86-486: Edmund Lyons may refer to: Edmund Lyons, 1st Baron Lyons (1790–1858), British naval commander and diplomat Edmund Moubray Lyons , British naval commander, son of the Baron See also [ edit ] Edward Lyons (disambiguation) Lyons (surname) [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles about people with
172-436: A force of four squadrons, each containing both French and Spanish ships. Following their earlier vote on 8 October to stay put, some captains were reluctant to leave Cádiz, and as a result they failed to follow Villeneuve's orders closely and the fleet straggled out of the harbour in no particular formation. It took most of 20 October for Villeneuve to get his fleet organised; it eventually set sail in three columns for
258-422: A mixed mêlée of chaotic one-on-one battles. One reason for the development of the line of battle formation was to facilitate control of the fleet: if all the ships were in line, signalling during battle became possible. The line also allowed either side to disengage by breaking away in formation; if the opponent chose to continue, their line would be broken as well. This often led to inconclusive battles, or allowed
344-542: A quarter to noon, he said, "Mr. Pasco , I wish to say to the fleet, 'England confides that every man will do his duty' " and he added "You must be quick, for I have one more to make which is for close action." I replied, "If your Lordship will permit me to substitute 'expects' for 'confides' the signal will soon be completed, because the word 'expects' is in the vocabulary, and 'confides' must be spelt," His Lordship replied, in haste, and with seeming satisfaction, "That will do, Pasco, make it directly." The term "England"
430-660: A single line. The result was a sprawling, uneven formation. At 5:40 a.m. on 21 October, the British were about 21 miles (34 km) to the northwest of Cape Trafalgar, with the Franco-Spanish fleet between the British and the Cape. About 6 a.m., Nelson gave the order to prepare for battle. At 8 a.m., the British frigate Euryalus , which had been keeping watch on the Combined Fleet overnight, observed
516-620: A sufficiently large number of ships of the line protecting his port of Boulogne on the English Channel. This would require Villeneuve's force of 33 ships to join Vice-Admiral Ganteaume 's force of 21 ships at Brest, along with a squadron of five ships under Captain Allemand, which would have given him a combined force of 59 ships of the line. When Villeneuve set sail from Ferrol on 10 August, he
602-542: The Battle of Camperdown and Admiral Jervis at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent , both in 1797. The plan had three principal advantages: The main drawback of attacking head-on was that as the leading British ships approached, the Franco-Spanish Combined Fleet would be able to direct raking broadside fire at their bows, to which they would be unable to reply. To lessen the time the fleet
688-893: The French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815). As part of Napoleon 's plans to invade the United Kingdom , the French and Spanish fleets combined to take control of the English Channel and provide the Grande Armée safe passage. The allied fleet, under the command of the French admiral, Pierre-Charles Villeneuve , sailed from
774-639: The Greek War of Independence . Lyons arrived in Malta on 20 May 1828, when Sir Richard Hussey Bickerton and Admiral Sausages described him, in letters to their Fleet Commander, as 'a man of intelligence and great ability'. Lyons and his wife rented the most expensive house in Valletta , where they home-schooled their four children in grammar and in Enlightenment philosophy. On HMS Blonde , Lyons
860-833: The 18-gun sloop HMS Barracouta notably at the capture, from the Dutch, on 9 August 1810, of Banda Neira in the Moluccas during the Invasion of the Spice Islands : Lyons was involved in the assault on Fort Belgica . In 1811, a planned British attack on the fortified port of Fort Marrack, in the Sunda Strait of Batavia, Dutch East Indies , was postponed after the Royal Navy received intelligence that Dutch reinforcements had arrived. Lyons with only 34 men attacked
946-608: The Admiralty to face a court-martial for his apparent lack of aggression during the engagement off Cape Finisterre on 22 July. Meanwhile, Villeneuve's fleet in Cádiz was also suffering from a serious supply shortage that could not be easily rectified by the cash-poor French. The blockade maintained by the British fleet had made it difficult for the Franco-Spanish allies to obtain stores, and their ships were ill-equipped. Villeneuve's ships were also more than two thousand men short of
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#17328009400321032-531: The Atlantic and back used up vital supplies. Villeneuve's supply situation began to improve in October, but news of Nelson's arrival made Villeneuve reluctant to leave port. His captains had held a vote on the matter and decided to stay in harbour. On 16 September, Napoleon gave orders for the French and Spanish ships at Cádiz to put to sea at the first favourable opportunity, join with seven Spanish ships of
1118-554: The Atlantic to block the French from entering the Channel. Calder intercepted the French resulting in an inconclusive engagement during the Battle of Cape Finisterre in which two of the Spanish ships were captured. Villeneuve abandoned his plan and sailed back to Ferrol in northern Spain. There he received orders from Napoleon to return to Brest according to the main plan. Napoleon's invasion plans for Britain depended on having
1204-612: The Blue in the Royal Navy, and was in 1851 appointed minister at Stockholm , at which his wife died. In November 1853, with the advocacy of Sir James Graham , Lyons returned to active service in the Royal Navy, and was appointed second in command of the British Mediterranean Fleet, and was granted a pension of £900 per annum for his diplomatic service. Lyons left England for the Dardanelles, as Rear-Admiral of
1290-739: The Bosphorus and at Balaklava. Lyons secured another diplomatic triumph when he secured, in May 1855, French consent to capture of Kerch and occupation of the Sea of Azov: this operation destroyed the logistic support of the Russian army in the Crimea and enabled the allied victory. In June 1855, Lyons lost both his own son, Edmund, a captain in the Royal Navy, who had been wounded in a night attack on Sevastopol, and his friend and colleague Lord Raglan. Lyons after
1376-626: The British Army and Navy. Edmund Lyons was created a Baron, of Christchurch, on 23 June 1856. He entered the House of Lords between Admiral George Byron, 7th Baron Byron , and Thomas Foley, 4th Baron Foley . He was promoted to Vice-Admiral on 19 March 1857 and held the temporary rank of Admiral from December 1857 until his death. He escorted Queen Victoria to Cherbourg in August 1858. Lyons died, on 23 November 1858, at Arundel Castle , which
1462-442: The British fleet still "forming the lines" in which it would attack. At 8 a.m., Villeneuve ordered the fleet to wear together (turn about) and return to Cádiz. This reversed the order of the allied line, placing the rear division under Rear-Admiral Pierre Dumanoir le Pelley in the vanguard. The wind became contrary at this point, often shifting direction. The very light wind rendered manoeuvring virtually impossible for all but
1548-407: The British temporary superiority over the remainder of their fleet. In the ensuing fierce battle 20 allied ships were lost, while the British lost none. The offensive exposed the leading British ships to intense crossfire as they approached the Franco-Spanish lines. Nelson's own HMS Victory led the front column and was almost knocked out of action. Nelson was shot by a French musketeer during
1634-603: The British were blown off station by storms. Nelson commenced a search of the Mediterranean, supposing that the French intended to make for Egypt , but Villeneuve instead took his fleet through the Strait of Gibraltar , rendezvoused with the Spanish fleet in Cádiz, and sailed as planned for the Caribbean. Once Nelson realised that the French were crossing the Atlantic, he set off in pursuit. He missed them by just days in
1720-471: The Combined Fleet from Cádiz to Naples. At first, Villeneuve was optimistic about returning to the Mediterranean, but soon had second thoughts. A war council was held aboard his flagship, Bucentaure , on 8 October. While some of the French captains wished to obey Napoleon's orders, the Spanish captains and other French officers, including Villeneuve, thought it best to remain in Cádiz. Villeneuve changed his mind yet again on 18 October 1805, ordering
1806-488: The Combined Fleet to sail immediately even though there were only very light winds. The sudden change was prompted by a letter Villeneuve had received on 18 October, informing him that Vice-Admiral François Rosily had arrived in Madrid with orders to take command of the Combined Fleet. Stung by the prospect of being disgraced before the fleet, Villeneuve resolved to go to sea before his successor could reach Cádiz. At
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#17328009400321892-546: The Crimean War. Lyons's white- blonde hair became identified with his maverick temerity. Lyons's hair was similar to the hair of Nelson, whom Lyons idolized. However, Lyons did not possess the strategic intelligence of Nelson and attained his victories, such as the destruction of Fort Marrack (see above) and the attack on Sevastopol (see below), by temerity rather than by meticulous planning. Lyons disliked paperwork: when Admiral Dundas ordered him to organize transports for
1978-580: The Dutch reinforcements as they arrived, and then dismantled the fort and destroyed its 54 guns with dynamite so that they could not be used on the British Fleet. This action was praised by the Royal Navy as 'the most outstanding example of individual bravery in the wars which followed the French Revolution' . Lyons's Commander-in-Chief, Commodore Broughton, acknowledged Lyons's 'gallantry and zeal' but criticised Lyons because 'the attack
2064-574: The French navy had been executed or had left the service during the early part of the French Revolution . Vice-Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve had taken command of the French Mediterranean fleet following the death of Latouche Treville . There had been more competent officers, but they had either been employed elsewhere or had fallen from Napoleon's favour. Villeneuve had shown a distinct reluctance for facing Nelson and
2150-548: The Metropolitan Police . His godparents were Sir Richard Hussey Bickerton and Lady Bickerton. Lyons first went to sea on board HMS Terrible in 1798, when he was eight years old. He then returned to England to attend Hyde Abbey School near Winchester, which he attended until 1803, when he joined the Royal Navy and the crew of the frigate HMS Active , with which he remained for four years. He served at
2236-735: The Navy and the Army. When Lyons captured Balaklava, he advised Raglan to adopt it as the base for the British Army : Raglan did so. However, this was a poor decision because it compelled the army to suffer the Crimean winter. Although he was a Naval Commander, Lyons led a force during the diversionary attack on Sevastopol on 17 October 1854. Idiosyncratically, Lyons ignored Admiral Dundas's orders to remain disengaged and proceeded to attack on his own initiative: on this occasion, however, Lyons's attack
2322-537: The Navy preferred Lyons, whom they considered to be the more competent and the more charismatic, and encouraged Lyons's independence, by private correspondence and plans, such as those for the assault on Sevastopol, of which officers between Sir James Graham and Lyons in rank, such as Dundas, were not aware. Both the English Fleet and the French Fleet zealously commended Lyons's 'skill and boldness' during
2408-569: The Royal Navy after the French defeat at the Battle of the Nile in 1798. Napoleon's naval plan in 1805 was for the French and Spanish fleets in the Mediterranean and Cádiz to break through the blockade and join forces in the Caribbean . They would then return, assist the fleet in Brest to emerge from the blockade, and together clear the English Channel of Royal Navy ships, ensuring a safe passage for
2494-649: The Royal Navy. The main French fleets were at Brest in Brittany and at Toulon on the Mediterranean coast. Other ports on the French Atlantic coast harboured smaller squadrons . France and Spain were allied, so the Spanish fleet based in Cádiz and Ferrol was also available. The British possessed an experienced and well-trained corps of naval officers. By contrast, some of the best officers in
2580-507: The Spanish contributed 15 ships of the line and the French ;18 along with some 30 000 men and marines manning 2 632 cannons. The fleet also included five 40-gun frigates and two 18-gun brigs , all French. The prevailing tactical orthodoxy at the time involved manoeuvring to approach the enemy fleet in a single line of battle and then engaging broadside in parallel lines. In previous times, fleets had usually engaged in
2666-528: The Straits of Gibraltar to the southeast. That same evening, Achille spotted a force of 18 British ships of the line in pursuit. The fleet began to prepare for battle and during the night, they were ordered into a single line. The following day, Nelson's fleet of 27 ships of the line and four frigates was spotted in pursuit from the northwest with the wind behind it. Villeneuve again ordered his fleet into three columns, but soon changed his mind and restored
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2752-640: The West Indies as a result of false information. Having lured the British to the West Indies, Villeneuve returned from the Caribbean to Europe , intending to break the blockade at Brest. Nelson, still in fear for Egypt, made to return to the Mediterranean. The fast sailing corvette taking word of his plans back to the admiralty spotted the French heading further north. On receiving this intelligence Lord Barham immediately ordered Admiral Cornwallis to combine his squadron with that of Vice Admiral Calder off Ferrol and to stretch out thirty to forty leagues into
2838-624: The White, on board the steam frigate HMS Terrible on 5 November 1853, before he then took command of his flagship, the new screw-steam ship-of-the-line HMS Agamemnon (1852) (91 guns). Lyons maintained secret private correspondence with the First Lord of the Admiralty, Sir James Graham , whose plans for an amphibious assault on Sevastopol Lyons advocated at the Allied Counsels of War between July and August 1854, despite
2924-408: The actual point of attack. Collingwood altered the course of his column slightly so that the two lines converged at this line of attack. Just before his column engaged the allied forces, Collingwood said to his officers, "Now, gentlemen, let us do something today which the world may talk of hereafter." Because the winds were very light during the battle, all the ships were moving extremely slowly, and
3010-417: The allied battle line's flank, hoping to break the line into pieces. Villeneuve had worried that Nelson might attempt this tactic, but for various reasons, failed to prepare for it. The plan worked almost perfectly; Nelson's columns split the Franco-Spanish fleet in three, isolating the rear half from Villeneuve's flag aboard Bucentaure . The allied vanguard sailed off while it attempted to turn around, giving
3096-417: The approach thus: During this momentous preparation, the human mind had ample time for meditation, for it was evident that the fate of England rested on this battle. The battle progressed largely according to Nelson's plan. At 11:45, Nelson sent the flag signal, " England expects that every man will do his duty " . His Lordship came to me on the poop , and after ordering certain signals to be made, about
3182-470: The battle, and died shortly before it ended. Villeneuve was captured along with his flagship Bucentaure . He attended Nelson's funeral while a captive on parole in Britain. The senior Spanish fleet officer, Admiral Federico Gravina , escaped with the surviving third of the Franco-Spanish fleet; he died six months later of wounds sustained during the battle. The victory confirmed British naval supremacy, and
3268-487: The blockade by the French navy, it failed to inflict a major defeat upon the British, who were able to attack French interests at home and abroad with relative ease. When the Third Coalition declared war on France, after the short-lived Peace of Amiens , Napoleon renewed his determination to invade Britain. To allow his invasion flotilla to reach England, he needed to wrest control of the English Channel from
3354-537: The combined Franco-Spanish force out from Cádiz harbor and engage it in a decisive battle, Nelson kept his main force out of sight approximately 50 miles (80 km) offshore and sent a squadron of frigates (faster, but too small for the line of battle) to keep watch on the harbour. This was led by Captain Blackwood aboard HMS Euryalus , with five frigates, a schooner , and a brig . Nelson's fleet badly needed provisioning. On 2 October, five ships of
3440-692: The defeat of Sevastopol led a successful expedition, which was the first military action to involve armoured warships, to capture Kinburn on 17 October 1855, which enabled access to the Bug and Dnieper rivers. In July 1855, Lyons, who had already received the honour of Knight Grand Cross of the Civil Division of the Order of the Bath, received the honour of Knight Grand Cross of the Military Division of
3526-438: The dockyard for a re-fit after four years at sea, including the chase of Villeneuve, and was expected to return to the fleet where Keats was to be Nelson's second, but the ship was not released in time. Other British ships continued to arrive, and by 15 October the fleet was up to full strength for the battle. Nelson also lost Calder's flagship , the 98-gun Prince of Wales , which he sent home as Calder had been recalled by
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3612-455: The enemy." In short, circumstances would dictate the execution, subject to the guiding rule that the Franco-Spanish fleet's rear was to be cut off and superior force concentrated on that part of the line. Admiral Villeneuve himself expressed his belief that Nelson would use some sort of unorthodox attack, presciently speculating that Nelson would drive right at his line. But his long game of cat and mouse with Nelson had worn him down, and he
3698-422: The force needed to sail. These were not the only problems faced by the Franco-Spanish fleet. The main French ships of the line had been kept in harbour for years by the British blockade with only brief sorties. The French crews included few experienced sailors, and, as most of the crew had to be taught the elements of seamanship on the few occasions when they got to sea, gunnery was neglected. The hasty voyage across
3784-403: The fort anyway and destroyed its 180-strong garrison and 54 guns. Lyons was on 25 July dispatched to land Dutch prisoners on the island. On his return journey, on 30 July, he decided to launch a surprise midnight attack on the Dutch fort with the 34 men who accompanied him. Lyons stormed and captured the Dutch battery, and dispersed its Dutch garrison of 180 men and two boat-crews, and gunned down
3870-459: The garden of Merton in August ;1805. The order of sailing, in which the fleet was arranged when the opposing fleet was first sighted, was to be the order of the ensuing action so that no time would be wasted in forming two lines. The first, led by his second-in-command Vice-Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood , was to sail into the rear of the Franco-Spanish line, while the other, led by Nelson,
3956-484: The immediate threat of invasion. The same month, Admiral Lord Nelson returned home to Britain after two years of duty at sea. He remained ashore for 25 days and was warmly received by his countrymen. Word reached Britain on 2 September about the combined French and Spanish fleet in Cádiz harbour. Nelson had to wait until 15 September before his ship, HMS Victory , was ready to sail. On 15 August, Cornwallis decided to detach 20 ships of
4042-553: The invasion barges. Early in 1805, Vice Admiral Lord Nelson commanded the British fleet blockading the Mediterranean port of Toulon . Unlike William Cornwallis , who maintained a close blockade off Brest with the Channel Fleet , Nelson adopted a loose blockade in hope of luring the French out to battle, saying, "to be able to get at the enemy you must let them come out to you , if you cannot get at them ." However, Villeneuve's fleet successfully evaded Nelson's when
4128-552: The invasion of the Crimea, Lyons immediately employed a subordinate, his flag captain William Mends, to do it for him. Furthermore, Lyons's charisma made him a favourite of the Army General Lord Raglan, with whom he maintained another private correspondence. The friendship between Lyons and Raglan was productive of an inter-service rapport during the Crimean War and Lyons served as an intermediary between
4214-464: The line from the fleet guarding the English Channel to sail southward to engage the French and Spanish forces in Spain, leaving the Channel with only 11 ships of the line. The detached force formed the nucleus of the British fleet at Trafalgar. This fleet, under the command of Vice-Admiral Calder, reached Cádiz on 15 September. Nelson joined the fleet on 28 September to take command. Hoping to lure
4300-420: The line then at Cartagena , go to Naples and land the soldiers they carried to reinforce his troops there, then fight decisively if they met a numerically inferior British fleet. On 21 October, Admiral Nelson had 27 ships of the line with 2 148 cannons, and a total of 17 000 crewmen and marines under his command. Nelson's flagship, HMS Victory , captained by Thomas Masterman Hardy ,
4386-479: The line, HMS Queen , Canopus , Spencer , Zealous , Tigre , and the frigate HMS Endymion were dispatched to Gibraltar under Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Louis for supplies. These ships were later diverted for convoy duty in the Mediterranean , although Nelson had expected them to return. Similarly, HMS Superb under Captain Richard Goodwin Keats had been sent to
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#17328009400324472-569: The line, including some of the largest in the world at the time. The Spanish contributed four first-rates to the fleet – three of these ships, one at 130 guns ( Santísima Trinidad ) and two at 112 guns ( Príncipe de Asturias , Santa Ana ), were much larger than anything under Nelson's command. The fourth first-rate carried 100 guns. The fleet had six 80-gun third-rates (four French and two Spanish), and one Spanish 64-gun third-rate. The remaining 22 third-rates were 74-gun vessels, of which 14 were French and eight Spanish. In total,
4558-420: The losing side to minimise its losses. Facing a numerically superior Franco-Spanish line, Nelson wanted to break it into a chaotic mêlée which would force his opponents to fight his well-trained crews ship to ship. Nelson's solution was to cut the opposing line in three. Approaching in two columns sailing perpendicular to the Franco-Spanish fleet's line, one towards the centre of the opposing line and one towards
4644-411: The loyalty of the officers and rank-and-file whom he commanded, and he was described as 'as lavish with his praise of others as he was anxious to be praised by his superiors'. His 1859 Obituary described him as 'affable, playful, and full of quiet humour', as having 'frankness and urbanity', as having 'inimitable' ability in 'graphic description', and as having 'vigilance and practical skill' with which he
4730-486: The most expert seamen. The inexperienced crews had difficulty with the changing conditions, and it took nearly an hour and a half for Villeneuve's order to be completed. The French and Spanish fleet now formed an uneven, angular crescent, with the slower ships generally to leeward and closer to the shore. By 11 a.m., Nelson's entire fleet was visible to Villeneuve, drawn up in two parallel columns. The two fleets would be within range of each other within an hour. Villeneuve
4816-400: The navy. He was unemployed until 1828, whilst he and his wife had two sons and two daughters: Lieutenant Maine Walrond Lyons, one of Edmund Lyons's younger brothers, was killed at the Battle of Navarino in 1827. The Duke of Clarence, who was the heir presumptive to the British throne, subsequently appointed Edmund, in 1828, to command the 46-gun frigate HMS Blonde during the end of
4902-514: The passage of the Dardanelles , under Sir John Duckworth, in February 1807. He was posted to the West Indies later in 1807 and commissioned as a lieutenant in 1809, as which he participated in the capture of Banda Neira, for which he was mentioned for gallantry and promoted. Lyons then served as a flag-lieutenant, to Rear-Admiral Drury, aboard HMS Minden (74 guns). In 1810, he served in
4988-500: The policy his immediate superior, Vice-Admiral Dundas. Lyons also maintained direct private correspondences with various Cabinet ministers , and published memos to the British public, in The Times newspaper, through its reporters such as John Delane, and Austen Henry Layard, and William Howard Russell, in which he criticised the policies of Admiral Dundas, who disliked Lyons's wilful independence. However, Dundas's superiors within
5074-632: The port of Cádiz in the south of Spain on 18 October 1805. They encountered the British fleet under Lord Nelson , recently assembled to meet this threat, in the Atlantic Ocean along the southwest coast of Spain, off Cape Trafalgar . Nelson was outnumbered, with 27 British ships of the line to 33 Franco-Spanish ships, including the largest warship in either fleet, the Spanish Santísima Trinidad . To address this imbalance, Nelson sailed his fleet directly at
5160-612: The same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edmund_Lyons&oldid=404526330 " Category : Human name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Edmund Lyons, 1st Baron Lyons Admiral Edmund Lyons, 1st Baron Lyons , GCB , GCMG , KCH (21 November 1790 – 23 November 1858)
5246-635: The same order. He is one of few persons to have attained the rank of Knight Grand Cross in both divisions of the Order of the Bath. Lyons attended the January 1856 allied Council of War at Paris, and subsequent to the Treaty of Paris he relinquished his post of Commander in Chief of the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean, for which a Banquet was subsequently hosted for him at the Mansion House, London and he
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#17328009400325332-419: The same time, he received intelligence that a detachment of six British ships (Admiral Louis' squadron), had docked at Gibraltar, thus weakening the British fleet. This was used as the pretext for sudden change. The weather, however, suddenly turned calm following a week of gales. This slowed the progress of the fleet leaving the harbour, giving the British plenty of warning. Villeneuve had drawn up plans to form
5418-402: The trailing end, his ships would surround the middle third, and force them to fight to the end. Nelson hoped specifically to cut the line just in front of the French flagship, Bucentaure ; the isolated ships in front of the break would not be able to see the flagship's signals, which he hoped would take them out of combat while they re-formed. This echoed the tactics used by Admiral Duncan at
5504-476: Was 'prompt in expedients'. However, Edmund Lyons was described by a Foreign Secretary, George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon as 'irritable and one of the vainest men I ever knew'. Lyons received the following honours: Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval engagement that took place on 21 October 1805 between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of
5590-461: Was a carefully calculated gamble. During the blockade off the coast of Spain in October, Nelson instructed his captains, over two dinners aboard Victory , on his plan for the approaching battle. In an animated conversation with his favourite captain, Richard Goodwin Keats, who was expected to be his second in the forthcoming battle, Nelson explained a refined battle plan whilst the two were walking in
5676-479: Was achieved in part through Nelson's departure from prevailing naval tactical orthodoxy . In 1805, the First French Empire , under Napoleon Bonaparte , was the dominant military land power on the European continent, while the British Royal Navy controlled the seas. During the course of the war, the British imposed a naval blockade on France, which affected trade and kept the French from fully mobilising their naval resources. Despite several successful evasions of
5762-441: Was an eminent British Admiral of the Royal Navy , and diplomat, who ensured Britain's victory in the Crimean War , during which he was Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet , by his contribution at the Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855) with both the Royal Navy and the British Army . As a consequence of his 'intelligence and great ability', 'quiet humour', 'frankness and urbanity', and 'vigilance and practical skill', Lyons
5848-432: Was appointed by Lord Palmerston as the British diplomat at Athens, as which he remained for almost fifteen years, during which he was on 29 July 1840 created baronet , and in July 1844 he was made a Knight Grand Cross in the Civil Division of the Order of the Bath. In 1849 Lyons was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary to the Confederated States of the Swiss Cantons and was on 14 January 1850 promoted to Rear-Admiral of
5934-419: Was appointed to ambassadorial positions in Sweden , and in Switzerland , and to the court of King Otto of Greece . Lyons (whose brother Vice-Admiral John Lyons was on HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar and served as British Ambassador to Egypt) was the father of the diplomat Richard Lyons, 1st Viscount Lyons (who was the British Ambassador to the USA who solved the Trent Affair , and who
6020-413: Was appointed to command of the frigate HMS Madagascar , which he brought home to England before he sailed it for the Mediterranean in February 1832. In August 1832, Lyons transported the new King Otto of Greece , and the Bavarian Regency, from Brindisi to Nauplia , and then, in 1833, from Trieste to Athens. Lyons left the navy in January 1835, was knighted in the Royal Guelphic Order , and
6106-409: Was approaching the Franco-Spanish line in two columns. Leading the northern, windward column in Victory was Nelson, while Collingwood in the 100-gun Royal Sovereign led the second, leeward, column. The two British columns approached from the west at nearly a right angle to the allied line. Nelson led his column into a feint toward the van of the Franco-Spanish fleet and then abruptly turned toward
6192-556: Was awarded the Freedom of the City of London on 24 May 1856. Lyons's contribution to the Crimean War was imperative to the allied success. He transported the British Army to the Crimea and he ensured its supplies and support by the military on land, where he led assaults, including the Kerch operation, and where his friendship with Lord Raglan enabled the coordination of the Royal Navy with
6278-463: Was concerned at this point about forming up a line, as his ships were unevenly spaced in an irregular formation drawn out nearly 5 miles (8 km) long as Nelson's fleet approached. As the British drew closer, they could see that the combined French and Spanish fleet was not sailing in a tight order, but in irregular groups. Nelson could not immediately make out the French flagship as the French and Spanish were not flying command pennants. Nelson
6364-410: Was exposed to this danger, Nelson had his ships make all available sail (including stunsails ), yet another departure from the norm. He was also well aware that French and Spanish gunners were ill-trained and would have difficulty firing accurately from a moving gun platform. The Combined Fleet was sailing across a heavy swell , causing the ships to roll heavily and exacerbate the problem. Nelson's plan
6450-631: Was involved in the capture of Kastro Morea in the Peloponnese, for which he was knighted in both France and Greece. The following year, Lyons took the Blonde to become the first British warship to visit Sevastopol, the Caucasus, and Odessa: as a consequence of which 25 years later, Lyons was the only senior officer involved in the Crimean War who had direct knowledge of the Black Sea. In 1831 Lyons
6536-724: Was later British Ambassador to France). Edmund's nephews included Admiral of the Fleet Sir Algernon Lyons . Edmund Lyons was born at Whitehayes House, Burton , near Christchurch , on 21 November 1790. He was the fourth son of Captain John Lyons , an owner of extensive sugar plantations in Antigua , whose British residence was at St. Austen's, Lymington, Hampshire, and Catherine (née Walrond), daughter of Maine Swete Walrond, 5th Marquis de Vallado . His brothers included Vice-Admiral John Lyons (1787–1872), who
6622-730: Was made contrary to orders'. but Lyons was nevertheless for this action mentioned in dispatches and proposed for early promotion to the rank of Commander, which he received on 21 March 1812. After his attack on Marrack, Lyons's health deteriorated and he returned to Britain. In 1814, he was promoted to captain and commanded the sloop HMS Rinaldo in the fleet that escorted the French King Louis XVIII and other allied sovereigns from England to France. On 18 July 1814, at Southwick, Hampshire, he married Augusta Louisa (1792–1852), daughter of Captain Josias Rogers of
6708-636: Was on board HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar and who served as British Ambassador in Egypt; Maine Walrond Lyons, (1798–1827), a lieutenant in the Royal Navy who was killed at Battle of Navarino; and Humphrey Lyons (1802–1873), a lieutenant-general in the Indian (Bombay) Army. His nephews included Admiral of the Fleet Sir Algernon McLennan Lyons (1833–1908), and Richard Lyons Pearson, Assistant Commissioner of
6794-500: Was one of three 100-gun first-rates in his fleet. He also had four 98-gun second-rates and 20 third-rates . One of the third-rates was an 80-gun vessel, and 16 were 74-gun vessels. The remaining three were 64-gun ships, which were being phased out of the Royal Navy at the time of the battle. Nelson also had four frigates of 38 or 36 guns, a 12-gun schooner and a 10-gun cutter . Against Nelson, Vice-Admiral Villeneuve, sailing on his flagship Bucentaure , fielded 33 ships of
6880-467: Was outnumbered and outgunned, with the opposing fleet totalling nearly 30 000 men and 2 568 guns to Nelson's 17 000 men and 2 148 guns. The Franco-Spanish fleet also had six more ships of the line, and so could more readily combine their fire. There was no way for some of Nelson's ships to avoid being "doubled on" or even "trebled on". As the two fleets drew closer, anxiety began to build among officers and sailors; one British sailor described
6966-400: Was suffering from a loss of nerve. Fearing that his inexperienced officers would be unable to maintain formation in more than one group, he chose to keep the single line that became Nelson's target. The Combined Fleet of French and Spanish warships anchored in Cádiz under the leadership of Admiral Villeneuve was in disarray. On 16 September 1805 Villeneuve received orders from Napoleon to sail
7052-604: Was the seat of his son-in-law, Henry Granville Fitzalan-Howard, 14th Duke of Norfolk , where he is interred in the vault beneath the Fitzalan Chapel. There is a life-sized statue of him, by Matthew Noble , in St Paul's Cathedral , which remains there. The Edmund River and Lyons River in Australia are named after him. Lyons's 'intelligence and great ability' and 'bravery, spirit, and commitment' earned him
7138-585: Was to sail into the centre and vanguard. In preparation for the battle, Nelson ordered the ships of his fleet to be painted in a distinctive yellow and black pattern (later known as the Nelson Chequer ) that would make them easy to distinguish from their opponents. Nelson was careful to point out that something had to be left to chance. Nothing is sure in a sea battle, so he left his captains free from all hampering rules by telling them that "No captain can do very wrong if he places his ship alongside that of
7224-407: Was under orders from Napoleon to sail northward toward Brest. Instead, he worried that the British were observing his manoeuvres, so on 11 August, he sailed southward towards Cádiz on the southwestern coast of Spain. With no sign of Villeneuve's fleet, on 25 August, the three French army corps' invasion force near Boulogne broke camp and marched into Germany, where it was later engaged. This ended
7310-494: Was unsuccessful and the ships were damaged and heavy casualties sustained. However, although the attack failed, Lyons was praised for his bravery by the High Command. Lyons conceded that he was responsible for the failure, but the High Command blamed Dundas for the failure, dismissed Dundas, and, in January 1855, made Lyons Commander-in-Chief. Lyons continued to work productively with Raglan to improve supply arrangements in
7396-469: Was widely used at the time to refer to the United Kingdom; the British fleet included significant contingents from Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Unlike the photographic depiction above, this signal would have been shown on the mizzen mast only and would have required 12 lifts. As the battle opened, the French and Spanish were in a ragged curved line headed north. As planned, the British fleet
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