British Navy: Up To Trafalger (1793-1805)

Question 1

What was the size of the Navy in 1792?

Answer 1

125 ships in commission ensuring 20K officers and seamen maintained their skills.

Question 2

What were normal navy ships like in the late 18th century?

Answer 2

• built of wood and dependent on sails for movement
• main battle ships called ships of the line, where they Carrie more than 70 guns
  -warships raked enemy with broadside ( firing of all guns on one side of the ship)

Question 3

What were frigates?

Answer 3

Smaller but faster ships that usually carried 28-36 guns
- used mainly for patrolling, scouting or conveying merchantmen

Question 4

Late 18th century: How did the Navy utilise blockades?

Answer 4

Navy tried to prevent enemy ships from leaving port using two methods:
- close blockade (fleet sailed near to enemy port)
- open blockade (main fleet was in a home port or miles away and frigates patrolled the coast off the enemy port.)

Question 5

Late 18th Century: What was gunnery like for the British Navy?

Answer 5

1745 onwards, every ship was obliged to perform daily gunnery practise.
- most carried 32-pounder guns which could fire a cannon ball weighing around 32 pounds.
- each gun was manned by 7 sailors (more efficient as British could fire guns much quicker than others)

Question 6

Late 18th Century: What were naval officers like?

Answer 6

Most came from professional middle classes, sons/ relations of naval officers
- started as shipment, being taught key skills like maths, astronomy and navigation
- experienced officers from 1750s-60s compared to French

Question 7

Late 18th Century: how did the British navy tackle recruitment?

Answer 7

No conscription, only voluntary recruitment.
However, they tried impressment ( forced seafarers from 15-55 to join)
- press gangs were set out to roun suitable men
-1805 half of Royal crews were made up of pressed men
- used a Quota system ( each county was required to supply a certain number of volunteers based on population and number of seaports)

Question 8

Late 18th century: conditions on the ship?

Answer 8

1793: Paid 22s.6d a month
- slept on hammocks (14 inches between each man)
- food was monotonous
- physically hard work
- harsh discipline (those who broke the rule were expected to be flogged with cat-o-nine-tails)
- Sailors could be at sea for years at a time

Question 9

Late 18th century: discipline and team work

Answer 9

Foundation of Britain’s naval strength was their discipline and teamwork:
- some operated guns, others worked aloft and on sails
- each member contributed to the team well, working smoothly and efficiently

Question 10

Who was the Prime minister during the 1780s and how did he help with naval reform?

Answer 10

William Pitt the Yougner developed a good working relationship with the Comptroller of the Navy, Rear Admiral Charles Middleton

• Dockyards were more closely supervised to eliminate waste and corruption
  -Middleton was the brains behind coppering (covering Hull with copper sheets)
• Massive stocks of timber and rope were built up
• new docks built in Portsmouth and Plymouth

Question 11

Navy 1783-93: How did Gunnery progress?

Answer 11

Carronade was developed, being:
- light, able to swivel and with a short, fat muzzle, and rapid fire
- fitted on forecastles ( raised deck in front of ship) and sterns of ship
-could be loaded with grapeshot which would decimate other shipmen on enemy side

Gunlocks replaced slowmatches ( allowed gun captain to stand back from the gun and aim rather than having to position themselves beside the gun)

Question 12

When did the French declare war on Britain?

Answer 12

February 1793 after the Revolution

Question 13

What happened in Toulon?

Answer 13

August 1793: Admiral Hood (commander of the British Mediterranean fleet) seized Toulon, a french naval base in Med
- had to abandon in December 1793 due to arrival of french army

Question 14

What was the ‘Battle of the Glorious First of June’?

Answer 14

Royal Navy blockaded French ports on Atlantic coast, especially Brest.
1794, Lord Howe (Commander of fleet) heard of grain convoy returning to France from USA.

• Fleets met on 1st June 1794, French had 26 whilst British had 25

Question 15

What was the outcome of the Battle of Glorious First of June?

Answer 15

-Howe sunk 7 ships and 7K soldiers were killed/taken prisoner
- British suffered 1.2K casualties

Overall, not a success for Howe as grain ships succeeded in arriving.

Question 16

1795: Who took over in the Med, and what did this mean for the Navy?

Answer 16

Sir John Jervis took over.
-loathed inefficiency and set about whipping fleet into shape.
- had excellent relationship with officers whom he trusted and respected.

Question 17

By 1796, how had the situation progressed for the British Navy?

Answer 17

Situation deteriorated when Netherlands and Spain changed sides, joining France against Britain.
- Navy was strained
- main British fleet was stationed at Spithead, leaving just 15 battleships to blockade Brest. ( French had double the ships waiting to break out.)

Question 18

On December of 1796, what were the French planning?

Answer 18

44 French ships (17 ships of line) carrying14k troops sailed from Brest, aiming for Ireland.
- French abandoned mission after a week of gales

Question 19

What battle occurred on the 14th of February 1797?

Answer 19

Battle of Cape St Vincent:
Sir Jervis had stationed the bulk of his force off Càdiz, facing main Spanish fleet.
14th Feb, his fleet encountered a Spanish fleet almost twice the size of his own.

Jervis attacked, cutting through enemy line.

Question 20

What did Nelson do during the Battle of Cape St Vincent? Overall outcome?

Answer 20

He boarded and captured the much larger San Josef, becoming the ‘darling of the Royal Navy’
- stole limelight from other hero’s

Jervis had captured 4 ships and driven the enemy back to Càdiz, and was ennobled as Earl of St Vincent.

Question 21

On the 16th of April 1797, who ordered the fleet at Spithead to head to sea? What did this result in?

Answer 21

Admiral Lord Bridport ordered the fleet at Spithead to sea. The crews of every ship refused due to discontent around pay, quality of food and brutal officers.
- more a strike rather than a mutiny at this point.
- a petition was sent to the to Admirality and so the govt agree to raise wages and made concession on some other issue.

Question 22

On the 7th of May 1797 what happened?

Answer 22

Fresh mutiny led by petty officers ( seamen who were not commissioned officers but had some authority)
- Lord Howe dealt with problems in person, giving them a banquet on the 15th of May
- re-visited each ship, re-establishing trust

Question 23

On the 12th of May 1797, what occurred?

Answer 23

The ships at the more ( mount of the River Thames) mutinied. This was more serious due to:
- more far-reaching demands such as veto over officers, longer leave and pardons for all deserters
- they were joined by North Sea fleet

Pitt’s govt took steps to isolate and starve the mutineers, which ended in mid-June as mutiny leader Richard Parker was hung.

Question 24

After the two mutinies, how was the Navy’s reputation restored?

Answer 24

Through the battle of Camperdown on the 11th of October 1797.
Admiral Lord Duncan’s North Sea fleet 916 ships of line) encountered Dutch ships across coast.
- Duncan’s ships smashed the enemy line in two unevenly sized division

He managed to capture 11 battleships and 3 frigates ( led to an immense boost in national morale)

Question 25

Although the British had victory at the Battle of Camperdown, why was the overall outlook still bleak?

Answer 25

1. The French still threatened with invasion
2. Austria made peace with France 1797 so Britain had no major ally in Europe
3. Large French army and fleet at Toulon was preparing to sail

Question 26

May 1798, who left Toulon and for what reason?

Answer 26

Napoleon left Toulon with 13 battleships and 280 transports carrying 50K men.
- Desitnation= Egypt
- Nelson was unaware of this.

Question 27

How did Nelson react to the rumours of Napoleon and French taking over Malta?

Answer 27

He gambled that they would go for Egypt next and arrived at Alexandria on the 29th of June but left. Napoleon arrived on the 1st of July.
However, a month later, on August 1st, Nelson found the French fleet in Aboukir Bay at the mouth of the Nile.

Question 28

When was the battle of the Nile? When Nelson arrived at Aboukir Bay, what did he find?

Answer 28

1st-2nd August 1798:

13 Enemy battle ships anchored in a line with an exceptional large 120-gun ship called ‘the Orient’ and two 80-gun ships.

Comparatively, Nelsons ships were all 74s except the 50-gun Leander.

Question 29

Battle of the Nile: how did Nelson attack the French fleet?

Answer 29

Ordered his captains to get close and fight.

6pm, the Goliath, commanded by Thomas Foley sailed round the leading French ship to attack shore side. Foley believed french would not have prepared their port-side guns and other ships followed. The rest attacked starboard so some french ships were attacked from both sides.

9:37PM: French flagship the Orient exploded and the fight continued trough the night. Only 2/13 French ships escaped.

Question 30

Battle of the Nile: What did the amazing victory mean for the British?

Answer 30

Navy regained control of the Med in one night

Napoleon and his army were trapped in Egypt

Austria, Russia, Naples and Turkey joined Britain in a new coalition

Question 31

Battle of the Nile: what did Nelson contribute to the battle?

Answer 31

He influenced events before the fightings:
- bought about the battle
- inspired his officers and men
- did not over-complicate matters with detailed orders and endless signals (only 9 signals before and during the battle)

Question 32

What was happening in the Mediterranean 1798-1801?

Answer 32

French and Spanish ships still posed a big threat in 1798-9
- British severely overstretched.

Nelson was angry about not being selected as commander-in-chief of Med Fleet so he went on a long sulk and devious adventure.

Question 33

What was happening in the Atlantic 1798-1801?

Answer 33

Earl of St Vincent blockaded Brest as closely as possible but this was not easy because:
- hard to provide ships with supplies of food, water and alcohol
- several ships were wrecked on dangerous rocks around Brest
- There was no rest for anyone, only constant watchfulness and manoeuvring

Question 34

What was the Baltic threat? What did the British blockade of French and Spanish ports mean?

Answer 34

British blockade of French and Spanish ports deprived Baltic nations of markets so in 1800, Tsar Paul of Russia put pressure on Denmark, Sweden and Prussia to join a league of Armed Neutrality against Britain.

Question 35

Baltic threat: Why was the armed neutrality a serious threat to Britain?

Answer 35

Baltic power had nearly 100 warships ready
Possible for league to keep Britain out of Baltic, where it obtained most of its naval stores such as timber, pitch, tar and hemp.

Question 36

Baltic threat: Who was ordered to attack Copenhagen? Second in Command?

Answer 36

Admiral Sir Hyde Parker was in command off the British Baltic fleet. Nelson was given second in command, and tasked with leading the attack on Copenhagen.

Question 37

Baltic threat: what was Nelson’s fleet and when did he make the plan?

Answer 37

Nelson’s force comprised of 11 ships of line, 5 frigates, 4 sloops and 7 bomb vessels to enter King’s Channel ( narrow strip of water lined with Danish warships, gun batteries on rafts and shore forts.

31st March 1801, Nelson outlined his plan to enter Channel and anchor opposite a Danish ship then open fire.
- The next ship would pass outside the first and fire at the next target and so on until defences were overcome.

Question 38

Baltic threat: How did the attack go?

Answer 38

2nd April 1801: Moat ships made it through and by noon, all were engaged. Danes suffered a pounding but continued to fight back, with floating gun platforms being useful.

• 1.15PM, Parker raised a signal to discontinue the action but Nelson saw it and said that he didn’t see the signal because he only has one eye.

Question 39

Baltic threat: Afte Nelson disobeyed Parker, what happened? Outcome of the battle of Copenhagen?

Answer 39

Most Danish ships surrendered by 2pm and Nelson sent a letter to the Crown Prince of Denmark implying that the Danes had lost.
- the Prince agreed to a truce and this allowed Nelson to take his damaged ships out of range of enemy guns.

2 Danish ships had been sunk, one exploded and 12 taken. Nelson then replaced Parker as the commander of the Baltic fleet.

Question 40

What did the British and French sign in 1802? What was St Vincent doing in this time?

Answer 40

March 1802, Peace of Amiens to end hostilities
- St Vincent tried reforming royal dockyards, cancelling shipbuilding contracts and dismissed hundreds of workers

Question 41

May of 1803 what recommenced? Who took command of the North Sea fleet and the blockade of Brest?

Answer 41

War as Napoleon began gathering an army of 100K at Bolougne to invade Britain.
- Due to St Vincent’s release of contractors, the Navy found their fleets short of men, ships and supplies.

Keith took over NSF and Lord Cornwallis commanded Blockade of Brest

Question 42

What ship was Nelson given command of after the Battle of Copenhagen?

Answer 42

HMS Victory, 100-gun ship,
He was given command of the Med fleet, being tasked to watch french in Toulon.
- he employed an open blockade

Question 43

By 1804, how had the situation deteriorated for the British?

Answer 43

Spain allied with France and the two countries had 102 battleships between then whilst the Royal Navy only had 83

Question 44

What was Napoleon’s plan to evade Nelson?

Answer 44

He wanted Vice Admiral Pierre Charles Villanueve to lure him across the Atlantic to the Caribbean and lose him. Then Pierre would reunite with French and SPanish ships at Vigo and Cádiz.
—> combined fleet would then attack British channel fleet.

Question 45

How did Nelson’s chase of the French go?

Answer 45

11 of Nelson’s ships sailed after Villeneuve’s 18. Nelson would soo catch up but false info sent him south whilst Villeneuve sailed for Europe. Nelson sent a frigate to warn Britain of the danger.

Question 46

What happened on the 22nd of July and onwards?

Answer 46

British fleet intercept Villeeuve and Sir Calder captured 2 Spanish ships while Villeneuve escaped.
Villeneuve sailed to Cadiz and not Bolougne and by the 18th, Nelson had returned to Britain.

Question 47

After returning on the 18th, what was he ordered to do having spent less than a month in Britain?

Answer 47

Command of fleet in Cadiz. Nelson kept his ships 50 miles offshore to try lure Villeneuve out. When enemy movement was reported, Nelson stressed the importance of eating into battle quickly and not firing until they were a couple yards away.

Question 48

What happened on the 19th of October 1805?

Answer 48

Villeneuve set for Italy and Nelson gave chance immediately.
He had 27 battle ships, 17k men and 2148 guns.
Villeneuve had 33 battleships, 30K men and 2568 guns.

Villeneuve ordered his ships to form a makeshift line whilst Nelson formed two divisions, one with him on the HMS Victory and the other led by Collingwood in the Royal Sovereign.

Question 49

When was the battle of Trafalgar? What happened ( until 12:10pm)

Answer 49

21st October 1805:
11:40am, Nelson. Signalled the fleet as his leading ships inched forward whilst receiving heavy fire from the enemy (poor aim from enemies).

The Royal sovereign reached the enemy line first as Collingwood was on quarterdeck (most dangerous place of ship)

12:10pm, Collingwood gave the order to fire while eating an apple.

Question 50

Battle of Trafalger: (Post 12:10pm until 1pm)

Answer 50

12:35, HMS Victory found a gap astern of Villeneuve’s flagship the Bucentaure. The carronade caue devastation on the Bucentaure’s quarterback. The main guns of the Victory raked the enemy’s stern, putting 400 Frenchmen and 20 guns out of action.

Victory was approached by two French ships, the Redoutable and Neptune. Redoutable was entangled so the French sailors could set on board but the carronade kept them at bay.

As more British arrived, Villeneuve’s ships took more damage due to British gunnery overwhelming them at close range.

Question 51

Battle of Trafalger: (1:15pm onwards)

Answer 51

1:15PM: Nelson was shot through the shoulder and was carried below.
1:45: The Bucentaura with 99/643 fit men surrendering whilst other French-Spanish ships did the same.
2:35pm: Captain Hardy visited Nelson where he said that 12/14 enemy ships were in our possession
4:30pm: Nelson died and his fleet took 18 of the enemy ships.

Question 52

Battle of Trafalger: outcome

Answer 52

Not a single British ship had been lost.
459 Brits died/ 1208 killed and 1383 wounded
8K French and Spaniards were taken prisoner.
After this, the French never seriously challenged the French for the remainder of the French wars.