62-778: Admiral Sir Henry William Bayntun GCB (1766 – 16 December 1840) was a senior officer in the Royal Navy , whose distinguished career in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars was a catalogue of the highest and lowest points of the Navy during the conflict. His record includes extensive operations in the West Indies followed by shipwreck, the battle of Trafalgar and the disastrous expedition to Buenos Aires in 1807. Born in 1766 in Algiers , where his father
124-547: A Naval Gold Medal , his third, after those for the Glorious First of June and Cape St Vincent. Only Nelson and Sir Edward Berry share the distinction of three gold medals for service during the wars against France. When not at sea he resided at Collingwood House in the town of Morpeth which lies some 15 miles north of Newcastle upon Tyne and Chirton Hall in Chirton, now a western suburb of North Shields . He
186-511: A broad band with three narrower bands. In 2001 the number of stars on the shoulder board was increased to four, reflecting the equivalence to the OF-9 four-star ranks of other countries. Prior to 1864 the Royal Navy was divided into coloured squadrons which determined his career path. The command flags flown by an Admiral changed a number of times during this period, there was no Admiral of
248-800: A good reputation in the fleet for his conduct during the battle. After blockading Cadiz , he returned for a few weeks to Portsmouth to repair. At the beginning of 1799 Collingwood was raised to the rank of rear-admiral (of the White 14 February 1799; of the Red 1 January 1801) and, hoisting his flag in HMS ; Triumph , joined the Channel Fleet and sailed to the Mediterranean where the principal naval forces of France and Spain were assembled. Collingwood continued to be actively employed in blockading
310-673: A naval officer were in many respects of the first order. His political judgement was remarkable and he was consulted on questions of general policy, of regulation, and even of trade. He was opposed to impressment and to flogging and was considered so kind and generous that he was called "father" by the common sailors. Nelson and Collingwood enjoyed a close friendship, from their first acquaintance in early life until Nelson's death at Trafalgar; and they are both entombed in St Paul's Cathedral. As Collingwood died without male issue, his barony became extinct at his death. Thackeray held that there
372-595: A small frigate. Nelson had been the leader of a failed expedition to cross Central America from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean by navigating boats along the San Juan River , Lake Nicaragua and Lake Leon . Nelson was debilitated by disease and had to recover before being promoted to a larger vessel, and Collingwood succeeded him in command of Hinchinbrook and brought the remainder of
434-697: A successful blockade of the French Caribbean islands following their return to France under the terms of the Treaty of Amiens . In 1803 he captured the French frigate Créole , along with her convoy and hundreds of troops aboard returning to France. In 1804 Bayntun returned to England after ten years in the West Indies, and was given command of the fast third rate HMS Leviathan . She joined Nelson's fleet off Brest and subsequently sailed to
496-459: Is a senior rank of the Royal Navy , which equates to the NATO rank code OF-9 , outranked only by the rank of admiral of the fleet . Royal Navy officers holding the ranks of rear admiral , vice admiral and admiral of the fleet are sometimes considered generically to be admirals. The rank of admiral is currently the highest rank to which a serving officer in the Royal Navy can be promoted, admiral of
558-458: Is known to have remarked, "whenever I think how I am to be happy again, my thoughts carry me back to Morpeth." From Trafalgar until his death, no great naval action was fought. Although several small French fleets would attempt to run the blockade and one successfully landed troops in the Caribbean two months after Trafalgar, the majority were hunted down and overwhelmed in battle. Collingwood
620-679: Is named after him, as is one of the eleven houses at The Royal Hospital School . One of the three secondary Schools within Excelsior Academy in Newcastle was named after Collingwood in 2013. March 2010 saw the 200th anniversary of Collingwood's death and a number of major events were organised by 'Collingwood 2010' on Tyneside , in Morpeth and the island of Menorca . Collingwood's residence in Es Castell close to Mahon, Menorca
682-664: The Royal Naval Division (1914 to 1919) was named after Collingwood. It took part in the Antwerp Campaign (October 1914) and at Gallipoli. The Collingwood Battalion received so many casualties at the 3rd battle of Krithia, Gallipoli, on 4 June 1915 that it never reformed. One of the four houses at Collingwood's old school the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle, is named after him. One of the five houses of British public school Churcher's College
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#1732787954742744-663: The Thames to Scotland. This was part of an effort by Edward I to establish a permanent official staff, even if a permanent naval force was not yet considered necessary. Leybourne's immediate purview was subsequently divided into the roles of Admiral of the West and Admiral of the South while Botetourt's became the Admiral of the North ; the first and last merged as the Admiral of
806-587: The flagship of Rear Admiral George Bowyer in the Channel Fleet . On 16 June 1791, Collingwood married Sarah Blackett, daughter of the Newcastle merchant and politician John Erasmus Blackett . As captain of HMS Barfleur , Collingwood was present at the Glorious First of June . On board HMS Excellent he participated in the victory of the Battle of Cape St Vincent in 1797, establishing
868-570: The royal yacht HMY Royal Sovereign from 1811 until his promotion to rear-admiral of the blue on 12 August 1812. With the defeat of Napoleon and his exile to Elba , Bayntun was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in January 1815. Bayntun continued in the Navy as a semi-retired officer slowly gaining promotions, being advanced to rear-admiral of the white on 4 June 1814; rear-admiral of
930-505: The 18th century, the original nine ranks began to be filled by more than one man per rank, although the rank of admiral of the red was always filled by only one man and was known as Admiral of the Fleet . After the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 the rank of admiral of the red was introduced. The number of officers holding each rank steadily increased throughout the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1769 there were 29 admirals of various grades; by
992-699: The Admiral in her poetical illustration Admiral Lord Collingwood in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1833. This is to an engraving of a variation on the painting by Henry Howard , apparently by his son Frank Howard . Collingwood is fictionalized as "Admiral Sir John Thornton" in Patrick O'Brian's " The Ionian Mission ." He appears under his own name in Hornblower and the Atropos , when Hornblower's ship joins
1054-560: The British naval brigade at the Battle of Bunker Hill in June 1775, and was afterwards commissioned as a lieutenant on 17 June. In 1777, Collingwood met Horatio Nelson when both served on the frigate HMS Lowestoffe . Two years later, Collingwood succeeded Nelson as commander of the brig HMS Badger on 20 June 1779, and on 22 March 1780 he again succeeded Nelson, this time as post-captain of HMS Hinchinbrook ,
1116-602: The Collingwood Channel (an entrance of Howe Sound near Vancouver , British Columbia ), are named in his honour. A large monument, The Collingwood Monument , stands in his honour and overlooks the River Tyne at Tynemouth . His Grade II listed statue was sculpted by John Graham Lough and stands atop a pedestal designed by John Dobson . The four cannon on the walls flanking the steps at its base came from his flagship, Royal Sovereign . A battalion of
1178-705: The English long depended upon levies of their subjects' vessels for any major naval expeditions. Nonetheless, historians have sometimes extended the concept of an English navy and its supposed admirals and lord high admirals back as far as Alfred the Great , counting several kings as themselves admirals, along with various dukes and earls who commanded fleets at prominent engagements such as Hubert de Burgh off Sandwich in 1217 . Other lists begin their count at King Henry III 's appointment of Sir Richard de Lucy on 28 August 1223 or 29 August 1224. A similar commission
1240-415: The Fleet rather than Algernon Frederick Rous de Horsey , who as senior active admiral nearing the age limit would customarily have received the promotion; John Baird became an Admiral; James Erskine a vice-admiral; and Harry Rawson a rear-admiral. Ironically, all these younger men would die at least a decade before de Horsey. In the time before squadron distinctions were removed or age limits instituted,
1302-541: The French flagship Bucentaure before engaging the massive Santissima Trinidad . Seeing the distant approach of Rear-Admiral Dumanoir's squadron from the north, Captain Thomas Hardy ordered Leviathan and other ships to close with the enemy. Leviathan engaged the Spanish ship San Agustín , which was supported by Intrepide . Conqueror then joined the fight and Bayntun was able to lay his ship alongside
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#17327879547421364-578: The Mediterranean fleet a few months after Trafalgar. The Maritime Warfare School of the Royal Navy is commissioned as HMS Collingwood , home to training for warfare, weapon engineering and communications disciplines. The town of Collingwood, Ontario , on Georgian Bay in Canada, the suburb of Collingwood in the Australian city of Melbourne, the town of Collingwood, New Zealand and
1426-565: The North and West in 1364; and from 1408–1414 they were all reunited as the High Admiral of England, Ireland, and Aquitaine , the forerunner to the present Lord High Admiral . (During this process, the short-lived post of Admiral of the Narrow Seas was used in 1412 and 1413. It was subsequently revived from 1523 to 1688.) The first royal commission as Admiral to a naval officer was granted in 1303 to Gervase Alard . By 1344, it
1488-600: The Red rank until that post was introduced in 1805 prior to this the highest rank an admiral could attain to was Admiral of the White who then flew the Cross of St George . The next promotion step up from that was to Admiral of the Fleet. [REDACTED] Media related to Admirals of the United Kingdom at Wikimedia Commons Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood (26 September 1748 – 7 March 1810)
1550-486: The Spanish admiral's ship and fired her broadsides with such rapidity and precision at Santa Ana that the Spanish ship was on the verge of sinking almost before another British ship had fired a gun. Several other vessels came to Santa Ana ' s assistance and hemmed in Royal Sovereign on all sides; the latter, after being severely damaged, was relieved by the arrival of the rest of the British squadron, but
1612-426: The United Kingdom . When the French fleet sailed from Toulon , Admiral Collingwood was appointed to command a squadron, with orders to pursue them. The combined fleets of France and Spain , after sailing to the West Indies, returned to Cadiz. On their way they encountered Collingwood's small squadron off Cadiz. He had only three ships with him; but he succeeded in avoiding their pursuit, although chased by 16 ships of
1674-652: The West Indies again in pursuit of the French fleet. After learning that the French had returned to European waters, Leviathan sailed to Gibraltar before arriving off Cádiz on 8 October 1805. Bayntun was in this way unusual amongst Trafalgar captains, many of whom had only just arrived on station for the blockade. At the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October, Bayntun in Leviathan was fifth in Nelson's weather column, after HMS Victory , HMS Temeraire , HMS Neptune and HMS Conqueror . Leviathan raked
1736-481: The badly damaged San Augustin whilst continuing to fire into Intrepide . As the 74-gun HMS Orion passed, Bayntun shouted at her captain, Edward Codrington , "I hope you will make a better fist of it!" Some time later, with 160 of his crew dead or wounded, Commodore Don Fellipe of the San Augustin surrendered his sword to Bayntun. Of Leviathan's crew, four had been killed and just over 20 wounded during
1798-411: The battle. After the battle, with the weather worsening and concerns of a counter-attack; Vice-Admiral Collingwood , in command since the death of Nelson , ordered many of the prizes destroyed. Bayntun co-ordinated the evacuation of the ships closest to him which were to be scuttled. Bayntun's report on the matter stated that; although he had done his best to carry out the orders he'd been given, due to
1860-579: The close of the Napoleonic Wars in 1816 there were 190 admirals in service. Thereafter the number of admirals was reduced and in 1853 there were 79 admirals. Although admirals were promoted according to strict seniority, appointments to command were made at the discretion of the Board of Admiralty . As there were invariably more admirals in service than there were postings, many admirals remained unemployed, especially in peacetime. The organisation of
1922-541: The command of his cousin Captain Richard Brathwaite (or Braithwaite), who took charge of his nautical education. After several years of service under Brathwaite and a short period attached to HMS Lenox , a guardship at Portsmouth commanded by Captain Robert Roddam , Collingwood sailed to Boston in 1774 with Admiral Samuel Graves on board HMS Preston , where he fought in
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1984-469: The concept of yellow admirals (formally known as granting an officer the position of "Rear-Admiral without distinction of squadron"), being captains promoted to flag rank on the understanding that they would immediately retire on half-pay . This was the navy's first attempt at superannuating older officers. During the Interregnum , the rank of admiral was replaced by that of general at sea . In
2046-499: The death of James Hawkins-Whitshed resulted in ten men moving up to higher ranks. In 1996, the rank of admiral of the fleet was put in abeyance in peacetime, except for members of the Royal family but was resurrected on an honorary basis in 2014 for the appointment of Lord Boyce . Admirals of the fleet continue to hold their rank on the active list for life. The current ranks are rear admiral, vice admiral, admiral and admiral of
2108-514: The enemy until the Peace of Amiens allowed him to return to England. With the resumption of hostilities with France in the spring of 1803 he left home, never to return. First he blockaded the French fleet off Brest . In 1804 he was promoted to vice-admiral (of the Blue 23 April 1804; of the Red 9 November 1805). Nearly two years were spent off Brest in anticipation for Napoleon's planned invasion of
2170-526: The ensuing gale, many of the prizes were wrecked on the rocky shore and others were destroyed to prevent their recapture, though no British ship was lost. On 9 November 1805, Collingwood was raised to the peerage as Baron Collingwood, of Caldburne and Hethpool in the County of Northumberland . He also received the thanks of both Houses of Parliament and was awarded a pension of £2,000 per annum. Together with all Trafalgar captains and admirals, he also received
2232-544: The expedition back to Jamaica . After commanding another small frigate , HMS Pelican , in which he was shipwrecked by a hurricane in 1781, Collingwood was transferred to the 64-gun ship of the line HMS Sampson , and in 1783 he was appointed to HMS Mediator and posted to the West Indies . In 1784 he and Nelson were in Antigua where they both fell for the unobtainable American-born Mary Moutray . He and Nelson sketched each other and Collingwood kept
2294-627: The fleet being in abeyance except for honorary promotions of retired officers and members of the royal family. The equivalent rank in the British Army and Royal Marines is general ; and in the Royal Air Force , it is air chief marshal . The title admiral was not used in Europe until the mid-13th century and did not reach England before the end of that century. Similarly, although some royal vessels are attested under King John ,
2356-519: The fleet his deputy, the vice admiral , would be in the leading portion or van . Below him was another admiral at the rear of the fleet, called rear admiral . Promotion up the ladder was in accordance with seniority in the rank of post-captain , and rank was held for life, so the only way to be promoted was for the person above on the list to die or resign. In 1747 the Admiralty restored an element of merit selection to this process by introducing
2418-596: The fleet into coloured squadrons was finally abandoned in 1864. The Red Ensign was allocated to the Merchant Navy , the White Ensign became the flag of the Royal Navy, and the Blue Ensign was allocated to the naval reserve and naval auxiliary vessels. The 18th- and 19th-century Royal Navy also maintained a positional rank known as port admiral . A port admiral was typically a veteran captain who served as
2480-417: The fleet, also known as flag ranks because admirals, known as flag officers , are entitled to fly a personal flag . An admiral of the fleet flies a Union Flag at the masthead, while an admiral flies a St George's cross (red cross on white). Vice admirals and rear admirals fly a St George's cross with one or two red discs in the hoist, respectively. The rank of admiral itself is shown in its sleeve lace by
2542-416: The fleet, she was the first engaged. "See", said Nelson, pointing to Royal Sovereign as she penetrated the centre of the enemy's line, "see how that noble fellow Collingwood carries his ship into action!" Probably it was at the same moment that Collingwood, as if in response to the observation of his great commander, remarked to his captain, "What would Nelson give to be here?" Royal Sovereign closed with
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2604-464: The form of a crescent. The British fleet bore down in two separate lines, the one led by Nelson in HMS Victory , and the other by Collingwood in HMS Royal Sovereign . Royal Sovereign was the swifter sailer, mainly because its hull had been given a new layer of copper which lacked the friction of old, well used copper and thus was much faster. Having drawn considerably ahead of the rest of
2666-426: The hills with his dog Bounce. He always started off with a handful of acorns in his pockets, and as he walked he would press an acorn into the soil whenever he saw a good place for an oak tree to grow. Some of the oaks he planted are probably still growing more than a century and a half later ready to be cut to build ships of the line at a time when nuclear submarines are patrolling the seas, because Collingwood's purpose
2728-461: The line. Before half of the enemy's force had entered the harbour he resumed the blockade, using false signals to disguise the small size of his squadron. He was soon joined by Nelson who hoped to lure the combined fleet into a major engagement. The combined fleet sailed from Cadiz in October 1805. The Battle of Trafalgar immediately followed. Villeneuve , the French admiral, drew up his fleet in
2790-411: The official ranks became admiral of the white and so forth, however each admiral's command flags were different and changed over time. The Royal Navy has had vice and rear admirals regularly appointed to the post since at least the 16th century. When in command of the fleet, the admiral would be in either the lead or the middle portion of the fleet. When the admiral commanded from the middle portion of
2852-531: The red on 12 August 1819, and then to vice-admiral of the blue on 19 July 1819. He was further promoted to vice-admiral of the white on 27 May 1825 and vice-admiral of the red on 22 July 1830. On 10 January 1837 he was made an admiral of the blue and a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 25 October 1839. Bayntun married Susannah, co-heiress with her half sister Lady William Beauclerk (mother of George 4th Duke of St Albans) of Sir John Warden 2nd Bt of Choimeaton, Leyland and Holyport. Their daughter Sussannah
2914-471: The shore commander of a British naval port and was in charge of supplying, refitting, and maintaining the ships docked at harbour. The problem of promoting strictly by seniority was well illustrated by the case of Provo Wallis who served (including time being carried on the books while still a child) for 96 years. When he died in 1892 four admirals under him could immediately be promoted. By request of Queen Victoria , John Edmund Commerell became Admiral of
2976-414: The sketch. Collingwood remained in the West Indies until the end of 1786, again, together with Nelson and this time his brother, Commander Wilfred Collingwood, preventing American ships from trading with the West Indies. In 1786, Collingwood returned to England, where, with the exception of a voyage to the West Indies, he remained until 1793. In that year, he was appointed captain of HMS Prince ,
3038-458: The still potent threat that the French and their allies could pose. His health began to decline alarmingly in 1809 and he was forced to again request the Admiralty to allow him to return home, which was finally granted. Collingwood died as a result of cancer on board HMS Ville de Paris , off Port Mahon as he sailed for England, on 7 March 1810. He was laid to rest beside Nelson in the crypt of St Paul's Cathedral . Collingwood's merits as
3100-462: The water procession between Greenwich and Whitehall . He was also among the many officers that the Lloyd's Patriotic Fund honoured with gifts. In 1807 Bayntun participated in the naval aspects of the failed invasion of Argentina , but escaped the condemnation received by other of the officers involved. He continued in service, taking command of the 74-gun HMS Milford in 1809, and commanding
3162-407: The weather, "...much less has been done than I most ardently wished and many boats have been lost." Leviathan also lost her prize, the San Augustin , which was burnt as she foundered some days after the action. The Leviathan suffered little damage during the battle and subsequent storm, and was able to return to Gibraltar unaided. Bayntun was the guidon bearer at Nelson's state funeral during
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#17327879547423224-447: Was Consul general , Bayntun joined the navy at a young age and received his lieutenancy at just seventeen on 15 April 1783. When war broke out with Revolutionary France in 1793, Bayntun was sent to the West Indies under Admiral Sir John Jervis and, after taking part in the capture of Martinique , he was given command of the sloop HMS Avenger . Bayntun was also present during the invasion of Guadeloupe and on 4 May 1794, he
3286-590: Was an admiral of the Royal Navy , notable as a partner with Lord Nelson in several of the British victories of the Napoleonic Wars , and frequently as Nelson's successor in commands. Collingwood was born in Newcastle upon Tyne . His early education was at the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle . At the age of 12, he went to sea as a volunteer on board the sixth-rate HMS Shannon under
3348-542: Was appointed post captain of HMS Undaunted , the former French frigate, La Bienvenue , captured during the Battle of Martinique. Bayntun was subsequently given command of the 36-gun HMS Reunion , which was wrecked in December 1796. In January 1799, he was appointed to HMS Quebec . He then commanded ships of the line , including HMS Thunderer and HMS Cumberland , with which he won acclaim during
3410-623: Was born 1809 and married 31 May 1839 at St George's Hanover Square Richard Verity of Dean House, Huntington (son of Isaiah Verity of Ash Hall, Glamorgan). Henry William Bayntun died in Bath in 1840 and is buried in All Saints' Church, Weston , Bath, together with several family members. The Captain-class frigate HMS Bayntun was named for him. She served during the Second World War . Admiral (Royal Navy) Admiral
3472-560: Was given to Sir Thomas Moulton in 1264, who held the formal title of Keeper of the Sea and the Sea Ports. On 8 March 1287, Sir William de Leybourne was specifically commissioned as the Admiral of the Seas of England ( Latin : Admirallus Maris Angliae ) and, in 1294, captain of all sailors and mariners of the king's dominions. Sir John de Botetourt served under him as warden at sea from
3534-546: Was left unable to manoeuvre. Not long afterwards Santa Ana struck her colours. On the death of Nelson, Collingwood assumed his position as commander-in-chief , transferring his flag to the frigate HMS Euryalus . Knowing that a severe storm was in the offing, Nelson had intended that the fleet should anchor after the battle, but Collingwood chose not to issue such an order: many of the British ships and prizes were so damaged that they were unable to anchor, and Collingwood concentrated efforts on taking damaged vessels in tow. In
3596-536: Was no better example of a virtuous Christian Knight than Collingwood. Dudley Pope relates an aspect of Collingwood at the beginning of chapter three of his Life in Nelson's Navy : Captain Cuthbert Collingwood, later to become an admiral and Nelson's second in command at Trafalgar, had his home at Morpeth, in Northumberland, and when he was there on half pay or on leave he loved to walk over
3658-405: Was occupied in important political and diplomatic transactions in the Mediterranean, in which he displayed tact and judgement. He requested to be relieved of his command of the fleet so that he might return home, however the government urgently required an admiral with the experience and skill of Collingwood to remain, on the grounds that his country could not dispense with his services in the face of
3720-424: Was only used as a rank at sea for a captain in charge of one or more fleets. In Elizabethan times the fleet grew large enough to be organised into squadrons . The squadron's admiral flew a red ensign , the vice admirals white , and the rear admirals blue on the aft mast of his ship. As the squadrons grew, each was eventually commanded by an admiral (with vice admirals and rear admirals commanding sections) and
3782-416: Was to make sure that the Navy would never want for oaks to build the fighting ships upon which the country's safety depended. Collingwood once wrote to his wife that he'd rather his body be added to Britain's sea defences rather than given the pomp of a ceremonial burial. Sailor Robert Hay who served with Collingwood wrote that: "He and his dog Bounce were known to every member of the crew. How attentive he
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#17327879547423844-402: Was to the health and comfort and happiness of his crew! A man who could not be happy under him, could have been happy nowhere; a look of displeasure from him was as bad as a dozen at the gangway from another man". and that: "a better seaman, a better friend to seamen - a more zealous defender of the country's rights and honour, never trod the quarterdeck." Letitia Elizabeth Landon celebrates
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