‘t is the season to be jolly!

And also time for

MOLLY JOYFUL’S JOYFUL YULETIDE CONTEST!

Gentlefolk with a keen interest in all things naval (as well as all other gentlefolk reading this journal) are cordially invited to participate in our annual contest and hopefully win a Yuletide parcel containing the following:

1 x book “Naval Wives & Mistresses” by Margarette Lincoln
An innovative study of naval women who stayed at home while their men went to sea. Focusing on the second half of the eighteenth century, a period when Britain was almost continuously at war, this book looks at different social groups, from the aristocratic elite to the labouring and criminal poor, prostitutes and petty thieves. Drawing on a range of material from personal letters to trial reports, from popular prints to love tokens, it exposes the personal cost of warfare and imperial ambition. Published by the National Maritime Museum.

1 x “Nelson Writing Set”
A writing set containing 10 sheets of ecru writing paper and 10 envelopes in a presentation wallet. The paper is watermarked with the battle plan of Trafalgar and there is a special feature of Nelson’s hand drawn battle plan on the reverse of the envelope – the original having been recently discovered in the archive of the National Maritime Museum’s archive.

1 x L’Occitane en Provence: Bougie parfumée “Cerise Gourmande”
Sweet cherry scented candle from L’Occitane, Miss Molly Joyful’s preferred suppliers of all things beautifying and lovely scented. L’Occitane is a French company, known for cosmetics of best quality. They support local production and don’t test their products on animals. I joyfully approve!

And because Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without sweets, you’ll also get some chocolate!

And what do you have to do to win such lovely gifts?

Just send an email to

joyful_molly at yahoo.co.uk

and answer the following question:

“What was the name of Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood’s dog?”

A) Snowy
B) Lassie
C) Bounce

Deadline: 15 December, 2009, midnight GMT.

Please read the following rules before you send off your mail.

RULES:

1. By participating in this contest, you confirm that you have read, understood and accepted the rules.

2. You have to be at least 18 years old to participate.

3. Please be fair: only send in one mail per person.

4. No cash pay-out of your prize.

5. No correspondence will be held over the outcome of the contest.

6. If you are the winner, you’ll have to provide us with your name and address.

7. We’ll send your prize out asap, but have no influence on postal services. We hope your parcel will be with you before Christmas, though.

8. Should, for any reason beyond our control, one of the prizes not be available, we’ll replace it with a different prize of the same value.

HORATIO NELSON (1758-1805), British Admiral
Portrait: George Baxter

If you shouldn’t own this fantastic book yet – now’s the moment to buy it!

The shop of the National Maritime Museum is having “Dressed to Kill” by Amy Miller on special offer – for only £5.00 (regular price: £ 20.00)!!!

DRESSED TO KILL
British Naval Uniform, Masculinity and Contemporary Fashions 1748-1857
by Amy Miller

This book is an absolute “must have” for anybody with even the remotest interest in the RN or fashion of that time. The fantastic pictures aside, there is a lot of interesting background information on the way fashion influenced society, how rank and status were expressed by means of clothing etc., and how wearing the right coat at the right time could make a career (and the wrong one break it).

Still undecided? Read my review!

Horatio Nelson was back at work within 30 minutes of having his arm amputated!

According to archives uncovered today, Admiral Horatio Nelson was back at work just 30 minutes after having his arm amputated.

In today’s Telepgraph, it is claimed that within 30 minutes of having his right arm cut off, Nelson was again issuing orders to his men.

He had been hit in the right arm by a musket ball shortly after stepping ashore on the Spanish island of Tenerife in July 1797.

Lord Nelson was taken to HMS Theseus for treatment, where he was bleeding heavily. On 25 July the ship’s surgeon, James Farquhar, wrote in his journal: “Compound fracture of the right arm by a musket ball passing thro a little above the elbow; an artery divided; the arm was immediately amputated.”

On 1 August Farquhar noted: “Admiral Nelson; amputated arm; continued getting well very fast. Stump looked well; no bad symptoms whatever occurred… The sore reduced to the size of a shilling in perfect good health, one of the ligatures not come away.”

It makes you wonder if the average of 9.8 days off for those in the public sector or the 7.2 for those in the private sector, these days, is too many, compared to Lord Nelson.

On September 29:

1547 Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes  Saavedra was born.

Portrait commonly said to be that painted by Juan Martínez de Jáuregui y Aguilar (c. 1600). Modern scholarship does not believe this portrait, or any other graphic representation of Cervantes, to be authentic.

1758 Horatio Nelson was born.

Vice Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson, by Lemuel Francis Abbott

1810 English author Elizabeth Gaskell was born.

Elizabeth Gaskell, in the 1832 miniature by William John Thomson.

1862 the first performance by a professional Opera Company in New Zealand took place.

1907 US singer Gene Autry was born.

1913 US film director Stanley Kramer was born.

1916 John D. (Davison) Rockefeller beccame the first billionaire.

1918: The Hindenburg Line was broken by Allied forces. Bulgaria signed an armistice.

1923 US children’s author Stan Berenstain was born.

1929 The Metropolitan Police Service was formed in London.

1930 English author Colin Dexter was born.

1935 US musician Jerry Lee Lewis was born.

1936 Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was born.

1943 Polish president Lech Walsea was born.

1956 English athlete Sir Sebastian Coe was born.

1964 the Argentinean comic strip Mafalda , created by Joaquín Salvador Lavado (who used the pen name Quino), was published for the first time.

1. Dari seluruh kata dalam bahasa Inggris, kata ’set’ memiliki definisi paling banyak.
2. Rata-rata setiap orang dapat tertawa 10 kali sehari.
3. Mata burung unta ternyata lebih besar dari otaknya.
4. Di Perancis, kata “French Kiss” disebut dengan “English Kiss”.
5. “Almost” adalah kata terpanjang dalam bahasa Inggris yang disusun menurut urutan abjad.
6. “Rhythm” adalah kata terpanjang dalam bahasa Inggris yang tidak mengandung huruf vokal.
7. Horatio Nelson, salah seorang Admiral (Jenderal Angkatan Laut) legendaris di Inggris seumur hidupnya tidak pernah menemukan cara untuk menyembuhkan mabuk laut yang dideritanya.

8. Pada Tahun 1386, di Perancis seekor babi dihukum gantung di depan publik karena membunuh anak kecil.
9. Kecoa mampu hidup selama beberapa minggu tanpa kepala.
10. Queue adalah satu-satunya kata dalam bahasa Inggris yang dapat dibaca dengan cara yang sama ketika empat huruf terakhir dihilangkan.
11. Kumbang itu rasanya seperti apel, sedangkan tawon rasanya seperti pine nuts (sejenis kacang), sementara cacing rasanya seperti daging babi goreng.
12. Di setiap benua pasti terdapat kota yang bernama “Rome”.
13. Jantung berdetak lebih dari 100.000 kali per hari.
14. Kerangka Jeremy Bentham selalu hadir di setiap pertemuan penting di Universitas London.
15. Tulang paha manusia ternyata lebih kuat daripada dinding semen.
16. Manusia tidak bisa membunuh dirinya sendiri dengan cara menahan napas.
17. Orang yang bertangan kanan rata-rata mampu hidup 9 tahun lebih lama dibanding orang yang kidal.
18. Seperempat tulang manusia tedapat pada kaki.
19. Kuku jari tangan tumbuh 4 kali lebih cepat daripada kuku jari kaki.
20. Debu-debu di rumah paling banyak terbentuk dari sel kulit mati.
21. Tulang iga bergerak sekitar 5 juta kali selama setahun seiring nafas.
22. Gajah adalah satu-satunya hewan yang tidak mampu melompat.
23. Diperkirakan pada tahun 2080, total penduduk dunia akan mencapai 15 miliar jiwa.
24. Kaum wanita mengedipkan matanya 2 kali lebih banyak daripada kaum pria.
25. Adolf Hitler adalah seorang vegetarian dan hanya punya satu testis.
26. Madu adalah satu-satunya makanan yang tidak bisa kadaluarsa.
27. Bulan yang diawali dengan hari Minggu selalu memiliki “Friday the 13th.”
28. Bila tidak menggunakan pewarna, ternyata Coca-Cola berwarna hijau.
29. Rata-rata jantung landak berdetak hingga 300 kali per menit.
30. Orang-orang yang mati akibat sengatan lebah ternyata lebih banyak daripada yang mati karena digigit ular.
31. Sebatang isi pensil (pensil kayu) dapat digunakan menulis hingga 35mil atau menulis hingga 50.000 kata.
32. Alergi terhadap susu sapi adalah alergi yang paling banyak diderita oleh orang-orang
33. Sidik lidah setiap orang tidak ada yang sama.
34. Transfusi darah pertama dilakukan pada tahun 1667, saat Jean-Baptiste mentransfusikan darah sebanyak 2 pint (sekitar 1 liter) dari domba kepada manusia.
35. 6 bahasa resmi PBB: Inggris, Perancis, Arab, Cina, Rusia and Spanyol.
36. Bumi atau “Earth” adalah satu-satunya planet di tata surya yang diberi nama bukan berasal dari nama dewa.
37. Sendawa atau bersin di gereja di Nebraska, Amerika Serikat, ternyata termasuk pelanggaran hukum.
38. Manusia dilahirkan dengan 300 tulang, tapi saat telah menjadi dewasa tulang-tulang manusia berkurang menjadi 206.
39. Beberapa cacing akan memakan dirinya sendiri bila mereka kelaparan.
40. Lumba lumba ternyata mampu tidur dengan satu mata terbuka.
41. Manusia tidak mampu bersin dengan mata terbuka.
42. Potongan permen karet di dunia tertua berumur hingga 9.000 tahun.
43. Rekor penerbangan terlama seekor ayam adalah 13 detik.
44. Ratu Elizabeth I menyatakan bahwa beliau adalah teladan kebersihan. Dia hanya mandi 1 kali setiap 3 bulan.
45. Slug ternyata memiliki 4 hidung.
46. Burung hantu adalah satu-satunya burung yang mampu melihat warna biru.
47. Charles Osborne pernah mengalami cegukan selama 69 tahun.
48. Jerapah mampu mengorek telinganya sendiri dengan lidahnya yang memiliki panjang hingga 21 inci.
49. Onta memiliki 3 kelopak mata untuk melindungi matanya dari pasir gurun.
50. Posisi mata keledai memungkinkannya melihat keempat kakinya setiap saat.
51. Sebelum Masehi dalam bahasa inggris berarti B.C (Before Christ). Sedangkan setelah Masehi dalam bahasa Inggris berarti A.D (Anno Domini)
52. Ikan hiu kehilangan giginya hingga lebih dari 6000 buah setiap tahun, dan gigi barunya tumbuh hanya dalam waktu 24 jam
53. Julius Caesar tewas dengan 23 tikaman
54. Nama mobil Nissan berasal dari bahasa jepang; Ni : 2 dan San : 3. Nissan : 23
55. Jerapah dan tikus mampu bertahan hidup lebih lama tanpa air daripada unta
56. Perut mampu memproduksi lapisan lendir setiap dua minggu agar perut tidak mencerna organnya sendiri.
57. 98% kasus pemerkosaan dan pembunuhan terjadi akibat ulah keluarga dekat atau sahabat korban.
58. Semut mampu mengangkat beban 50 kali tubuhnya
59. Deklarasi Kemerdekaan Amerika ternyata ditulis diatas kertas marijuana (ganja)
60. Titik diatas huruf i disebut ‘title’
61. Sebutir kismis akan bergerak naik turun bila dijatuhkan ke dalam gelas yang berisi sampanye segar.
62. Benjamin Franklin adalah anak bungsu dari orangtua bungsu keturunan ke 5 dalam keluarga bungsu.
63. Triskaidekaphobia adalah penyakit rasa takut terhadap angka 13. Sedangkan Paraskevidekatriaph obia adalah penyakit rasa takut terhadap hari jumat tanggal 13 (bisa terjadi antara 1-3 kali setahun). Di Italia, 17 adalah angka sial. Sedangkan di Jepang angka sialnya adalah 4
64. Lidah jerapah memiliki panjang sekitar 50 cm
65. Mulut mampu menghasilkan 1 liter ludah setiap hari
66. Manusia mampu bernafas kira-kira 23.000 kali setiap hari
67. Kata ZIP (kode pos) adalah kepanjangan dari ‘Zoning Improvement Plan’.
68. Coca-Cola mengandung Coca (yang merupakan zat aktif pada kokain) dari tahun 1885 sampai 1903.
69. Rata-rata manusia mampu berbicara hingga 5000 kata setiap hari (walaupun 80% nya hanya berbicara pada diri sendiri)
70. Seandainya kuota air dalam tubuh kita berkurang 1%, maka manusia langsung merasa haus
71. 4 simbol raja pada kartu remi melambangkan 4 raja yang etrkenal di zamannya masing-masing: Sekop = David/Raja Daud ; Keriting = Alexander the Great/Iskandar Agung ; Hati = Charlemagne/ Raja Prancis ; Wajik =Julius Caesar.
72. Seumur hidup manusia mampu meminum air kurang lebih 75.000 liter.
73. Sidik jari dan tekstur lidah setiap manusia tidak ada yang sama termasuk bagi kembar identik dan fraternal.
74. Titik merah pada logo softdrink 7-Up berasal dari penemunya yang bermata merah. Dia adalah seorang albino.
75. Pria mampu kehilangan 40 helai rambut setiap harinya. Sedangkan wanita mencapai 70 helai.
76. Tanda ’save’ pada Microsoft Office programs merupakan gambar floppy disk dengan posisi shutter terbalik
77. Albert Einstein dan Charles Darwin menikah dengan sepupu pertama mereka yang bernama Elsa Löwenthal dan Emma Wedgewood.
78. Unta ternyata memiliki 3 kelopak mata.
79. Sehelai rambut di kepala manusia memiliki masa tumbuh 2 sampai 6 tahun sebelum diganti dengan rambut yang baru
80. Seseorang masih akan sadar selama 8 detik setelah dipenggal kepalanya.
81. Otot yang bekerja paling cepat ditubuh manusia adalah otot kelopak mata yang mampu membuat manusia mengedipkan matanya hingga 5 kali dalam sedetik.
82. Coklat mampu membunuh anjing karena langsung mempengaruhi jantung dan susunan syarafnya
83. Tanpa dicampur air ludah, kita tidak akan dapat merasakan rasa makanan dan minuman
84. Kuku-kuku jari tangan mampu tumbuh 4kali lebih cepat daripada kuku-kuku jari kaki
85. 13% orang di dunia ternyata adalah kidal
86. Hampir semua lipstik di dunia mengandung sisik ikan
87. Bayi yang baru lahir berat kepalanya mencapai 1/4 dari berat tubuhnya
88. Manusia sebenarnya melihat menggunakan otak karena mata hanya seperti kamera yang mengirim data ke otak. 1/4 bagian dari otak digunakan untuk mengatur kerja mata
89. Kalajengking dapat dibunuh dengan hanya menyiram cuka ke tubuhnya, setelah itu kaljengking tersebut akan murka dan menyengat dirinya sendiri
90. Tahun 1830an saus tomat ternyata digunakan sebagai obat.
91. Tiga ekor monyet bijak memiliki nama: Mizaru (See no evil), Mikazaru (Hear no evil), and Mazaru (Speak no evil).
92. India ternyata memiliki Undang-undang hak untuk sapi
93. Bila bersin terlalu keras dapat meretakkan tulang iga. Dan bila mencoba menahan bersin, bisa mengalami pecah pembuluh nadi di kepala dan leher trus mati . Sedangkan bila memaksa mata terbuka saat bersin, bola mata dapat terlepas keluar.
94. Nama negara Filipina ternyata diambil dari nama Raja Phillip
95. Sedangkan nama Negara Arab Saudi diambil dari nama Raja Saud
96. Anak-anak memiliki 20 gigi awal. Setelah menjadi dewasa mereka akan memiliki 32 gigi.
97. Karena langkanya logam, pada masa perang dunia ke 2 piala Oscar ternyata terbuat dari kayu
98. Setiap 11 tahun sekali, kutub magnet pada matahari bertukar tempat. Siklus ini disebut “Solarmax”.
99. Angka 318,979,564, dan 000 adalah kemungkinan kombinasi pembukaan pertama pada permainan catur.
100. Terdapat lebih dari 300 bakteri pembentuk karang gigi
101. Macan adalah anggota terbesar dalam keluarga kucing
102. Nomor “172″ dapat ditemukan pada uang kertas pecahan US$5, Yang terletak di semak-semak dibawah gambar Lincoln Memorial.
103. Pohon kelapa ternyata mampu membunuh 150 orang setiap tahun. Jumlah tersebut lebih banyak daripada ikan hiu.
104. Pada poster film ‘Pretty Woman’ tubuh Julia Robets terlalu pendek untuk bisa sejajar dengan Richard Gere. Oleh karena itu digunakan tubuh model Shelley Michelle sebagai pengganti tubuh Julia.
105. Daerah kutub ternyata kehilangan sinar matahari selama 186 hari dalam setahun
106. Kode Telepon Internasional untuk benua Antartika adalah 672.
107. Bom pertama sekutu dijatuhkan di Berlin pada perang dunia ke II. Korbannya adalah hanya seekor gajah di Kebun Binatang Berlin.
108. Rata-rata kecepatan hujan yang turun ke bumi mencapai 7 mil per jam
109. Dibutuhkan 10 tahun bagi Leonardo Da Vinci untuk dapat menyelesaikan lukisan Monalisanya. Sayangnya Lukisan tersebut tidak tercantum tanggal pembuatannya. Sang pelukis dan lukisannya memiliki susunan tulang yang sama dan menurut sinar X, ada 3 versi lukisan dibawah lukisan tersebut.
110. Nama dari kembar Gemini adalah Castor dan Pullox
111. Gerakan Bruce Lee sangat cepat sehingga harus diperlambat filmnya agar dapat disaksikan seluruh gerakannya.
112. Satu kilogram dari berat badan manusia ternyata mengandung 7000 kalori
113. Darah ternyata sama kentalnya dengan air laut
114. Sedangkan air laut yang terdapat di samudra Atlantik ternyata lebih asin daripada yang terdapat di samudra Pasifik
115. Karena kurangnya dana topeng tokoh Michael Myers di film horor ‘Helloween’ sebenarnya adalah topeng tokoh Captain Kirk (Star Trek) yang di beri cat putih.
116. Nama asli ‘butterfly’ (kupu-kupu) ternyata adalah flutterby.
117. Bayi manusia ternyata lahir setiap 7 detik sekali.
118. Satu dari 14 wanita di Amerika ternyata berambut pirang asli. Sedangkan kaum Pria hanya satu dari 17 orang.
119. The Olympic adalah saudara dari kapal Titanic, yang mampu melayani dengan selamat selama 25 tahun.
120. Saat kapal Titanic karam, terdapat 2228 orang di dalamnya. Namun hanya 706 orang yang selamat.
121. Di Amerika Serikat, seseorang divonis terserang penyakit AIDS setiap 10 menit sekali. Sedangkan di Afrika, seseorang meninggal karena terserang penyakit AIDS terjadi setiap 10 menit sekali.
122. Sampai usia 6 bulan, bayi mampu menelan dan bernapas secara bersamaan. Sedangkan orang dewasa tidak mampu melakukannya.
123. Alasan kenapa diiklan jam kebanyakan jarum menunjuk pukul 10.10, karena jam seperti sedang tersenyum
124. Tiap tahun bulan menjauh 3.82 cm dari bumi
125. Saat kita bertahan hidup dan tidak ada bahan makanan, sabuk kulit dan sepatu keds adalah makanan terbaik untuk dimakan karena mengandung cukup gizi untuk hidup sementara.
126. Dalam satu tetes air mengandung 50 juta bakteri
127. Dengan menaikan kaki pelan2 dan berbaring tenang dengan punggung lurus, kita tidak akan tenggelam di pasir hisap.
128. Satu dari 10 orang hidup di suatu pulau
129. Memakan seledri membuang kalori lebih banyak dari pada kalori yang terkandung dalam seledri itu sendiri
130. Lobster dapat hidup selama 100 tahun
131. Permen karet tidak dijual di Disney Land
132. Mangunyah permen karet saat mengupas bawang mencegah kita menangis
133. Rahang kucing gak bisa bergerak kekiri dan kanan
134. Nama Artic (kutub utara) berarti beruang dalam bahasa Yunani (Arktos), dan memang beruang kutub hanya ada di kutub utara
135. Jika kira berdiri di dasar sumur, kita bisa melihat bintang walaupun di siang hari
136. Suara yang kita dengar dari dalam kerang bukan suara ombak laut, tapi suara aliran darah dalam kepala kita.
137. Orang lbh banyak yang menderita ketakutan pada ruang terbuka (kenophobia) daripada ketakukan pada ruang tertutup (claustrophobia) .
138. Tehnik mengaduk terbaik bukan dengan gerakan memutar, tapi dengan gerakan huruf W
139. Adegan band yang terus bermain musik saat Titanic tenggelam adalah kisah nyata
140. Buku Guinness Book of Records memegang rekor sebagai buku yang paling banyak dicuri dari perpustakaan
141. 35% dari orang yang ikut kontak jodoh lewat internet, sudah menikah
142. Otot terkuat yang ada di badan kita adalah lidah
143. Secara fisik, babi tidak bisa melihat ke langit
144. Semua beruang kutub kidal
145. Kelelawar selalu belok kiri jika terbang keluar gua
146. Jim Henson pertama kali memakai kata “Muppet”. Kombinasi dari “marionette” dan “puppet.”
147. Siput bisa tidur selama 3 tahun
148. The Michelin man (figur berbaju dan bertopi putih diiklan Michelin) bernama Mr. Bib. nama aslinya Bibendum pada iklan pertama tahun 1896.
149. Kita tidak bisa menjilat siku kita sendiri
150. Kata “lethologica” menggambarkan saat dimana kita tidak bisa mengingat apa yang kita inginkan.
1. Arif Hidayat

Tā nu sanāca, ka atkal strādāju tajā pat ielā, kur sestdien (Beech Ave.) un iegriezos ciemos pie maniem pirātu pēcteču draugiem. Tā kā mani pašu šis stāsts ļoti bija ieinteresējis, gribēju mazliet plašāku un precīzāku informāciju dzirdēt.

Džona (pirātu pēctecis, mans jaunais paziņa) angļu radinieks, jūras virsnieks bija kapteinis Edward Berry. Turklāt Edvards nebija vienkārši virsnieks, bet gan pazīstamā admirāļa Horatio Nelsona flotes komandkuģa (Flag ship), “Vanguard” kapteinis.

Džons man parādīja ierāmētu 1798.gada 14.oktobra Manchester Mercury (avīze) numura izgriezumu, kurā pieminēta britu un franču jūras kauja. Rakstā pieminēti visi kuģi, kas piedalījās kaujā,kā arī nogremdētie kuģi, ievainotie un bojā gājušie virsnieki gan britu, gan franču pusē. Pie kuģu apraksta pieminēti arī to komandieri un tur stāv melns uz balta (nu jau dzeltena) rakstīts par “Vanguard” un tā komandieri, kapteini Edward Berry.

Šis avīzes izgriezums tika glabāts kā ģimenes relikvija un Džons to atrada nejauši pārkrāmējot vecās mantas.

Par savu karstasinīgo spāņu radinieku Džons no galvas nemācēja tik daudz pastāstīt,vien zināja teikt, ka uz nāvi sodītā pirāta uzvārds bijis Gidy.

Jā,vēl neliela korekcija, Edwardam Berry nebija bērnu, viņš bija brālis dzimtas turpinātājam, kurš vēlāk sagājās ar pirāta Gidy pēctečiem.

Mani draugi vēsturnieki, jums ir pavērtas durvis jauniem pētījumiem un ja vajag es Džonu varu sarunāt intervijai

The harbor at Cartagena, Spain.

Cartagena holds a shipyard as well as a major Spanish naval base.

Cartagena is the base from which the Spanish fleet sailed in February, 1797 to defeat at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent. It is where the fictional Lieutenant Nicholas Ramage, holding a forged Protection, was held awaiting transit to the United States. It is also where the real British officers Thomas Hardy and Jonathan Culverhouse were held until their exchange was arranged by Commodore Horatio Nelson on February 10, 1797.

Considering the way she writes in English I can tell she’s italian!

I found this really funny video on Horatio Nelson, I was loooking for an article on him for my thesis and I found this instead hehe

Battle of Copenhagen

1801 set stage for one of the saddest events in the two decades of war that began with the declaration of war against Revolutionary France by the First Coalition and ended at Waterloo: the Battle of Copenhagen fought between the Baltic fleet of Admiral Sir Hyde Parker and the Danish fleet and forts defending Copenhagen on April 2, Maundy or Holy Thursday, 1801.

How Britain came to launch a preemptive strike on a small, neutral nation with which it had a long history of good relations is an interesting one.

By 1801 Britain was nearly on its last legs. The cost of the war that it had waged for 8 years had resulted in wild inflation, high taxation, and a treasury that was nearly bankrupted by the expenses of maintaining an army and navy and subsidizing the member’s of its wartime coalition. Harvests had been bad since 1795 and now there were bread riots in British towns.

To keep its navy at sea, Britain was dependent upon supplies of oak, pine, hemp, pitch, and tar, little of which could be produced domestically.

These problems, of course, were not unique to Britain. Much the same could be said of France. By 1801 both sides realized that the strategic dimension of the war was being waged at sea. Where Britain was able to use its maritime power to achieve its ends, France had to resort to diplomacy.

The British navy, having driven the French fleet into ports where they could be blockaded, concentrated on protecting convoys of merchantmen bound for and from Britain from the depredations of French privateers and they enforced a blockade of shipping bound for French ports. The central theater of this quickly became the Baltic where wheat and naval stores originated in Russia and the neutral Scandinavian states that were eager to sell at the best price.

Britain insisted on classifying these goods as what they were, contraband, and neutral ships taken en route to Continental ports ran the risk of being seized and sold as prizes.

The Russian Czar Paul I, an admirer of France, had been an ally of Britain during the First Coalition but had been separated from the coalition by very aggressive French diplomacy. He conceived the notion of “armed neutrality” as a way of protecting the rights of Denmark, Prussia, Sweden, and Russia, known as the League of the North, to trade with France.

In Britain this was seen for what it was: a tacit alliance with France. A fleet under Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, with Vice Admiral Lord Nelson as his second in command, was dispatched to the Baltic to dismantle the alliance before the fleets of the League of the North could combine to challenge the British navy. The Danish fleet was rightfully viewed as the most formidable in the Baltic and it was vital that the Danes were dealt with while the Swedish and Russian ports were icebound.

The Danes received an ultimatum on March 19 to withdraw from the League. They refused. On March 30, the British fleet passed through the straits between Denmark and Sweden anchoring outside the range of the cannon defending Copenhagen. On March 31 and April 1 reconnaissance was conducted and final plans issued, this included Captain Thomas Hardy in HMS St George (98) spending the night of March 31/April 1 marking the main channel going into Copenhagen.

At 8 am on April 2, HMS Edgar (74) under Captain George Murray weighed anchor and the British fleet was committed to action.

HORATIO NELSON (1758-1805), British Admiral
Portrait: Lemuel Francia Abbott

In fact I

In March 1770, HMS Swift, a 14 gun sloop-of-war commanded by Captain George Farmer and based at Port Egmont, West Falklands was engaged in a coastal survey of Patagonia. A violent gale materialized out of the South Atlantic and caught the Swift on a lee shore. Farmer ran for shelter in the estuary of the Deseado River in what is now the Santa Clara Province of Argentina.

Unfortunately for Farmer, Swift struck an uncharted rock, was badly holed, and foundered. The crew managed to get ashore, except for the cook and two marines who drowned — more of which later. The crew was stranded on a desolate coast.

The British sailor of the Age of Sail doesn’t seem to have been deterred by the idea of crossing large stretches of ocean in a relatively small boat (see Bligh’s epic journey, the survivors of the HMS Pandora, the shipwreck of HMS Guardian, etc.) and this case was no exception.

It is some 400 miles from Puerto Deseado to Port Egmont but one officer and six sailors struck out in one of Swift’s cutters and made it. There they directed Swift’s consort, another 14-gun sloop HMS Favourite, back to Patagonia and extracted the Swift’s crew.

Farmer’s adventures were not over. His crew now became the primary garrison for Port Egmont. On June 8, 1770 a Spanish fleet arrived at Port Egmont and the commander sent Captain Farmer this letter:

The Spanish Commodore John Ignacio Madariaga to Captain Farmer, dated in the Bay of Cruizada, June 8, 1770.

My Dear Sir,

Finding myself with incomparable superior forces of troops, train of artillery, utenfils, ammunition, and all the rest corresponding, for to reduce a regular fortification, with fourteen hundred men for disembarking, of which five hundred and twenty-fix are of choice regular troops, as you may see, I see myself in this case obliged to intimate to you, according to the orders of my Court, that you should quit that begun establishment: for if you don’t execute it amicably, I will oblige you by force, and you will be answerable for all the ill results of the action and measures I shall take. I am always at your service ; pray unto God to preserve you many years.

I kiss your hand, &c.

JOHN IGNACIO MADARIAGA.

Farmer surrendered and was repatriated to England aboard Favourite. Naturally, once there he was court-martialled for the loss of Swift but acquitted with the praise of the court for his conduct in saving his crew.

Captain Farmer quickly received a new command, in 1773 taking over HMS Seahorse, a 24-gun frigate. Farmer had first gone to sea under Captain Maurice Suckling. He obviously staying in contact with Captain Suckling because shortly after he assumed command of Seahorse he received on board an unimpressive, 15 year old midshipman who was Suckling’s nephew: Horatio Nelson.

The Swift was lost for over a century until rediscovered by local divers. Swift lies in about 30 feet of water and is about 2/3 preserved. The excavation of the wreck has provided a treasure trove of information about life aboard a man o’ war in the in the late 18th century. The Mario Brozoski Municipal Museum in Puerto Deseado has an extensive collection of artifacts.

Anyway, as I mentioned above Swift’s cook and two of her marine detachment were drowned as the ship was abandoned. The cook’s body was recovered and buried. The two marines, 21-year-old Robert Rusker and 23-year-old John Ballard, were never recovered.

In 2005, divers working under the direction of Dr. Dolores Elkin discovered a foot bone in a shoe found near the captain’s cabin. They stopped work and contacted the British Defence Attaché in Buenos Aires, Captain Christopher Hyldon of the Royal Navy. Permission was given to continue and a complete skeleton was recovered. Subsequent tests determined that the remains belonged to a right-handed man, 5′6″ tall and approximately 25-years-of-age. Attempts were made to trace the descendants of the men based on Royal Navy records, which are surprisingly complete and detailed, so as to match DNA but this was unsuccessful.

On March 2, 2007, the remains were interred in the British section of Chacarita Cemetery in a grave simply marked “an unknown private marine, HMS Swift, 13 March 1770″.

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As I’ve noted in the past, an astonishing number of historical characters have roles in Dewey Lambdin’s Alan Lewrie novels. One of those who makes an appearance in A King’s Commander is Captain, later Admiral, George Cockburn.

Cockburn, pronounced “Coe-burn”, is most famous to American readers for burning Washington, DC and on his way through the area confiscating the letter “C” from print shops so his name could not be spelled.

He was a real character, a protégé and favorite of Horatio Nelson, a devoted, resourceful, and audacious naval officer, and First Lord of the Admiralty when steam and the screw propeller ended the era of fighting sail.

Cockburn was born in 1772, the son of wealthy parents descended from minor nobility. By 1784, however, Cockburn’s father had mismanaged and overextended finances to the extent that he was bankrupt. By 1786 his position was so dire that he contrived an appointment as secretary to the Prussian minister in London and thereby acquired diplomatic immunity which kept him out of debtor’s prison.

Cockburn had been destined for the Navy for some time. Following the practice of the period he was entered into the books of the 28-gun frigate HMS Resource commanded by Captain Bartholomew Rowley in 1781 and later into books of the yacht William and Mary.

His first position at sea was in 1786, at age 14, as servant to Captain Rowley Bulteel in HMS Termagant. Despite his father’s misfortune, influence within the Navy helped Midshipman Cockburn substantially. He became an object of Admiral Hood’s patronage which resulted in him being sent on an expedition to map islands in the Indian Ocean in a squadron commanded by Commodore William Cornwallis aboard the 18-gun sloop HMS Ariel as the servant of Captain Robert Moorsom.

In 1791 he passed his examination as lieutenant, despite being under the statutory age of 20. In 1794 he was made post into the 32-gun frigate HMS Meleager and became one of Nelson’s favorites during operations in the Mediterranean after the fall of Toulon.

Despite Lambdin’s rather accurate portrayal of young Cockburn as a priggish type, he was an energetic commander. After his promotion into the 38-gun Minerve in 1796 he won acclaim for taking the 40-gun Spanish frigate Sabina.

On the 19th of December, the 40-giui frigate Minerva. Captain George Cockburn, bearing the broad pendant of Commodore Nelson, on her passage to Gibraltar, fell in with the Spanish frigates Sabina and Ceres. The 32-gun frigate Blanche, Captain D’Arcy Preston, being in company with the Minerve, was ordered to attack the Ceres, while the Minerve stood for the largest of the two ships, which was the 40-gun frigate Sabina. At lOh. 40m. the Minerve brought the Sabina to action, and engaged till Ih. 30m. P.m., when the frigate, having had her mizen-mast shot away, and ten men killed and forty-five wounded, surrendered. The Minerve had one midshipman and six seamen killed, and Lieutenant James Noble, the boatswain, and thirty-two men wounded.

He served with distinction in the West Indies and the patronage of Hood and Nelson assured assignments of progressively greater responsibility.

Cockburn was a Navy traditionalist and as First Lord he was accused by reformers of being the worst type of reactionary though a more dispassionate examination finds him willing to adopt proven technologies. He was a great advocate for the British sailor and did much to improve the conditions of service.

Cockburn was a truly significant figure in the history of the Royal Navy.

This sketch is based on the book Cockburn and the British Navy in Transition.

Following the loss of Toulon to the French Army, the British Navy fell back towards Italy. Part of the strategy required Corsica to be wrested from French control. The British Navy contributed men and artillery toward the effort. One of th most energetic officers in the operation was Captain Horatio Hornblower.

On 10 July 1794 while conducting siege operations against Calvi, a French cannonball struck the merlon of the battery from which Nelson was observing the British bombardment. The stone splintered, some of it striking Nelson in the right eye. The medical certificate from the surgeon reads:

These are to Certify that Captain Horatio Nelson of his Majesty’s Ship Agamemnon, now serving on Shore at the Siege of Calvi, was on the 10th day of July last, wounded in the face and right eye, much injured by stones or splinters, struck by shot from the Enemy. There were several small lacerations about the face; and his eye so materially injured, that in my opinion, he will never recover the perfect use of it again.

W. Chambers,
Surgeon to the Forces in
the Mediterranean.

Calvi, August 12th, 1794.

There is an interesting account of Nelson’s actions during this campaign here.

Success breeds complacency. Few things are more devastating to an effective military than a long period without significant challenge. The US Army discovered this brutal lesson in Korea. The British Navy discovered this in the War of 1812.

By 1812 England had been at war nearly constantly for nearly 40 years. While British arms on land weren’t always victorious, indeed they suffered more than their share of debacles, the Navy had establish an estimable record of success against all odds and had achieved not only tactical supremacy but psychological ascendancy over it’s European foes.

This invulnerability was shattered in July 1812 when the USS Constitution beat the HMS Guerriere to a shambles in a 35-minute engagement that left 21 British sailors dead and 57 wounded. This was followed by the loss of HMS Macedonian in October and of HMS Java in December. To a Navy and a public used to victories in single ship engagements, this was an earth shattering development.

The pattern continued until June 1, 1813 just outside Boston Harbor.

Captain Philip Bowes Vere Broke is an interesting character. In some ways he represents a watershed in British naval officers.

He was born in 1776 at Broke Hall, Suffolk. At age 12 he entered the Royal Naval Academy. This is an unusual departure as a young man of Broke’s social standing would more likely than not began his service, as did Edward Riou, as a member of an admiral’s retinue or as the servant to an admiral or well connected captain.

He went to sea at age 16 in HMS Bulldog. A small man o’ war was a great place for a young midshipman to learn his trade but it was a poor place for one with his eyes fixed on quick advancement. He seems to have impressed the captain of HMS Bulldog for when he was selected to take command of HMS L’Eclair he took young Broke with him as part of then nucleus of the crew. He served in a succession of frigates before being promoted as commander into HMS Shark, a 16-gun sloop in 1800. The next year he was promoted to captain and was promptly unemployed.

After three years, Broke was able to get back to sea in HMS Druid, a worn out 32-gun frigate vintage 1783. He sailed with barely enough men to maneuver the ship and pressed sailors from merchantmen en route to build up her complement. It was in HMS Druid that he chased a French privateer through the Channel Fleet at night. It was HMS Shannon, however, that he made his name.

The Royal Navy of the period was not an organization given to fads or experimentation. Seamanship was the be-all-end-all in the service to the extent it produced tactical and strategic myopia. While Broke was an accomplished seaman and drilled his ships to a high standard of performance on sailing evolutions, his passion was for gunnery.

Gunnery, beyond achieving a high rate of fire at “half pistol shot,” was not a highly developed skill in the Royal Navy of the era. Aiming cannon was a hit-or-miss affair as elevation was crudely adjusted by means of handspikes and quoins. Some sources say gunners aimed along the top of the gun tube, this had an inherent inaccuracy. Where the bore of the gun ran straight from the knob of the cascabel to the muzzle, the line running down the top of the tube sloped as the breech was thicker than the muzzle.

Only a small amount of power and shot was allocated for practice and there is evidence that as much as 2/3 of the Royal Navy at the out break of the War of 1812 did not use even this scarce allowance.

Indeed, senior officers, such as Nelson, scoffed at the idea of aiming guns and relied upon placing their ship close-by the enemy and relying on superior discipline and a higher rate of fire to carry the day. Or as Nelson wrote in rejecting the suggestion that a gunsight might be useful, “As to the plan for pointing a gun, truer than we do at present, if the person comes, I shall, of course, look at it, or be happy, if necessary, to use it; but I hope we shall be able, as usual, to get so close to our enemies that our shot cannot miss the object.”

Broke reckoned that the role of the ship was to carry guns within range of the enemy. He drilled his crew relentlessly on the great guns. He assigned midshipmen and ships boys to some small carronades he had installed on Shannon. Small arms practice and practice with the swivel guns in the fighting tops was carried out daily. Practice with live ammunition was done daily except Sunday.

In addition to drill, Broke had the arc of fire for each gun inscribe in the deck planks with points marked so that at a command he could have all guns pointed at the same point. He installed dispart sights on all gun, a sight welded to the top of the tube about on line with the trunions so the line of sight for the gunner was parallel to the bore. Most importantly, at his own expense he equipped each gun with a gunner’s level. The gunner’s level is a fairly simple device consisting of a scribed scale and a pendulum. What it allowed was for gun captains to receive aiming instructions much more explicit than had been possible in the past.

All his efforts came to fruition on June 1, 1813.

After a long patrol off Boston, Broke was rewarded on 1 June 1813 when the 38-gun frigate USS Chesapeake came out to challenge him. The ensuing battle was the finest single-ship action in the age of sail. Captain James Lawrence, the new commander of the Chesapeake, was confident in the ability of his veteran crew, but had reckoned without Broke and the Shannon.

As the Chesapeake approached, the Shannon fired her first devastating broadside at a range of about 35 metres. Lawrence was wounded, but ordered the Chesapeake to slow down to enable her to return fire. However, the American gunners did not have time to adjust their aim as the carronades of the British ship swept the Chesapeake’s quarterdeck and on her upper deck two-thirds of the gun crews were already casualties.

At a crucial moment the Chesapeake’s wheel was destroyed by a 9-pounder gun that Broke had installed on Shannon’s quarterdeck for that purpose. Out of control, the vulnerable stern of the American ship was exposed to raking British fire and in desperation Lawrence ordered his men to board as the Chesapeake drifted stern first towards the Shannon.

Instead it was Broke who seized the moment and led the boarding party in person onto the Chesapeake. Despite a final appeal from Captain Lawrence ‘Don’t give up the ship!’, the battle was effectively over. In a final act three American sailors, probably from the rigging, attacked Broke; he killed the first, but the second hit him with a musket and the third sliced open his skull before being overwhelmed.

The entire action lasted only 11 minutes, but its unequalled ferocity left 148 American and 83 English sailors killed or wounded. All the Chesapeake’s officers were casualties and Lawrence died of his wounds three days later.

Broke made a miraculous recovery and returned to England where he received a hero’s welcome for restoring the pride of the Royal Navy.

Google books has public domain biography of Admiral Sir Philip Broke.

Captain Edward Riou

Earlier I noted how many, if not most, of the actions described in naval fiction actually have deep roots in the history of the Age of Sail. In that initial essay I pointed out how Richard Bolitho’s action in To Glory We Steer of boarding an enemy ship by using another ship as a bridge was actually less remarkable than the historical event, Captain Horatio Nelson of the 74-gun HMS Captain at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent using the 80-gun San Nicholas as a bridge to board and take the 112-gun San Josef.

I came across another instance in this description of Patrick O’Brian’s Jack Aubrey novel, Desolation Island.

In summary, as Jack Aubrey in HMS Leopard flee a pursing Dutch ship of the line they jettison cargo and supplies. Once they’ve made good their escape, they attempt to refill water casks from an iceberg. In the process they strike the iceberg and lose their rudder as well as holing the ship. Some members of the crew ask for permission to strike out by small boat, but the crew is able to repair the ship sufficiently to keep it from sinking.

The real story is even more remarkable.

Captain Edward Riou’s father was an Army officer in the Grenadier Guards until his father died when he was about 25 years old. At that time he inherited substantial wealth, sold his commission, and became a gentleman of leisure. He joined the Society of Dilettanti, a prime mover for the establishment of the Royal Academy.

Edward Riou was born in 1762. His elder brother, Philip, went to the Army. Edward was destined for the Navy going to sea at age 12 aboard HMS Barfleur, the flagship of Admiral Sir Thomas Pye as a member of his retinue. From there he served on the HMS Romney under Vice Admiral John Montagu where he was the admiral’s servant.

In 1776, Riou joined Captain James Cook aboard HMS Discovery for his third, and as it turned out, last voyage.

Upon his return he passed the examination for lieutenant at age 18 though his certificate gives his age as 22 indicating he has significant patronage available to him. He was immediately employed and sent to the West Indies. He seems to have picked up an illness in the West Indies which caused him to be discharged from duty at one point and to spend several years on half-pay.

In 1789, as a lieutenant he was given command of HMS Guardian. HMS Guardian was a 44-gun frigate which for Riou’s commission had been converted to a transport to carry convicts and livestock to the penal colony at Port Jackson, Australia as part of the “Second Fleet.”

The voyage to Australia was always arduous but this trip would be legendary.

On 22nd December [1789] they sighted icebergs 3 leagues away. At 42 degrees , the ice was unusually north. On Christmas Eve, at 43 degrees South, they sight a huge iceberg and decide to try to scoop some ice out of the sea to provide water for the cattle. Boats were sent out and then fog came in, with decreased visibility. Unfortunately no-one saw a massive iceberg that impaled the ship on the starboard beam. Her rudder was torn off and she was holed, water streaming into the holds. They pumped and pumped but could not keep it up. Lieutenant Riou allowed any who wished to leave to abandon ship. Of the boats who left, all but 15 lost. Riou stayed with the ship along with 60 people and jury rigged a rudder. They were saved by whalers who led them into False Bay at the Cape of Good Hope on 21st February 1790. Captain Riou and his crew were covered in dirt and rags with long beards.

This brief account doesn’t do justice to Riou’s accomplishment in managing a convict crew, overcoming a threatened mutiny and navigating the ship largely by using sails alone.

Naturally, Riou stood court-martial for the loss of his ship but was acquitted and became a national celebrity. He achieved post rank in 1791 and was rewarded with command of a frigate. He seemed destined to rise swiftly but his illness recurred in 1795 and he was invalided out of the Navy. In 1799, he was given command of HMS Amazon and commanded a small squadron of frigates at the Battle of Copenhagen.

Riou was able to see Admiral Sir Hyde Parker’s signal to discontinue the action, to which Nelson famously turned a literally blind eye. He obeyed reluctantly saying, “What will Nelson think of us?” His frigates attacked the Trekroner Fort but were no match for the Danish artillery. He was severely wounded in the head by a splinter and while seated on a gun carriage was cut in half by a cannonball.

A King’s Commander covers the year 1794 in the life and career of Dewey Lambdin’s naval hero, Alan Lewrie.

Lewrie finishes commissioning his new command, HMS Jester, the former French corvette Sans Culotte captured by Lewrie in HMS Cockerel, in Portsmouth in preparation for assignment to the Mediterranean under his patron Admiral Lord Samuel Hood. Enroute they run afoul of a small French squadron and are pursued, saved only by stumbling onto Admiral Howe’s fleet engaged in the Glorious First of June.

Major spoilers follow.

Lewrie evades his pursuers by closely skirting the French line of battle and finding safety amongst the British line. He is able to do the latter by flying the tricolor as a ruse de guerre, but in his inimitable style manages to bend the rules a bit. A faux pas which will come back to haunt him at the worst possible moment.

He continues on to Gibraltar, where he continues his liaison with Phoebe Aretino, and transports her and his dispatches to Corsica. There he joins the British fleet at the Allied siege of Calvi, though after his experiences at Yorktown and Toulon he avoids taking part in land action.

Serves as a courier for the fleet an on one run to Leghorn he renews his acquaintance with Captain Horatio Nelson. He has also been concerned about his wife because several weeks have elapsed without a letter. His imagination, fueled by his own infidelities takes a toll. Eventually he receives a letter from his brother-in-law, Gouvernour, that Caroline and children have been severely ill causing him a crisis of conscience.

HMS Jester is assigned to Nelson’s squadron which has a mission of destroying French supply lines leading from France into Northern Italy.

While raiding Lewrie uncovers evidence of a conspiracy to turn Genoa and other Italian states over the French Revolutionary forces. This brings him back into contact with the Foreign Office functionary, Zachariah Twigg, who is trying to unravel the plot. He also, unknowningly, runs afoul of his adversary from the Far East (The King’s Privateer) Guillaume Choundas. By way of Twigg, he learns that his father has been promoted to brigadier and his brother-in-law, Burgess, has been promoted to major in the East India Company’s army.

Though Twigg’s scheme to bring down Choundas and his operation doesn’t go off as planned, it does happen leaving Choundas to play the role of the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

HMS Jester seems, at this point in my reading, to be a turning point for Lewrie. His close exposure to Nelson has not only changed his view of the man but has given him insight into Nelson’s leadership style. For the first time he comes into contact with a senior officer who is driven to produce results and is intolerant of petty intrigues and jealousies between his captains, the last Lewrie discovers rather roughly.

He also begins to have qualms about his urge to chase any attractive woman who crosses his path as he becomes increasingly conscious of the hurt it would cause Caroline and how that would in turn hurt him.

In HMS Jester we see an Alan Lewrie who is beginning to develop introspection as well as polish his naval skills. He gains an great appreciation for Nelson’s leadership style though he finds a lot about Nelson to be less than admirable much in the way he came to respect Lieutenant Lilycrop. He also learns of Nelson’s requirement that his captains cooperate selflessly with each other regardless of personality conflicts.

Like HMS Cockerel, though less so, the dialogue in a pidgin French is annoying and detracts from the flow of the novel. I’ll never again complain about novels in which all characters speak English fluently.

Most readers of naval fiction of the Age of Sail are fairly familiar with the broad outlines of the Napoleonic Wars. In reality, Britain had been at war with Revolutionary France for nearly seven years when the 18 Brumaire Coup brought Napoleon to power.

While Horatio Hornblower spent those years as a midshipman in the Channel Fleet with some limited service in the Mediterranean before being captured and imprisoned, Dewey Lambdin’s character Alan Lewrie spends those years in the central arena of the war.

The Alan Lewrie novel A King’s Commander covers the Glorious First of June, the brief establishment of a Anglo-Corsican state under Pasquale Paoli, and naval operations oriented on the right flank of the French army advancing on Genoa and covering the left flank of the Austrians who notionally were operating against the French.

Captain Horatio Nelson, operating essentially as a commodore independent of the main fleet under Admiral Lord William Hotham, harried French coastal shipping which was essential to supplying the French Army and their allies in Savoy. Genoa and other Italian states while nominally allied with Britain were, in fact, hedging their bets and trading with the French (some things just never change, see WW I and WW II).

Nelson, of his own volition, instituted a blockade of the coast, intercepting all shipping and sending it with prize crews to Vado Bay. There Nelson personally ruled on whether or not to condemn the ship and cargo, confiscate the cargo, or release the shipping. Genoa protested half-heartedly to London but as they were “allies” it was hard to make a compelling case for why their shipping should be allowed to traffic with the enemy. Though Admiral Hotham has been the target of many slings and arrows because he was not an energetic theater commander and obviously overwhelmed by his task, he supported Nelson and let the blockade continue.

The photo above is of Vado Bay taken from the town of Vado Ligure.