Horatio Nelson, England's Most Famous Sailor Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What did Horatio Nelson famously instruct his officers about Frenchmen?

Answer: You must hate a Frenchman as you hate the devil.

There were lots of sayings current at the time about 'death to the French' and so on. The same probably goes for every conflict throughout history: commanders incite their men to hate the enemy possibly as a way of motivating them to fight, rightly or wrongly, but that is history for you.

2. What was the uniform Horatio Nelson had on when he received his fatal wound ?

Answer: His undress uniform.

Nelson's undress uniform can usually be seen on display at the National Maritime Museum in London.

3. Nelson was appointed as Master and Commander of HMS Badger. What type of vessel was HMS Badger ?

Answer: A brig.

In 1778 Sir Peter Parker appointed Nelson to command HMS Badger. Nelson cruised in HMS Badger for a good part of 1779 off the central American coast - not a successful cruise in terms of earning prize money, but he was promoted to post captain upon his return.

4. From January 1793 Nelson was in command of which ship?

Answer: HMS Agamemnon

HMS Agamemnon was a 3rd rate 64-gun ship of the line. She was built at the Bucklers Hard ship yard in Hampshire by Henry Adams, a famous ship builder of the times. She went on to serve in many of the major battles of the era and was wrecked in 1809. Five ships since have born the name HMS Agamemnon and a sixth is on the stocks; only this time she will be a nuclear submarine.

5. Nelson fought in the battle of Cape St Vincent (1797). He was victorious in that he captured two ships. The method by which he did this was then given a nickname in naval circles. What was it?

Answer: Nelson's 'patent bridge' for boarding first rates.

He engaged the Spanish San Nicolas, boarded and took her. The San Josef had come alongside to her aid Nelson and his men carried on over onto the decks of the San Josef to take her. Nelson's famous 'patent bridge' was born.

6. Nelson is reputed to have suggested that a captain could do no wrong if he what?

Answer: Laid his ship alongside that of an enemy.

In the days of sail after you had pounded your enemy with cannon you would aim to lay your ship along side to board your enemy and fight hand to hand with them until a victory was achieved or they fought you off.

7. In 1797 at the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife Nelson was wounded in his right arm. What was the outcome of this injury ?

Answer: His arm was badly broken and amputated.

His arm was amputated on board HMS Theseus by the surgeon Eshelby. He came home to England on board HMS Seahorse for sick leave. The amputation took a long time to heal. Later in 1797 he returned to sea on board HMS Vanguard with Captain Edward Berry appointed as his flag Captain.

Note. Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife was a defeat for the Royal Navy. Perhaps that is why it is seldom mentioned in British schoolbooks.

8. Nelson's sailors slept in hammocks slung from the beams below on the mess decks of the ships, but what did Nelson and other officers sleep in or on?

Answer: A cot

When a seaman died at sea he was wrapped up and sewn into his hammock. Officers were placed in their cots, which looked a bit more like a coffin and was possibly more dignified than the former. Some ships had wooden bunks in the officers' small cabins. Nelson's cot can be seen on display on board HMS Victory today in Portsmouth dockyard, it has drapes that have been restored to replicate the original embroidered ones from 1805.

9. News of Nelson's last victory and his death was bought to England by which ship?

Answer: HMS Pickle

HMS Pickle was a fast, small, six-gun top sail schooner commanded by John Richards Lapenoti�re. She was sent back to Britain by Admiral Collingwood with the news of a great victory and the sad news of the death of Nelson. When she arrived in Falmouth Lapenoti�re took a series of coaches and horses up to London to the admiralty to give the dispatches he was charged with to William Marsden, the First Lord of the Admiralty (Navy Secretary).

He was awarded a sword from the Lloyd's Patriotic Fund, plus �500 in cash.

He was promoted to Commander and the king gave him a gift in recognition. HMS Pickle sank in 1808 after running aground in Spanish waters.

10. A statue was erected in London of Nelson. What is it called and where is it located?

Answer: Nelson's Column, Trafalgar Square

The statue is located upon a column in Trafalgar Square, London. It stands roughly 52 meters high and was inaugurated in 1843 (with the bronzes and the lions being added later). The money to build it was raised by donations and subscriptions from the public.

The government provided the site. It is of course world famous, with tourists from every corner of the globe seeing it every year. Throughout Britain and many Commonwealth countries there are monuments to Nelson and many of them are much older than Nelson's Column in London.

For example, the Britannia Monument (to Nelson) in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, was built in 1817-1819 - and at 44 metres, the column is no that much shorter than the one in Trafalgar Square. The obelisk on Glasgow Green commemorating Nelson was completed in 1806, within a year of his death.

Source: Author funtinca

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Nelson sailed many thousands of miles in the service of his country and is Britain's most famous admiral. See what you know about him.

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