HMS ''San Josef'' was a 114-gun

first-rate In the rating system of the British Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a first rate was the designation for the largest ships of the line. Originating in the Jacobean era with the designation of Ships Royal capable of carrying ...

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 ...

. Originally built at Ferrol in Galicia for the Spanish Navy in 1782–83, she was captured from the

Spanish Navy The Spanish Navy or officially, the Armada, is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation, ...

at the Battle of Cape St Vincent on 14 February 1797 (when she was still named in Spanish ''San José''). In 1809 she served as the flagship of Admiral

John Thomas Duckworth Sir John Thomas Duckworth, 1st Baronet, GCB (9 February 174831 August 1817) was an officer of the Royal Navy, serving during the Seven Years' War, the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars, as the Governor ...

Battle of Cape St Vincent

The ''San José'' was among the Spanish fleet during the battle, during which HMS ''Captain'', under the command of Captain Horatio Nelson came out of the line to attack the ''San Nicolás''. After exchanging fire, Nelson led his forces aboard the ''San Nicolás''. While the English were fighting their way aboard the ''San José'' continued to fire upon the ''Captain'' and the ''San Nicolás''. The ''San José'' then fell upon the ''San Nicolás'' and their rigging became tangled. Trapped, the men from the ''San José'' continued to fire on the British boarding parties with muskets and pistols. Nelson then took his men from the decks of the ''San Nicolás'' aboard the ''San José'', forcing the Spanish to surrender, with their Admiral badly injured. The ''San José'' and the ''San Nicolás'', both captured by Nelson, were two of the four ships captured during the battle. After their capture they were renamed HMS ''San Josef'' and HMS ''San Nicolas'' respectively. The feat of using one enemy vessel as a 'stepping stone' to capture another was afterwards known in the Royal Navy as "Nelson's patent bridge for boarding first rates".

Later career

From 1839 ''San Josef'' was used as a gunnery training ship. From 10 August 1841 she was commanded by Captain

Joseph Needham Tayler Vice-Admiral Joseph Needham Tayler (15 August 1783 – 19 March 1864) was an officer of the British Royal Navy who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, mainly as a junior officer, before finally achieving command of his o ...

, serving as a

guard ship A guard ship is a warship assigned as a stationary guard in a port or harbour, as opposed to a coastal patrol boat, which serves its protective role at sea. Royal Navy In the Royal Navy of the eighteenth century, peacetime guard ships were usual ...

at Devonport (established gunnery school). Other captains who served in her include: Captain Frederick William Burgoyne, while serving as the flagship of

Samuel Pym Admiral Sir Samuel Pym KCB (1778–1855) was a British admiral, brother of Sir William Pym. In June 1788, Pym joined the Royal Navy as captain's servant of the frigate ''Eurydice''. He was promoted to lieutenant of the sloop ''Martin'', under ...

, Plymouth; Captain

Henry John Leeke Admiral Sir Henry John Leeke, KCB, KH, DL (1 September 1792 – 26 February 1870) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Third Naval Lord, Member of Parliament for Dover and Deputy Lieutenant of Hampshire. Career Leeke was born on the I ...

; and Captain Thomas Maitland, as the flagship of Admiral

William Hall Gage Admiral of the Fleet Sir William Hall Gage (2 October 1777 – 4 January 1864) was Second Sea Lord in the British Navy. He took part in the Battle of Cape St Vincent and the Siege of French-held Malta during the French Revolutionary Wars. He a ...

, Devonport. She was broken up a Devonport in May 1849. Some small pieces of the ''San Josef'' still survive to this day. One is in the form of part of a wooden gun carriage; called a Quoin. This quoin can be found among the Valhalla figurehead collection in Tresco Abbey Gardens in the Isles of Scilly. Another is a carved Triumph of Arms from the stern rail sold at Bonhams in London in October 2014. Parts of the ship were used in the re-building of St Nicholas' Church, West Looe in 1852.

Legacy

San Josef Mountain on the South Coast of British Columbia, on the south side of Estero Basin on Frederick Arm to the west of the mouth of

Bute Inlet , image = Bute Inlet.jpg , image_size = 260px , alt = , caption = , image_bathymetry = , alt_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Strathcona RD, British Co ...

, was named in 1864 by Captain Pender for the ''San Josef'', while

Departure Bay Departure Bay is a bay in central Nanaimo, British Columbia, on the east coast of Vancouver Island. The surrounding neighbourhood is also referred to as "Departure Bay" —once a settlement of its own, it was amalgamated into the City of Nan ...

and Nanaimo Harbour at the city of Nanaimo were originally named (in 1791) the ''Bocas de Winthuysen'' after Rear-Admiral Don Francisco Xavier Winthuysen. San Josef Bay in Cape Scott Provincial Park at the north end of

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest by ...

is also named after this ship.

References

* Sconce, Robert Clement, ''Life and Letters of R. C. Sconce, formerly Secretary to Admiral Sir John Duckworth, Compiled by Sarah S. Bunbury. in two volumes'', Cox & Wyman, London, 1861

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:San Josef Ships of the line of the Spanish Navy Ships of the line of the Royal Navy 1783 ships Captured ships