Ships and People in Nelson's Trafalgar Fleet Quiz

Answer: Billy Ruffian

HMS Bellerophon was named after a hero in Greek mythology. Four ships in the Royal navy have sailed under the name of HMS Bellerophon. Our Trafalgar HMS Bellerophon was launched in 1786. She had fought in two other fleet actions; the Glorious First of June, and the Battle of the Nile.

She was commanded at Trafalgar by Captain John Cooke, who was killed. She sustained heavy losses. She was finally broken up in 1836.

Answer: HMS Royal Sovereign

Seven ships in the Royal Navy have been called HMS Royal Sovereign over the centuries. The Trafalgar HMS Royal Sovereign was launched on 11th September 1786 at Plymouth dockyard, England. She was a 100-gun First Rate ship of the line. She saw action at the Glorious First of June.

She was captained by Edward Rotheram at Trafalgar, with Admiral Collingwood on board as Flag Officer. In 1841 she was broken up.

Answer: She towed HMS Victory to Gibraltar

HMS Polyphemus was under the command of Captain Robert Redmill and fought in the lee column under Admiral Collingwood. Her battle causalities were quite light. She fought off the French ships Achille and Neptune and captured the Spanish vessel Argonaula. But her task once the battle had ended was to tow the severely damaged HMS Victory into Rosia Bay, Gibraltar.

Answer: Joseph M. W. Turner

HMS Temeraire was commanded at Trafalgar by Captain Elias Harvey. She was a 98- gun ship, built at Chatham Dockyard and launched in 1798. She was in 1838 watched on the banks of the River Thames being towed to her final berth, by Turner. This painting dated 1839 is located in the National Gallery in London and can be viewed by the public. Having been given to the nation by Turner it is one of the most famous paintings in the national collection.

Answer: Captain George Duff got killed in action

Captain George Duff was born in 1764. He saw action in the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary wars and the Napoleonic wars, and was killed on board HMS Mars at Trafalgar by a cannon ball. The sad thing is that his 13-year-old son was serving with him on board HMS Mars as a midshipman at Trafalgar.

Answer: William Beatty

Sir William Beatty went to sea at first as a surgeon's mate. He worked his way up the promotion ladder, serving on various ships . He was examined by the Company of Surgeons and passed fit to serve as a ship's surgeon. He also obtained a medical degree, and served on many ships.

After Trafalgar he was appointed Physician to the Channel Fleet. In 1822 he was appointed Physician at Greenwich Naval Hospital London. He was Physician to King George IV and to the Duke of Clarence. He was given a knighthood in 1831.

He retired in 1839, aged 66 years. He played a part in organizing the Nelson's column statue in Trafalgar Square, London, and died in 1842.

Answer: Captain William Hargood

HMS Belleisle was the French ship Formidable. She was captured in 1795 and when bought into service with the Royal Navy she was renamed HMS Belleisle as the navy already had an HMS Formidable and it was in any case customary to rename captured enemy ships put into service with the Royal Navy.

She was broken up in 1814. She was commanded at Trafalgar by Captain William Hargood. He was slightly wounded during the battle. HMS Belleisle was badly damaged and only survived the storm afterwards with the help of HMS Naiad, who towed her back to Gibraltar.

In the years that followed Trafalgar, Captain Hargood was promoted up through the ranks to admiral and was also awarded the Order of the Bath. He was Commander-in-Chief at Plymouth from 1833 to 1836.

Answer: They were captured at a later date

They escaped only to be captured in an action under the command of Captain Sir Richard Strachan on 4th November 1805 in the Bay of Biscay of the Spanish coast.

Answer: Captain Thomas Dundas

Five ships in the Royal Navy have sailed under the name HMS Naiad. The HMS Naiad in service at Trafalgar was commissioned in 1798 was a Fifth Rate Frigate. She served through the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, having a long and varied service she was finally broken up 1898, 100 years after her commissioning. Captain Thomas Dundas in HMS Naiad towed HMS Belleisle back to Gibraltar having battled though the storm and nearly lost his ship.

He was awarded a Lloyd's patriotic fund sword for his efforts at Trafalgar.

He went on in his naval career to work his way up the ranks to Vice-Admiral and was made a Knight of the Bath. He died in 1841.

Answer: Commandeur of the Legion of Honour

The Legion of Honour is a French decoration created by Napoleon in 1802. It is the highest order of distinction awarded in France and has several categories, one of them being Commandeur. Captain de Vaisseau Lucas was captured by the British at Trafalgar.

He and some of his officers were taken off the Redoutable by HMS Swiftsure just in time before she sunk due to battle damage. Captain de Vaisseau Lucas was wounded the Redoutable struck her colours to HMS Temeraire after losing some 500 plus men in the action. Redoutable was of course the ship from which Nelson's fatal shot came. Captain de Vaisseau Lucas was eventually paroled back to France he then received his decoration from Napoleon.

Answer: On 15th September 1805 in comany with HMS Euryalus

HMS Victory sailed to join the fleet in company with HMS Euryalus commanded by Captain Henry Blackwood. Captain Blackwood had taken command of HMS Euryalus in 1803 she was a 36-gun frigate. Captain Blackwood was ordered by Admiral Collingwood to bring dispatches back to Britain after the battle and the captured French Vice-Admiral Villeneuve.

He was therefore able to be present at Nelson's funeral in St Paul's Cathedral London on January 8th 1806. Captain Blackwood went on to be decorated and promoted in his career, being made a Rear Admiral and created Baronet.

He died in 1832 at the age of 61. HMS Euryalus was broken up in Gibraltar.

Answer: He was the Spanish admiral

Federico Carlos Gravina y Nápoli was the Spanish admiral under the command of the French Vice-Admiral Villeneuve at the Battle of Trafalgar. He was wounded in the battle and he died of those wounds in March 1806, aged 49.

Answer: He is reported to have commited suicide

Vice-Admiral Villeneuve was taken prisoner on board his flagship and taken back to England on board HMS Euryalus under the command of Captain Blackwood. He was actually allowed to attend the funeral of Nelson. After his parole in 1806 and return to France he failed to regain his naval service. Having stopped to rest on the way to Paris Vice-Admiral Villeneuve was found in his inn room to have been stabbed six times in the chest with a dinner knife.

It was reported and recorded that he had committed suicide.

This occurred in April 1806. Although the nature of his wounds was suspicious and it was widely thought that Napoleon was behind his death.

Answer: A great storm

Many of the ships were very seriously damaged in the battle, with anchors lost, rudders wrecked, steering gone, wheels shot away and masts destroyed. The hulls had been damaged by cannon fire, so ships were taking on water. Sails had been ripped to pieces, guns over turned.

The damage in some cases was so severe that they struggled to keep afloat. Then there was the wounded and dead to contend with and depleted manpower due to the large number killed and injured. Then there were prisoners to secure. All of this and a very rough sea getting up and a huge storm brewing were disastrous in some cases. With ships being overwhelmed and sunk others being driven ashore and wrecked.

Although some 15 ships escaped, a lot of them were lost in the storm.

It was not until after the storm that that Admiral Collingwood was able to dispatch HMS Pickle back to England with the news of the victory and Nelson's death. Then began the task of getting the fleet to safety, and into a fit condition to sail again and bring the captured prizes into port.

Answer: Rosia Bay Gibraltar

After the battle HMS Victory reached Gibraltar. She was towed, severely damaged, into Rosia Bay by HMS Polyphemus. She was refitted and made safe to sail. Her wounded were landed at the naval hospital at Gibraltar. Only the most seriously injured and the dying were left there. Those able to be moved were put back on board HMS Victory.

She sailed for England at the beginning of November 1805. She had Nelson's body on board preserved in a barrel of brandy.