Rule Britannia! - Victorious British Admirals Quiz

Answer: Sir Edward Hawke

The Battle of Quiberon Bay was a naval action fought in 1759 during the Seven Years War, in high seas and violent winds just off the French coast near St. Nazaire. A British fleet of 24 ships under Sir Edward Hawke engaged a French fleet of 21 ships. Six of the French vessels were sunk or run aground, another one captured and the remainder were scattered. The result of the battle - one of the Royal Navy's greatest victories - ended any hope the French had of invading Britain, and established the growing superiority of the British navy throughout the world.

Hawke eventually became First Lord of the Admiralty and helped give Captain James Cook command of his first expedition in 1776. In gratitude, Cook named Hawke Bay on New Zealand's North Island after him. In the novel "Treasure Island", Long John Silver states that he served in the Royal Navy and lost his leg under "the immortal Hawke".

Answer: Richard Howe

The Glorious First of June in 1794 was the first naval engagement between the Royal Navy and the the fleet of the First French Republic; the action took place in the Atlantic Ocean 400 miles west of the French island of Ushant. The two fleets had been criss-crossing the Bay of Biscay and scrapping for a month as Howe tried to stop a fleet carrying grain from the US reaching France.

Howe inflicted a severe tactical defeat on the French - six of their ships were captured and one sunk. While the French claimed a strategic victory in that they managed to secure the grain shipment, their fleet had to withdraw to harbour and were blockaded there for the rest of the war.

Howe saw further action during the American War of Independence; he was later appointed Commander of the Channel Fleet, he commanded the operation to lift the Siege of Gibraltar in 1782, and he was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty in 1783. He was appointed a Knight of the Garter for the work he did in 1797, bringing the Spithead Mutiny to a peaceful conclusion.

Answer: Sir John Jervis

The Battle of Cape St. Vincent was fought in 1797 as part of the French Revolutionary Wars between a British fleet (15 ships of the line) commanded by Sir John Jervis and a much larger Spanish fleet (27 ships of the line), near Cape St. Vincent in Portugal. Jervis had been tracking the Spanish fleet for some time but was unaware of the difference in their relative sizes until after he started to attack.

The attack was hugely successful; Nelson in particular fought bravely and four of the Spanish ships were captured. The victory was in no little part due to the discipline and training of the British seamen, instigated by Jervis; he was a fierce disciplinarian but was much loved by his crews, who called him "Old Jarvie".

Jervis was later given command of the Channel Fleet and was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty in 1801. He carried out major reforms of the navy's dockyards, identifying and remedying much of the corruption that took place there.

Answer: Adam Duncan

The Battle of Camperdown was fought in 1797 as part of the French Revolutionary Wars between a British fleet commanded by Admiral John Duncan and a Dutch fleet, in the North Sea just off the Dutch coast. Duncan had been blockading the Dutch fleet in their harbour on the River Texel, but had to return to Yarmouth for supplies. The Dutch took this opportunity to conduct a raid out into the North Sea, but Duncan intercepted them on their way back.

The result was an overwhelming victory for Duncan; although the two fleets were evenly matched, the British captured nine out of the 15 Dutch ships of the line.
Coming close on the heels of the Spithead and Nore mutinies, this victory restored public confidence in the navy. French plans for the invasion of Ireland and Britain were abandoned, and when a British task force landed in the Netherlands two years later the remainder of the Dutch fleet capitulated immediately.

Duncan was awarded a peerage and a handsome pension, but served the rest of his career without distinction.

Answer: Hyde Parker

The Battle of Copenhagen was fought in 1801 in an effort by the British to stop the Danish and Norwegian fleets allying with the French. Parker put Nelson in command of the 12 ships of the line with the shallowest drafts and Nelson sailed into Copenhagen harbour to engage with the opposing fleets while other British ships engaged with coastal batteries. Soon Parker realised that three of Nelson's ships had grounded and so signaled orders for Nelson to retreat.

Nelson claimed not to see the signal, reportedly putting his telescope to his blind eye. Around that time the superior British gunnery started to take its toll and the course of the battle changed; very soon the Danes had lost all their nine ships of the line (two sunk, one burnt out and six captured).
Parker was heavily criticised for his hesitant conduct of the battle; he was recalled and Nelson appointed in his place. Parker died soon afterwards.

Answer: Edward Codrington

The Battle of Navarino Bay was fought during the Greek War of Independence in Pylos Bay on the west coast of the Peloponnese. Ships were sent by the signatories to the Treaty of London to ensure that the Ottoman Empire would grant autonomy to the Greeks within the Empire. Codrington, as commander-in-chief of a combined British, French and Russian fleet, decided on a show of force designed to show his strength and to make the Otttomans stick to a cease-fire. As his ships moved into the Bay the battle commenced - both sides said that the other fired first.

Given the strength of the allied vessels and their much better gunnery, the result was a forgone conclusion; the allied fleet suffered few casualties (181 men killed, no ships lost) while the Ottoman fleet was destroyed (6,000 men killed, 60 ships lost).

Over the next few years the Ottomans were cleared from Greece, mainly by Russian military involvement, and in 1832 the independent Kingdom of Greece was recognised by the Ottomans. While the British public were wildly enthusiastic about Codrington's action, the government were less sanguine. He was never given another operational command.

Navarino Bay was the very last battle to be fought purely between sailing ships.

Answer: Sir Doveton Sturdee

At the start of World War I a German squadron composed of two armoured cruisers and three light cruisers under Admiral von Spee was based in China. Believing them to be outclassed by local Japanese and Royal Navy units, von Spee decided to return to Germany. On its way back via Cape Horn the German squadron ran into and sank two British cruisers at Coronel off the Chilean coast. Although it was unnecessary, von Spee resolved to raid Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands before continuing on to Germany.

Meanwhile, there was widespread shock in the UK about the defeat at Coronel. A squadron comprising two battle cruisers, three armoured cruisers and two light cruisers was assembled and sent to the South Atlantic under the command of Sir Doveton Sturdee. This squadron arrived at Port Stanley for refueling on 7th December - and on 8th December the German squadron appeared. Realising the danger, von Spee dashed for the open sea, but he was soon caught; the British squadron suffered few casualties (10 men killed, no ships lost) while the German squadron was effectively destroyed (1,871 men killed, five ships lost).

Sturdee was rewarded with assignment as commander of the 4th Battle Squadron in the Grand Fleet and eventually promoted to Admiral of the Fleet. His gravestone incorporates a cross made from the timbers of HMS Victory.

Answer: Henry Harwood

At the start of World War II, the German heavy cruiser Admiral Graf Spee commanded by Captain Hans Langsdorff was sent into the South Atlantic to disrupt allied shipping. A number of squadrons were sent in pursuit; one of them, composed of one heavy and two light cruisers commanded by Commodore Henry Harwood, sighted the Graf Spee of the mouth of the River Plate. In the following engagement Harwood's heavy cruiser was severely damaged and had to retreat to the Falkland Islands, while the two light cruisers were moderately damaged. The Graf Spee was not extensive but critical as her fuel supply system was damaged.

The Graf Spee retreated to the port of Montevideo and was allowed 72 hours' stay to effect repairs. Langsdorff believed that there were superior forces waiting for the Graf Spee at sea, so at the end of the 72 hours' grace he ordered his ship to be scuttled; he shot himself three days later. Harwood was promoted to Rear Admiral, knighted, and put in command of the Mediterranean Fleet. He was medically retired in 1945 and died in 1950.

Answer: Sir Andrew Cunningham

In March 1941 a cryptoanalyst at Bletchley Park broke the Italian Naval Enigma code, with immediate benefit: information about the imminent sailing of an Italian battle fleet. Elements of the Mediterranean fleet under the command of Sir Andrew Cunningham intercepted the Italian fleet off Cape Matapan on the south-western coast of the Peloponnese.

After a running battle during the day, at nightfall the British fleet closed to point-blank range and destroyed three Italian heavy cruisers in a matter of minutes. The British fleet suffered few casualties (three men killed, four light cruisers damaged) while the Italian fleet was badly mauled (2,300 men killed, three heavy cruisers and two destroyers lost, a destroyer and a battleship damaged).

As Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet, Cunningham performed outstandingly. He was soon promoted to First Sea Lord, a position he held until his retirement. Very unusually, a few weeks after Matapan he made a visit to Bletchley Park to congratulate the staff on their input to his victory. One of the code breakers said: "Our sense of elation knew no bounds when Cunningham himself came down in person to thank and congratulate us".

Answer: John Tovey

In May 1941 the German battleship Bismark and the heavy cruise Prinz Eugen attempted to break out into the Atlantic Ocean to attack allied convoys. The Bismark's fuel tanks were damaged during the engagement in the Denmark Strait on 24th May in which HMS Hood was sunk, and so her commander resolved to return to Brest for repairs. Every Royal Navy unit in the Atlantic and beyond was committed to hunting the Bismark down.

As Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet, John Tovey on HMS King George V played a pivotal role in directing this operation. Upon locating the Bismark, torpedo bombers from HMS Ark Royal attacked the crippled ship damaging her steering; during the following night she was continually harassed by destroyers. At daylight the next day she was attacked by two British battleships and, later, by two heavy cruisers. Eventually she ceased to resist and sank.

After the Bismark battle, Tovey was put in charge of the Arctic Convoys; in this post he alienated Churchill who repeatedly tried to have him sacked. Upon leaving that post he was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet in 1943.