During August and September, Strachan's scattered ships gathered off the rendezvous point at Chesapeake Bay in the hope of intercepting any French vessels seeking shelter in American ports. On 14 September, Belleisle, Bellona and Melampus sighted the limping French ship Impétueux off Cape Henry and drove her ashore, burning the wreck in violation of American neutrality.[33]

Admiral Strachan's first squadron
Ship	Guns	Commander	Notes
HMS St George	98	Captain Thomas Bertie	Detached in May at Plymouth
HMS Caesar	80	Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Strachan Captain Charles Richardson
HMS Centaur	74	Captain Sir Samuel Hood	Detached in May at Plymouth
HMS Terrible	74	Captain Lord Henry Paulet
HMS Triumph	74	Captain Henry Inman
HMS Bellona	74	Captain John Erskine Douglas
Source: James, Vol. 4, p. 207

Admiral Strachan's second squadron
Ship	Guns	Commander	Notes
HMS Caesar	80	Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Strachan Captain Charles Richardson
HMS Belleisle	74	Captain William Hargood	Participated in the destruction of Impétueux on 14 September
HMS Terrible	74	Captain Lord Henry Paulet
HMS Triumph	74	Captain Sir Thomas Hardy
HMS Bellona	74	Captain John Erskine Douglas	Participated in the destruction of Impétueux on 14 September
HMS Audacious	74	Captain Thomas Gosselyn
HMS Montagu	74	Captain Robert Otway
HMS Melampus	36	Captain Stephen Poyntz	Participated in the destruction of Impétueux on 14 September
HMS Decade	36	Captain John Stuart
Source: James, Vol. 4, p. 210, Clowes, p. 196

Admiral Duckworth's squadron

The third principal British squadron deployed during the campaign was never intended to take part in it. Admiral Duckworth had been ordered to lead the blockade of Cadiz in November 1805, following the destruction of the French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October.[34] Finding the blockade of the survivors at Cadiz dull, Duckworth sailed south in search of Allemand's expedition, leaving just two frigates to watch the Spanish port. Allemand escaped Duckworth, but on 23 December he was informed of the depredations by Willaumez's squadron and sailed to intercept him. On 25 December he discovered Willaumez but was unable to catch him eventually abandoning the chase and retiring to St. Kitts in the West Indies to take on fresh supplies.[35] There he was joined by several ships of the Leeward Islands squadron under Admiral Cochrane and also learned of the arrival of Leissègues at Santo Domingo. Sailing to intercept the French squadron, Duckworth successfully encountered them on 6 February 1806 and in the ensuing Battle of San Domingo, captured or destroyed all five of the ships of the line, carrying his prizes to Jamaica.[36] Duckworth then returned to Britain, leaving Cochrane with a number of vessels to patrol the Eastern Caribbean in anticipation of the arrival of Willaumez.[25]

Admiral Duckworth's squadron
Ship	Guns	Commander	Notes
HMS Canopus	80	Rear-Admiral Thomas Louis Captain Francis Austen	Engaged at the Battle of San Domingo
HMS Superb	74	Vice-Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth Captain Richard Goodwin Keats	Engaged at the Battle of San Domingo
HMS Spencer	74	Captain Robert Stopford	Engaged at the Battle of San Domingo
HMS Donegal	74	Captain Pulteney Malcolm	Engaged at the Battle of San Domingo
HMS Powerful	74	Captain Robert Plampin	Detached to the Indian Ocean on 2 February 1806
HMS Agamemnon	64	Captain Sir Edward Berry	Engaged at the Battle of San Domingo
HMS Acasta	40	Captain Richard Dalling Dunn
HMS Amethyst	36	Captain James William Spranger	Detached to Britain on 26 December 1805
Admiral Cochrane's reinforcements
HMS Northumberland	74	Rear-Admiral Alexander Cochrane Captain John Morrison	Joined at Basseterre on 21 January 1806. Engaged at the Battle of San Domingo.
HMS Atlas	74	Captain Samuel Pym	Joined at Basseterre on 21 January 1806. Engaged at the Battle of San Domingo.
HMS Magicienne	32	Captain Adam Mackenzie	Joined off Santo Domingo on 5 February 1806
HMS Kingfisher	16	Commander Nathaniel Day Cochrane	Joined at Basseterre on 1 February 1806
HMS Epervier	14	Lieutenant James Higginson	Joined off Saint Thomas on 3 February 1806
Source: James, Vol. 4, p. 187

Admiral Cochrane's squadron

Following the Battle of San Domingo, Rear-Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane, newly knighted, gathered a small squadron in anticipation of the arrival of the second French force under Willaumez. Based at Carlisle Bay, Barbados, Cochrane's forces patrolled the Leeward Islands for the French force during the spring, eventually locating Willaumez's ships at Fort-de-France on Martinique on 14 June 1806.[15] An attempt to blockade the port ended in failure as several ships were damaged in high winds, but when Willaumez sailed on 1 July, Cochrane had planned ahead, and brought his squadron to Tortola, blocking the passage through which Willaumez would have to sail to attack the valuable Jamaica convoy, then gathering off Saint Thomas. With his squadron, Cochrane successfully drove off Willaumez on 4 July without a fight, and the French admiral retired to the Bahama Banks to await the convoy's passage northwards. Cochrane spent the next month preparing the convoy for its voyage, which it began during August while Willaumez was out of position to the north.[4]

Admiral Cochrane's squadron
Ship	Guns	Commander	Notes
HMS Northumberland	74	Rear-Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane Captain John Spear
HMS Elephant	74	Captain George Dundas
HMS Canada	74	Captain John Harvey
HMS Agamemnon	64	Captain Jonas Rose
HMS Ethalion	36	Captain Charles Stuart
HMS Seine	36	Captain David Atkins
HMS Galatea	32	Captain Murray Maxwell
HMS Circe	32	Captain Hugh Pigott
Source: James, Vol. 4, p. 204

Rochefort blockade squadrons

Although other British forces were deployed during the year, most were engaged on other operations incidental to the main Atlantic campaign, such as the expeditionary force to the Cape of Good Hope under Commodore Home Riggs Popham. In addition, a number of blockade squadrons were deployed to the major ports of the French Atlantic coast. These forces contained the French warships still at anchor in the ports and restricted the return of French warships from service at sea during the campaign.[6] These forces included a Channel squadron under Rear-Admiral Thomas Louis, whose ships intercepted and captured a frigate of Commodore Jean-Marthe-Adrien L'Hermite's squadron on 27 September, and blockade forces off Cadiz under the distant command of Vice-Admiral Lord Collingwood and Brest under Admiral William Cornwallis. Cornwallis in particular was particularly effective: under his watch, only one French ship of the line successfully entered or departed Brest harbour during the year.[37]

There was one blockade force that played a particular role in the campaign, the force deployed to the waters off Rochefort, initially under the command of Commodore Richard Goodwin Keats. Under Keats, the French squadron under Louis La-Marre-la-Meillerie was intercepted on 17 July, HMS Mars capturing a frigate and chasing the others into port.[38] In August, Keats was replaced by Commodore Sir Samuel Hood, who was to achieve one of the more notable victories of the year at the Action of 25 September 1806, when a French convoy of seven ships sailing to the West Indies was intercepted and defeated. Although Hood's force captured four large modern frigates, the French fought hard and Hood himself was seriously wounded by musket fire, losing an arm.[39]

Commodore Keats' squadron
Ship	Guns	Commander	Notes
HMS Superb	74	Commodore Richard Goodwin Keats
HMS Mars	74	Captain Robert Dudley Oliver	Captured frigate Rhin on 17 July
HMS Africa	64	Captain Henry Digby
Keats' squadron also included two other ships of the line.
Source: James, Vol. 4, p. 253

Commodore Hood's squadron
Ship	Guns	Commander	Notes
HMS Monarch	74	Captain Richard Lee	Engaged at the Action of 25 September 1806
HMS Centaur	74	Commodore Sir Samuel Hood	Engaged at the Action of 25 September 1806
HMS Mars	74	Captain William Lukin	Engaged at the Action of 25 September 1806
HMS Windsor Castle	98	Captain Charles Boyles
HMS Achille	74	Captain Richard King
HMS Revenge	74	Captain Sir John Gore
HMS Atalante	16	Commander John Ore Masefield
Source: James, Vol. 4, p. 262

Notes

1. 
   

• Gardiner, The Victory of Seapower, p. 18

• Clowes, p. 184

• "No. 15902". The London Gazette. 24 March 1806. p. 372.

• Clowes, p. 194

• Woodman, p. 218

• Gardiner, The Victory of Seapower, p. 17

• Adkins, p. 191

• Woodman, p. 227

• Clowes, p. 189

• James, Vol. 4, p. 198

• James, Vol. 4, p. 191

• Woodman, p. 217

• Gardiner, The Victory of Seapower, p. 24

• James, Vol. 4, p. 186

• Clowes, p. 193

• James, Vol. 4, p. 207

• Woodman, p. 195

• James, Vol. 4, p. 222

• Gardiner, The Victory of Seapower, p. 29

• Adkins, p. 192

• James, Vol. 4, p. 265

• Clowes, p. 392

• Gardiner, The Victory of Seapower, p. 25

• Woodman, p. 219

• "No. 15943". The London Gazette. 5 August 1806. p. 1009.

• Clowes, p. 390

• "No. 15962". The London Gazette. 30 September 1806. p. 1306.

• Gardiner, The Victory of Seapower, p. 27

• Woodman, p. 215

• Clowes, p. 185

• Clowes, p. 196

• James, Vol. 4, p. 210

• Adkins, p. 193

• Rodger, p. 546

• Clowes, p. 188

• James, Vol. 4, p. 197

• Clowes, p. 197

• Clowes, p. 254

39. Clowes, p. 371

References

• Adkins, Roy & Lesley (2006). The War for All the Oceans. Abacus. ISBN 0-349-11916-3.

• Clowes, William Laird (1997) [1900]. The Royal Navy, A History from the Earliest Times to 1900, Volume V. Chatham Publishing. ISBN 1-86176-014-0.

• Gardiner, Robert, ed. (2001) [1998]. The Victory of Seapower. Caxton Editions. ISBN 1-84067-359-1.

• James, William (2002) [1827]. The Naval History of Great Britain, Volume 3, 1800–1805. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-907-7.

• James, William (2002) [1827]. The Naval History of Great Britain, Volume 4, 1805–1807. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-908-5.

• Rodger, N.A.M. (2004). The Command of the Ocean. Allan Lane. ISBN 0-7139-9411-8.

• Woodman, Richard (2001). The Sea Warriors. Constable Publishers. ISBN 1-84119-183-3.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_of_25_September_1806

The Action of 25 September 1806 was a naval battle fought during the Napoleonic Wars off the French Biscay port of Rochefort. A French squadron comprising five frigates and two corvettes, sailing to the French West Indies with supplies and reinforcements, was intercepted by a British squadron of six ships of the line that was keeping a close blockade of the port as part of the Atlantic campaign of 1806. The British ships, under the command of Commodore Sir Samuel Hood, spotted the French convoy early in the morning of 25 September, just a few hours after the French had left port, and immediately gave chase. Although the French ships tried to escape, they were heavily laden with troops and stores, and the strong winds favoured the larger ships of the line, which caught the French convoy after a five-hour pursuit, although they had become separated from one another during the chase.

At 05:00 the leading British ship, HMS Monarch, was within range and opened fire on the French squadron, which divided. One frigate went north and was intercepted by HMS Mars, while another, accompanied by the two corvettes, turned south and managed to outrun HMS Windsor Castle. The main body of the French force remained together and met the attack of Monarch and the British flagship HMS Centaur with their broadsides. Although outnumbered and outclassed by the British squadron the French ships fought hard, inflicting damage on the leading British ships and severely wounding Commodore Hood. Eventually the strength of the British squadron told, and despite a fierce resistance the French ships surrendered one by one, the British capturing four of the seven vessels in the squadron.

Background

The principal naval campaign of 1806 was fought in the Atlantic Ocean, following a raid by two large French battle squadrons on British trade routes, focused particularly on the Caribbean.[1] The security of the French Caribbean was under severe threat during the wars, as the Royal Navy dominated the region and restricted French movements both between the islands and between the West Indies and France itself. This dominance was enforced by rigorous blockade, in which British ships attempted to ensure that no French military or commercial vessel was able to enter or leave French harbours both in Europe and in the French colonies. In the Caribbean, this strategy was designed to destroy the economies and morale of the French West Indian territories in preparation for attack by British expeditionary forces.[2] To counter this strategy, the French government repeatedly sent convoys and individual warships to the French Caribbean islands with supplies of food, military equipment and reinforcements. These resupply efforts ranged from small individual corvettes to large battle squadrons and were under orders to avoid conflict wherever possible. Despite these orders, many were intercepted by British blockade forces, either in the Caribbean or off the French coast itself.[3]

The largest French resupply effort of the Napoleonic Wars was a squadron under Contre-Admiral Corentin-Urbain Leissègues, sent to Santo Domingo in December 1805 with troops and supplies. In conjunction with a second squadron under Vice-Admiral Jean-Baptiste Willaumez, this force was then ordered to raid British trade routes and disrupt the movement of British merchant shipping across the Atlantic.[1] Leissègues reached Santo Domingo in February 1806, but within days a British battle squadron had intercepted and destroyed his force at the Battle of San Domingo. Willaumez was able to avoid attack by British forces during the spring of 1806, and cruised in the Caribbean during much of the summer, but his force was eventually dispersed by a hurricane in August and the survivors forced to shelter on the American Eastern Seaboard.[4] Unaware of the dispersal of Willaumez's squadron, the British naval authorities sought to block its return to Europe by stationing strong battle squadrons off the principal French Atlantic ports. One of their most important targets was the city of Rochefort, heavily fortified port in which a powerful French naval force was based, and a squadron of six Royal Navy ships of the line was assigned to watch it in case Willaumez attempted to return there. In August, command of the blockade squadron was awarded to Commodore Sir Samuel Hood, a highly experience naval commander.[5]

In Rochefort, an expedition was planned to carry supplies to the French West Indies while the British were distracted by Willaumez's operations. Assigned to the operation was Commodore Eleonore-Jean-Nicolas Soleil, an officer who had served on Allemand's expedition, a successful operation the year before.[6] To carry the supplies and reinforcements, Soleil was provided with seven ships: Four large modern frigates rated at 40-guns but actually carrying 44–46, a smaller and older frigate of 36 guns and two small corvettes of 16 guns each. All of the ships were heavily laden, each carrying as many as 650 men, but it was hoped that their size and speed would allow them to defeat anything smaller than they were and to escape anything larger.[7]

Battle

Soleil's squadron departed Rochefort on the evening of 24 September, aiming to bypass Hood's squadron in the dark. However at 01:00 on 25 September, with the wind coming from the northeast, lookouts on HMS Monarch spotted sails to the east. Hood's squadron was spread out, tacking southeast towards the Chassiron Lighthouse at Saint-Denis-d'Oléron with HMS Centaur in the centre, HMS Revenge to the east (or windward) and Monarch to the west. HMS Mars was also close by, with the rest of the squadron spread out in the rear.[8] Hood's immediate reaction was that the sails must belong to a squadron of French ships of the line, and ordered his ships to form a line of battle in anticipation. Even as the signal was raised however, lookouts on Monarch identified the strangers as frigates and Hood abandoned his previous orders and raised a new signal ordering a general chase, confident that his ships could destroy the convoy even without the power and defensive capability of a line of battle.[9]

As soon as Soleil realised that he had been spotted he gave orders for his ships to sail to the southwest as fast as possible, hoping to outdistance the British squadron. However his convoy were all heavily laden and were therefore slower than they would normally be, while the heavy swell and strong winds favoured the large ships of the line.[5] The chase continued throughout the night, until by 04:00 Monarch was clearly gaining on the convoy, with Centaur 8 nautical miles (15 km) behind. At 05:00, Captain Richard Lee was close enough to fire his bow-chasers, small guns situated at the front of his ship, at the rearmost French frigate, the Armide. Captain Jean-Jacques-Jude Langlois returned the fire with his stern-chasers and the French ships raised the Tricolour in anticipation of battle.[10] Recognising that he was facing an overwhelming British force, Soleil split his ships, sending Thétis and the corvettes Lynx and Sylphe southwards and Infatigable to the north. This had limited success in achieving the desired effect of dividing the pursuit, with Captain William Lukin taking HMS Mars out of the British line in pursuit of Infatigable while the slow HMS Windsor Castle was sent after the three south bound ships, but the main body of the Royal Navy squadron remained on course.[7]

At 10:00, Soleil accepted that his remaining ships would rapidly be overhauled by Monarch and drew them together, forming a compact group with which to receive the British attack. He also ordered his captains to focus their fire on the enemy sails, rigging and masts, hoping to inflict enough damage to delay the pursuit and allow his force to escape.[11] Within minutes Monarch was heavily engaged with Armide and Minerve but Captain Lee found himself at a disadvantage: the heavy swell that had suited his ship during the chase also prevented him from opening his lower gunports in case of flooding.[8] This halved his available cannon and as a result his isolated ship began to suffer severe damage to its rigging and sails from the frigates' gunnery. Within 20 minutes, Monarch was unable to manoeuvree, but Lee continued fighting until Centaur could reach the melee, the flagship opening fire at 11:00.[12] Hood passed the battling Monarch and Minerve, concentrating his fire on Armide and the flagship Gloire. For another 45 minutes the battle continued, Centaur suffering damage to her rigging and sails from the French shot and taking casualties from musket fire from the soldiers carried aboard. Among the wounded was Commodore Hood, who was shot in the right forearm, the ball eventually lodging in his shoulder. Hood retired below and command passed to his second in command, Lieutenant Case.[13]

At 11:45, Armide surrendered to Centaur, followed 15 minutes later by Minerve. Both ships had suffered heavy damage and casualties in the unequal engagement and could not hope to continue their resistance with the rest of the British squadron rapidly approaching.[11] To the north, Infatigable had failed to outrun Mars and Captain Lukin forced the frigate to surrender after a brief cannonade. With three ships lost and the other three long disappeared to the south, Soleil determined to flee westwards, hoping the damage he had inflicted on Centaur's sails was sufficient to prevent her pursuit. However, Gloire had also been damaged and could not distance herself from the British flagship sufficiently before support arrived in the form of Mars. With his ship undamaged, Lukin was able to easily catch the fleeing frigate and opened fire at 14:30, combat continuing for half an hour before Soleil surrendered, his frigate badly damaged.[14] To the south, Windsor Castle had proven far too slow to catch the smaller French ships, which had easily outrun the second rate and escaped.[7]

Aftermath

It took some time for the British squadron to effect repairs on their ships and prizes in preparation for the journey back to Britain. They had suffered light casualties of nine killed and 29 wounded, but among the more seriously injured was Hood, whose arm had been amputated during the battle.[A] French losses were much heavier but are unknown: Hood did not include them in his official report but promised to provide them soon afterwards in a follow up letter, which, if it was written, has never been located.[13] All four of the captured frigates were large new vessels that were immediately purchased for service in the Royal Navy, Gloire and Armide retaining their names while Infatigable became HMS Immortalite and Minerve became HMS Alceste. Although Hood and his men were commended at the time, subsequent historical focus has been on the bravery of the inexperienced French crews in resisting an attack by an overwhelming force for so long. William James wrote in 1827 of the "gallant conduct on the part of the French ships" and William Laird Clowes, writing in 1900 stated that "The resistance offered by the French to a force so superior was in every way credible".[12][15]

Within days of the action Hood had been promoted to rear-admiral and awarded a pension of £500 a year, but despite his wound he continued in service, fighting a notable action with Russian ships in the Baltic Sea in 1807 and later operating off the Spanish coast in the early Peninsular War.[16] French efforts to resupply their West Indian colonies continued throughout the next three years, costing a heavy toll of men and ships lost to the British blockade. By 1808, the situation in the French Caribbean had become desperate and the French increased their supply convoys, losing five frigates and a ship of the line in failed reinforcement efforts during late 1808 and early 1809. The weakened colonies were unable to resist British attack, and co-ordinated invasions forced the surrender of first Martinique in January 1809 and Guadeloupe a year later, Cayenne and Santo Domingo also falling to British, Spanish and Portuguese forces.[17]

Order of battle

Commodore Hood's squadron
Ship	Rate	Guns	Navy	Commander	Casualties			Notes
					Killed	Wounded	Total
HMS Monarch	Third rate	74		Captain Richard Lee	6	18	24	Suffered severe damage to rigging and masts.
HMS Centaur	Third rate	74		Commodore Sir Samuel Hood	3	4	7	Suffered severe damage to rigging and masts.
HMS Mars	Third rate	74		Captain William Lukin	0	0	0	Suffered minor damage to rigging and hull.
HMS Windsor Castle	Second rate	98		Captain Charles Boyles	0	0	0	Not engaged during the battle.
HMS Achille	Third rate	74		Captain Richard King	0	0	0	Not engaged during the battle.
HMS Revenge	Third rate	74		Captain Sir John Gore	0	0	0	Not engaged during the battle.
HMS Atalante	Brig	16		Commander John Ore Masefield	0	0	0	Not engaged during the battle.
Casualties: 9 killed, 29 wounded, 38 total[A]
Source: James, vol. 4, p. 262, Clowes, volume 5, p. 390, Woodman, p. 226, "No. 15962". The London Gazette. 30 September 1806. p. 1306.

Commodore Soleil's Squadron
Ship	Rate	Guns	Navy	Commander	Casualties	Notes
Gloire	Fifth rate	40		Commodore Eleonore-Jean-Nicolas Soleil	Heavy	Captured with surviving crew. Later commissioned as HMS Gloire.
Minerve	Fifth rate	40		Captain Joseph Collet	Heavy	Captured with surviving crew. Later commissioned as HMS Alceste.
Armide	Fifth rate	40		Commander Jean-Jacques-Jude Langlois	Heavy	Captured with surviving crew. Later commissioned as HMS Armide.
Infatigable	Fifth rate	40		Captain Joseph-Maurice Girardias	Minor	Captured with surviving crew. Later commissioned as HMS Immortalite.
Thétis[B]	Fifth rate	36		Captain Jacques Pinsum	None	Not engaged during battle.
Lynx	Corvette	16		Lieutenant Fargenel	None	Not engaged during battle.
Sylphe	Corvette	16			None	Not engaged during battle.
Total casualties: Unknown, believed to be heavy
Source: James, vol. 4, p. 262, Clowes, vol. 5, p. 390, Woodman, p. 226, "No. 15962". The London Gazette. 30 September 1806. p. 1306.

Notes

1. 
   

• The despatch written by Hood in the immediate aftermath lists nine killed including six on Monarch, a figure accepted by William Laird Clowes (who does not provide a breakdown).[8][12] William James however gives only seven killed including four on Monarch, without giving a source for his figures.[13] All sources agree that 29 British personnel were wounded.

2. William James, following Hood's original despatch, reports this ship as Thémis under Captain Nicolas Jurgan,[18] but all other sources give Thétis under Captain Jacques Pinsum.[5][7]

References

1. 
   

• Gardiner, p. 20

• Gardiner, p. 17

• Gardiner, p. 78

• James, p. 208

• Woodman, p. 226

• James, p. 148

• Clowes, p. 390

• "No. 15962". The London Gazette. 30 September 1806. p. 1306.

• Gardiner, p. 26

• James, p. 263

• Woodman, p. 227

• Clowes, p. 391

• James, p. 264

• Gardiner, p. 27

• James, p. 266

• Laughton, J. K. "Hood, Sir Samuel". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 20 July 2009.

• Gardiner, p. 79

18. James, p. 262

Bibliography

• Clowes, William Laird (1997) [1900]. The Royal Navy, A History from the Earliest Times to 1900, Volume V. Chatham Publishing. ISBN 1-86176-014-0.

• Gardiner, Robert, ed. (2001) [1998]. The Victory of Seapower. Caxton Editions. ISBN 1-84067-359-1.

• James, William (2002) [1827]. The Naval History of Great Britain, Volume 4, 1805–1807. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-908-5.

• Woodman, Richard (2001). The Sea Warriors. Constable Publishers. ISBN 1-84119-183-3.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Kitts_and_Nevis

Saint Kitts and Nevis (/-ˈkɪts ... ˈniːvɪs/ ( listen)), also known as the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis,[5] is an island country in the West Indies. Located in the Leeward Islands chain of the Lesser Antilles, it is the smallest sovereign state in the Western Hemisphere, in both area and population.[6] The country is a Commonwealth realm, with Elizabeth II as queen and head of state.[6][7]

The capital city is Basseterre on the larger island of Saint Kitts.[6] The smaller island of Nevis lies approximately 3 km (2 mi) to the southeast across a shallow channel called The Narrows.[6]

The British dependency of Anguilla was historically also a part of this union, which was then known collectively as Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla. However, it chose to secede from the union and remains a British overseas territory.[6] To the north-northwest lie the islands of Sint Eustatius, Saba, Saint Barthélemy, Saint-Martin/Sint Maarten and Anguilla. To the east and northeast are Antigua and Barbuda, and to the southeast is the small uninhabited island of Redonda (part of Antigua and Barbuda) and the island of Montserrat.

Saint Kitts and Nevis were among the first islands in the Caribbean to be colonized by Europeans. Saint Kitts was home to the first British and French colonies in the Caribbean, and thus has also been titled "The Mother Colony of the West Indies".[8]

aint Kitts was named "Liamuiga", which roughly translates as "fertile land", by the Kalinago who originally inhabited the island.[9] The name is preserved via St. Kitts's tallest peak, Mount Liamuiga. Nevis's pre-Columbian name was "Oualie", meaning "land of beautiful waters".[citation needed]

It is thought that Christopher Columbus, the first European to see the islands in 1493, named the larger island San Cristóbal, after Saint Christopher, his patron saint and the patron hallow of travellers. New studies suggest that Columbus named the island Sant Yago (Saint James), and that the name "San Cristóbal" was in fact given by Columbus to the island now known as Saba, 32 km (20 mi) northwest. It seems that "San Cristóbal" came to be applied to the island of St. Kitts only as of the result of a mapping error.[citation needed] No matter the origin of the name, the island was well documented as "San Cristóbal" by the 17th century.[6] The first English colonists kept the English translation of this name, and dubbed it "St. Christopher's Island". In the 17th century, a common nickname for Christopher was Kit(t), hence the island came to be informally referred to as "Saint Kitt's Island", later further shortened to "Saint Kitts".[6]

Columbus gave Nevis the name San Martín.[9] The current name "Nevis" is derived from a Spanish name Nuestra Señora de las Nieves, meaning 'Our Lady of the Snows'.[6] It is not known who chose this name for the island, but it is a reference to the story of a 4th century Catholic miracle: a summertime snowfall on the Esquiline Hill in Rome.[10] It is though that the white clouds which usually wreathe the top of Nevis Peak reminded someone of the story of a miraculous snowfall in a hot climate.[6] The island of Nevis, upon first British settlement, was referred to as "Dulcina", a name meaning 'sweet one' in Spanish.[citation needed] Eventually, the original Spanish name was restored and used in the shortened form, "Nevis".

Today the Constitution refers to the state as both "Saint Kitts and Nevis" and "Saint Christopher and Nevis", but the former is the one most commonly used.

British colonial period

The colony had recovered by the turn of the 18th century, and by the close of the 1700s St. Kitts had become the richest British Crown Colony per capita in the Caribbean as result of its slave-based sugar industry.[21] The 18th century also saw Nevis, formerly the richer of the two islands, being eclipsed by St Kitts in economic importance.[12]:75[20]:126,137

The fortress on Brimstone Hill, focus of the French invasion of 1782

As Britain became embroiled in war with its American colonies, the French decided to use the opportunity to re-capture St Kitts in 1782, however the attack was repulsed and St Kitts was recognised as British territory in the Treaty of Paris (1783).[7][13]

The African slave trade was terminated within the British Empire in 1807, and slavery outlawed completely in 1834. A four-year "apprenticeship" period followed for each slave, in which they worked for their former owners for wages. On Nevis 8,815 slaves were freed in this way, while St. Kitts had 19,780 freed.[20]:174[12]:110,114–117

Christ Church Nichola Town (SK) Saint Anne Sandy Point (SK) Saint George Basseterre (SK) Saint John Capisterre (SK) Saint Mary Cayon (SK) Saint Paul Capisterre (SK) Saint Peter Basseterre (SK) Saint Thomas Middle Island (SK) Trinity Palmetto Point (SK) Saint George Gingerland (N) Saint James Windward (N) Saint John Figtree (N) Saint Paul Charlestown (N) Saint Thomas Lowland (N) Saint Mary Cayon Christ Church Nichola Town Saint Peter Basseterre Saint George Basseterre Trinity Palmetto Point Saint Thomas Middle Island Saint Anne Sandy Point Saint Paul Capisterre Saint John Capisterre Saint Thomas Lowland Saint Paul Charlestown Saint John Figtree Saint J

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Equator Crossing Rituals

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line-crossing_ceremony

By the eighteenth century, there were well-established line-crossing rituals in the British Royal Navy. On the voyage of HMS Endeavour to the Pacific in 1768, captained by James Cook, Joseph Banks described how the crew drew up a list of everyone on board, including cats and dogs, and interrogated them as to whether they had crossed the equator. If they had not, they must choose to give up their allowance of wine for four days, or undergo a ducking ceremony in which they were ducked three times into the ocean. According to Banks, some of those ducked were "grinning and exulting in their hardiness", but others "were almost suffocated".[6]

Captain Robert FitzRoy of HMS Beagle suggested the practice had developed from earlier ceremonies in Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian vessels passing notable headlands. He thought it was beneficial to morale. FitzRoy quoted Otto von Kotzebue's 1830 description in his 1839 Narrative of the Surveying Voyages of His Majesty's Ships Adventure and Beagle between the Years 1826 and 1836.[2][7]

There is a detailed account of the ceremony on board HMS Blossom in 1825 by Petty Officer John Bechervaise in his private publication Thirty-Six Years of a Sea Faring Life (1839), available from Kessinger in facsimile. Blossom was just starting a three-year voyage of exploration around the Horn to the Arctic.[8]

A similar ceremony took place during the second survey voyage of HMS Beagle. As they approached the equator on the evening of 16 February 1832, a pseudo-Neptune hailed the ship. Those credulous enough to run forward to see Neptune "were received with the watery honours which it is customary to bestow".[2] The officer on watch reported a boat ahead, and Captain FitzRoy ordered "hands up, shorten sail". Using a speaking trumpet he questioned Neptune, who would visit them the next morning. About 9am the next day, the novices or "griffins" were assembled in the darkness and heat of the lower deck, then one at a time were blindfolded and led up on deck by "four of Neptunes constables", as "buckets of water were thundered all around". The first "griffin" was Charles Darwin, who noted in his diary how he "was then placed on a plank, which could be easily tilted up into a large bath of water. — They then lathered my face & mouth with pitch and paint, & scraped some of it off with a piece of roughened iron hoop. —a signal being given I was tilted head over heels into the water, where two men received me & ducked me. —at last, glad enough, I escaped. — most of the others were treated much worse, dirty mixtures being put in their mouths & rubbed on their faces. — The whole ship was a shower bath: & water was flying about in every direction: of course not one person, even the Captain, got clear of being wet through." The ship's artist, Augustus Earle, made a sketch of the scene.[5]

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB3cdsQC1Hc