HMS ''Neptune'' was a 98-gun
second-rate
In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a second-rate was a ship of the line which by the start of the 18th century mounted 90 to 98 guns on three gun decks; earlier 17th-century second rates had fewer gun ...
ship of the line of the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
. She served on a number of stations during the
French Revolutionary and
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
and was present at the
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (180 ...
in 1805.
''Neptune'' was built during the early years of the war with
Revolutionary France
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
and was launched in 1797. She almost immediately became caught up in the events of the
mutiny at the Nore, and was one of a few loyal ships tasked with attacking mutinous vessels if they could not be brought to order. The mutiny died out before this became necessary and ''Neptune'' joined the
Channel Fleet. She moved to the Mediterranean in 1799, spending the rest of the French Revolutionary Wars in operations with Vice-Admiral
Lord Keith's fleet. After refitting, and spending time on blockades, she formed part of
Lord Nelson's fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar, and was heavily involved in the fighting, sustaining casualties of 10 killed and 34 wounded.
She was not fully repaired and returned to service until 1807, when she went out to the
Caribbean. In 1809 she participated in the successful
invasion of Martinique, and the subsequent battle with
Troude's squadron. Returning to Britain towards the end of the wars, she was
laid up in ordinary, and in 1813 became a temporary
prison ship
A prison ship, often more accurately described as a prison hulk, is a current or former seagoing vessel that has been modified to become a place of substantive detention for convicts, prisoners of war or civilian internees. While many nat ...
. She was finally broken up in 1818.
Construction and commissioning
''Neptune'' was ordered from
Deptford Dockyard
Deptford Dockyard was an important naval dockyard and base at Deptford on the River Thames, operated by the Royal Navy from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. It built and maintained warships for 350 years, and many significant events ...
on 15 February 1790, to a design developed by
Surveyor of the Navy
The Surveyor of the Navy also known as Department of the Surveyor of the Navy and originally known as Surveyor and Rigger of the Navy was a former principal commissioner and member of both the Navy Board from the inauguration of that body in 15 ...
Sir John Henslow
Sir John Henslow (9 October 1730 – 22 September 1815) was Surveyor to the Navy (Royal Navy) a post he held jointly or solely from 1784 to 1806.
Career
He was 7th child of John Henslow a master carpenter in the dockyard at Woolwich .
She was one of three ships of the , alongside her sisters and .
''Neptune'' was laid down at Deptford in April 1791, receiving her name on 24 July 1790. The initial stages of her construction were overseen by Master Shipwright Martin Ware, though he was succeeded by Thomas Pollard in June 1795, and Pollard oversaw her completion.
''Neptune'' was launched on 28 January 1797 and sailed to
Woolwich
Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thr ...
to be fitted for sea.
Arriving at Woolwich on 12 February, she was immediately docked to have her
copper sheathing
Copper sheathing is the practice of protecting the under-water hull of a ship or boat from the corrosive effects of salt water and biofouling through the use of copper plates affixed to the outside of the hull. It was pioneered and developed by ...
fitted, a process that was completed by 1 March.
Launched again, she finished fitting out, and received her masts and yards. Her final costs came to £77,053, and included £61,172 spent on the hull, masts and yards, and a further £15,881 on rigging and stores.
She was commissioned on 25 March 1797 under Captain
Henry Edwyn Stanhope, becoming the third ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name ''Neptune''.
Her predecessors had been two 90-gun ships,
the first launched in 1683, renamed HMS ''Torbay'' in 1750 and sold in 1784.
The second had been launched in 1757, was used as a
sheer hulk
A hulk is a ship that is afloat, but incapable of going to sea. Hulk may be used to describe a ship that has been launched but not completed, an abandoned wreck or shell, or to refer to an old ship that has had its rigging or internal equipment ...
from 1784, and was broken up in 1816.
Stanhope sailed from Woolwich on 11 June 1797, flying the broad pendant of
Commodore
Commodore may refer to:
Ranks
* Commodore (rank), a naval rank
** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom
** Commodore (United States)
** Commodore (Canada)
** Commodore (Finland)
** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore''
* Air commodore ...
Sir Erasmus Gower, and made for
the Nore
The Nore is a long bank of sand and silt running along the south-centre of the final narrowing of the Thames Estuary, England. Its south-west is the very narrow Nore Sand. Just short of the Nore's easternmost point where it fades into the ch ...
.
Mutiny at the Nore
Shortly after her arrival at the Nore, ''Neptune'' became caught up in the
mutiny that had broken out there.
While lying at
Gravesend, ''Neptune'' and the 64-gun ships and , together with a fleet of
gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.
History Pre-ste ...
s, were ordered to intercept and attack the mutinous ships at the Nore.
Before they could proceed word came that the mutineers had entered negotiations with the
Earl of Northesk, captain of the 64-gun , and by 9 June the mutiny was on the verge of collapse.
The attack was called off, and on 21 September Stanhope was superseded by Gower as captain of ''Neptune''. The crisis over, ''Neptune'' joined the
Channel Fleet.
A further small-scale mutiny would take place in 1798, with some of her crew court-martialed.
Mediterranean
Gower remained in command of ''Neptune'' until his promotion to rear-admiral of the white, at which point
Herbert Sawyer
Admiral Sir Herbert Sawyer KCB ( fl. 1783–1833) was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the American Revolution, the French Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and the Napoleonic Wars. He eventually rose to the rank of Admir ...
became her acting-captain.
Sawyer was in command until 22 January 1799, and Gower left her on 28 February 1799.
Command of the ship formally passed to Captain
James Vashon
Admiral James Vashon (9 August 1742 – 20 October 1827)Memorial plaque in St. Laurence Churchyard, Ludlow. Find a Grave memorial I160048028/ref> was a British officer of the Royal Navy. He saw service during the Seven Years' War, the American ...
on 5 March 1799.
The first half of 1799 was spent with the Channel Fleet, and in June ''Neptune'' was one of 15 ships of the line assigned to join Vice-Admiral
Lord Keith's fleet in the Mediterranean.
The squadron, commanded by Rear-Admiral
Sir Charles Cotton, rendezvoused with Keith's force at
Menorca
Menorca or Minorca (from la, Insula Minor, , smaller island, later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Majorca. Its capi ...
on 7 July, bringing the British fleet in the Mediterranean up to 31 ships.
Keith intended to intercept a large Franco-Spanish force of 42 ships under Admirals
Étienne Eustache Bruix
Étienne Eustache Bruix ( Fort-Dauphin, Saint-Domingue, 17 July 1759 – Paris, 18 March 1805) was a French Navy officer and admiral, and Minister of the Navy.
Life
Bruix was born to a family from Béarn. He started sailing as a volunteer o ...
and
Jose Mazarredo, and set out to sea on 10 July.
Bruix' expedition evaded Keith, and reached the safety of
Brest
Brest may refer to:
Places
*Brest, Belarus
**Brest Region
**Brest Airport
**Brest Fortress
* Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria
* Břest, Czech Republic
*Brest, France
** Arrondissement of Brest
**Brest Bretagne Airport
** Château de Brest
*Br ...
on 9 August.
''Neptune'' went on to spend the rest of the French Revolutionary Wars in the Mediterranean.
Vashon was superseded on 26 March 1801, and the following day Captain
Edward Brace arrived to take command.
''Neptune'' became the
flagship of Vice-Admiral
James Gambier
Admiral of the Fleet James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier, (13 October 1756 – 19 April 1833) was a Royal Navy officer. After seeing action at the capture of Charleston during the American Revolutionary War, he saw action again, as captain of the ...
during this period.
Brace's period of command was brief, he was superseded by Captain
Francis Austen
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Francis William Austen, (23 April 1774 – 10 August 1865) was a Royal Navy officer and an elder brother of the novelist Jane Austen. As commanding officer of the sloop HMS ''Peterel'', he captured some 40 ships, was ...
on 12 September. With the draw down in hostilities prior to the signing of the
Treaty of Amiens
The Treaty of Amiens (french: la paix d'Amiens, ) temporarily ended hostilities between France and the United Kingdom at the end of the War of the Second Coalition. It marked the end of the French Revolutionary Wars; after a short peace it s ...
in March 1802, ''Neptune'' was one of the many ships of the Mediterranean fleet to be ordered home, arriving at
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
on 24 February.
Austen paid her off on 29 April, but recommissioned her the next day. ''Neptune'' then underwent a brief refit, during which £5,728 was expended, £2,895 of which was spent on her hull, masts and yards.
Austen was superseded on 30 September 1802 and the following day Captain
William O'Bryen Drury took command.
With ''Neptune'' fully refitted and stored, she sailed from the dockyard and joined the Channel Fleet at
Spithead
Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds except those from the southeast. It receives its name from the Spit, a sandbank stretching south from the Hampshire ...
on 29 October.
Blockade, and approach to Trafalgar
Drury commanded ''Neptune'' for the next two years, until his promotion to rear-admiral in 1804. He departed the ship on 13 May 1804, and the following day Captain
Sir Thomas Williams took over.
''Neptune'' spent the rest of 1804 deployed with the Channel Fleet, blockading the French Atlantic ports.
During this time Captain Williams' health progressively worsened, and he was invalided back to Britain on 7 May 1805. He was replaced by Captain
Thomas Fremantle on 8 May, and was sent to join
Robert Calder
Admiral Sir Robert Calder, 1st Baronet, (2 July 174531 August 1818) was a British naval officer who served in the Seven Years' War, the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. For much of his career ...
's force blockading
Ferrol, after the Franco-Spanish fleet had arrived there after the
Battle of Cape Finisterre.
Calder decided that his eight ships were not sufficient to resist
Villeneuve's fleet were it to come out of harbour, and instead went north to join Admiral
William Cornwallis
Admiral of the Red Sir William Cornwallis, (10 February 17445 July 1819) was a Royal Navy officer. He was the brother of Charles Cornwallis, the 1st Marquess Cornwallis, British commander at the siege of Yorktown. Cornwallis took part in a n ...
's fleet off Brest. Shortly afterwards
Nelson's fleet returned from the West Indies, bringing 12 more ships, and Calder was given 18 ships, including ''Neptune'', and sent back to Ferrol to search for Villeneuve.
By now Villeneuve had put into
Cadiz and Calder's force was ordered to join the hastily assembled British fleet under Vice-Admiral
Cuthbert Collingwood
Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood (26 September 1748 – 7 March 1810) was an admiral of the Royal Navy, notable as a partner with Lord Nelson in several of the British victories of the Napoleonic Wars, and frequently as ...
, that was blockading the Franco-Spanish fleet at Cadiz.
As the British fleet settled in for a long blockade Fremantle commented on ''Neptune''s sailing qualities. She had the reputation of being slow, and Fremantle complained that he did not like being in 'a large ship that don't sail and must continually be late in action.'
During the battle however, Midshipman William Baddock commented that 'The old ''Neptune'', which never was a good sailer, took it into her head that morning to sail better than I ever remember to have seen her do before.'
''Neptune '' went into the battle 18 men short of her complement.
Trafalgar
''Neptune'' formed part of the weather column in the
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (180 ...
on 21 October, and was the third ship from the lead, situated between her sister HMS ''Temeraire'', and the 74-gun .
Fremantle had been promised a position second to Nelson aboard , and by 10 o'clock was sailing fast enough to threaten to overtake her. Fremantle hoped to pass her, and lead the line into battle, but Nelson ordered ''Neptune'', take in your studding-sails and drop astern. I shall break the line myself.'
''Neptune'' went into action with her band playing, and everyone except the officers and the band lying down on the deck to protect them from enemy fire.
Ahead of her Fremantle saw
Eliab Harvey
Admiral Sir Eliab Harvey (5 December 1758 – 20 February 1830) was an eccentric and hot-tempered officer of the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars who was as distinguished for his gambling and dueling as for ...
's ''Temeraire'' turn to pass astern of the French , but resolved to follow Nelson and HMS ''Victory'' to pass astern of the French flagship .
As she passed under ''Bucentaure''s stern, ''Neptune'' discharged a double-shotted broadside from her larboard (port) guns, with devastating consequences on Villeneuve's already disabled flagship.
Fremantle then had the helm swung hard to starboard, bringing his ship abeam of the ''Bucentaure''. He fired two more triple-shotted broadsides from nearly 50 guns at a range of less than 100 yards into the beleaguered French ship.
![The Battle of Trafalgar, 21 October 1805, beginning of the action](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/The_Battle_of_Trafalgar%2C_21_October_1805%2C_beginning_of_the_action.jpg)
Fremantle then spotted the towering mass of the Spanish four-decker
''Santísima Trinidad'' sailing away from him, and steered towards her starboard quarter in the hope of raking her stern.
Opening fire with his larboard battery, he positioned ''Neptune'' off the Spanish vessel's starboard beam and the two exchanged heavy fire for the next hour as more British ships poured through the gap astern of ''Neptune''.
''Neptune'' took fire from other ships of the combined fleet as they sailed past.
''Santísima Trinidad'', heavily battered by ''Neptune''s guns, as well as those from the 74-gun ships and , became completely dismasted and covered in debris.
She fought on until 5.30 pm, when she
struck her colours, having sustained casualties of 205 dead and 103 wounded.
''Neptune'' left the 98-gun to take possession and headed north to cut off the remains of the enemy fleet, briefly becoming engaged with the French 74-gun .
During the battle ''Neptune'' suffered considerable damage to her masts, although they did not fall. Most of her rigging was cut to pieces and she sustained nine shot holes in her hull. She sustained casualties of ten killed and 34 wounded. A remarkably small proportion of her officers became casualties, with only the captain's clerk, Richard Hurrell, being wounded.
![HMS Victory towed into Gibraltar](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/HMS_Victory_towed_into_Gibraltar.jpg)
After the battle Collingwood transferred his flag from the damaged to the frigate , and on 22 October ''Neptune'' took the ''Royal Sovereign'' in tow.
On 23 October, as the Franco-Spanish forces that had escaped into Cadiz sortied under Commodore
Julien Cosmao
Julien Marie Cosmao-Kerjulien (Châteaulin, Finistère, 27 November 1761 – Brest, 17 February 1825) was a French Navy officer, admiral, best remembered for his role in the Battle of Trafalgar.
Career
Early career
Completing his stud ...
, ''Neptune'' cast off the tow, surrendering the duty to , and took on board Villeneuve and several captured
flag captain
In the Royal Navy, a flag captain was the captain of an admiral's flagship. During the 18th and 19th centuries, this ship might also have a "captain of the fleet", who would be ranked between the admiral and the "flag captain" as the ship's "First ...
s, who had originally been aboard ''Mars''.
As the weather continued to deteriorate ''Neptune'' sent her boats to assist in the evacuation of the ''Santísima Trinidad'' before she foundered. After riding out the storm she took the battered ''Victory'', carrying Lord Nelson's body, in tow on 26 October and brought her into
Gibraltar
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
on 28 October.
West Indies
After undergoing some repairs at Gibraltar ''Neptune'' sailed to Britain, arriving at Portsmouth on 6 December 1805, where she was paid off.
She was moved to Spithead in 1806, but was back in Portsmouth on 23 November, and was moved into a dock on 24 March 1807 to undergo a refit.
The refit lasted until November 1807 and involved having her copper sheathing removed and her hull refitted. She was then recoppered, having had a sum of £29,053 expended on her.
She was recommissioned on 18 August 1807 under her old commander, Captain Sir Thomas Williams, and was relaunched three days later on 21 August to complete her refit.
She was initially assigned to serve in the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
, but was moved to the West Indies in 1808. On 9 November Williams was superseded by Captain Thomas Pinto, who only spent six weeks in command before being succeeded by Captain Charles Dilkes on 20 December.
In January 1809
an attack on the French colony of
Martinique
Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in ...
, governed by Admiral
Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse, was planned. ''Neptune'' became the flagship of the expedition's commander, Rear-Admiral
Alexander Cochrane
Admiral of the Blue Sir Alexander Inglis Cochrane (born Alexander Forrester Cochrane; 23 April 1758 – 26 January 1832) was a senior Royal Navy commander during the Napoleonic Wars and achieved the rank of admiral.
He had previously captai ...
, and the invasion force, consisting of 44 vessels and transports for 10,000 troops under Lieutenant-General
George Beckwith, sailed on 28 January.
The force arrived at Martinique on 30 January, and 3,000 troops were landed under Major-General
Frederick Maitland
General Frederick Maitland (3 September 1763 – 27 January 1848) was a British Army officer who fought during the American War of Independence, the Peninsular War and later served as Lieutenant Governor of Dominica.
Life
The youngest son ...
without resistance.
600 troops were put ashore at Cape Solomon under Major Henderson, both landings supervised by Captain
William Charles Fahie
Vice-Admiral Sir William Charles Fahie KCB (1763 – 11 January 1833) was a prominent British Royal Navy officer during the American War of Independence, French Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars. Unusually, Fahie's service was almost enti ...
aboard the 74-gun .
An additional force of 6,500 men were landed in the north of the island under Major-General
Sir George Prévost, and the French were driven into several fortified positions, the last of which surrendered on 24 February 1809.
Battle with Troude
![Recruit & D'Haupoult](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Recruit_%26_D%27Haupoult.jpg)
Cochrane's squadron remained in the area blockading the island, and in March a French squadron consisting of three 74-gun ships, , and , and two frigates, and , under the overall command of Commodore
Amable Troude,
arrived in the Caribbean. Finding Martinique in British hands, Troude anchored near
Îles des Saintes
The Îles des Saintes (; "Islands of the Female Saints"), also known as Les Saintes, is a group of small islands in the archipelago of Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France. It is part of the Canton of Trois-Rivières and is divided in ...
.
There they were blockaded until 14 April, when Cochrane removed this threat. A British force under Major-General
Frederick Maitland
General Frederick Maitland (3 September 1763 – 27 January 1848) was a British Army officer who fought during the American War of Independence, the Peninsular War and later served as Lieutenant Governor of Dominica.
Life
The youngest son ...
and Captain
Philip Beaver in , landed troops on the islands capturing them.
The British then installed heavy guns on vantage points.
Threatened, Troude put to sea, chased by Cochrane's squadron. After a running battle over several days the ''D'Hautpoul'' was brought to action and captured. ''Neptune''s captain, Charles Dilkes, was given command of her, while Captain
James Athol Wood succeeded him in command of ''Neptune'' on 2 August.
''Neptune'' was among the naval vessels that shared in the proceeds of the capture of the islands.
Final years
Dilkes resumed command of ''Neptune'' on 2 March 1810, while Wood was exchanged into . Dilkes had apparently been suffering poor health, and Captain N Ballard took command in an acting capacity on 22 July.
''Neptune'' returned to Plymouth on 26 October and entered the dock on 9 November to be fitted for
the ordinary.
The process cost £713, and after undocking on 8 December she was laid up in the
Hamoaze
The Hamoaze (; ) is an estuarine stretch of the tidal River Tamar, between its confluence with the River Lynher and Plymouth Sound, England.
The name first appears as ''ryver of Hamose'' in 1588 and it originally most likely applied just to a ...
until late autumn 1813.
Her hull appears to have quickly deteriorated, and after a survey she was deemed unfit for further service at sea.
The
Navy Board
The Navy Board (formerly known as the Council of the Marine or Council of the Marine Causes) was the commission responsible for the day-to-day civil administration of the Royal Navy between 1546 and 1832. The board was headquartered within the ...
proposed that she be converted into a
prison ship
A prison ship, often more accurately described as a prison hulk, is a current or former seagoing vessel that has been modified to become a place of substantive detention for convicts, prisoners of war or civilian internees. While many nat ...
, a recommendation the
Admiralty
Admiralty most often refers to:
*Admiralty, Hong Kong
*Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964
*The rank of admiral
*Admiralty law
Admiralty can also refer to:
Buildings
* Admiralty, Traf ...
accepted, and she was taken in hand for fitting out on 22 November. On the completion of the work in December she was commissioned under Lieutenant George Lawrence.
''Neptune'' spent three years in this role, and was finally taken to pieces in October 1818.
Notes
Citations
References
*
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*
*
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*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neptune (1797)
Ships of the line of the Royal Navy
Neptune-class ships of the line
Ships built in Deptford
1797 ships