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Extract from `The Immortal Warrior’
by Captain John Wells
R.N., (published by Kenneth Mason)
HMS Warrior, a ship famous in its own right,
was part of the squadron on that infamous night.
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On leaving Corunna, the squadron sailed for England, and on May 21st met the two turret ships
Monarch and Captain at a rendezvous off Cape Finisterre. The latter had more recently commissioned, and the former in 1869 had crossed the Atlantic to make a tremendous impression on the United States. With her greater freeboard and displacement,
Monarchhad gained the edge in comparative sea trials, and, according to Ballard, “in the supreme question of combatant efficiency during heavy weather conditions……while the
Captain’s decks were swept by the sea and her turret ports frequently flooded in a moderately fresh breeze…….the decks of
Monarch remained bone dry”.
It was a memorable occasion for the Black Battlefleet, this meeting between the first and second generations of broadside ironclads and the world’s first turret battleships. Steering north, Admiral Symonds formed his ships into two columns, with
Captain stationed on the Admiral’s weather beam. Off Ushant they
ran into strong gales, from which Captain under close reefed main topsail and storm staysail, emerged satisfactorily. Cowper Coles regarded this as proof of her seagoing capability but Admiral Symond’s instinct was less sure.
At Portsmouth, Symonds relinquished command prematurely, the result of his uncompromising views on the ships under his command, and criticism of the Controller’s department in their attempts to build ships that combine steam and sail. His outspoken reports were less popular with the Admiralty, which sent him a telegram before leaving Lisbon “Will you accept Good Service Pension (£300 p.a.) conditional on resigning command of the Channel Squadron?”. Resolute to the end, Symonds replied “I am proud to accept the honour you propose to confer on me”.
That afternoon wind and sea increased as the glass fell. About an hour before sunset, Admiral Milne (on the
Captain) signalled Lord Wardento close and send a cutter for him as an ugly swell set in from the West. Pressed to stay on board for the night by the
Captain’s commanding officer Hugh Burgoyne, the Admiral decided his place was in the flagship. The fleet hove to, the cutter came alongside, and with some difficulty Milne followed his Flag Lieutenant into the boat.
At about 00.15 a.m. the wind strength suddenly increased to storm force and either split of blew clean away no fewer than 23 sails in the fleet.
Warrior lost her main and fore topsails, but as always came through under total control.
In Captain the situation was quite different. When the middle watchmen were called at 11.45 p.m., the watch on deck were trying to clew down the topsail yards on the cramped superstructure. The halyards had been let fly but the ship was already heeling too much to allow the spars to come down by their own weight. As the relieving watch mustered on the foc’sle, the squall struck, throwing the
Captain over to the maximum of safety and beyond. For a few moments she lay on her beam ends until the inrush of water through the funnel and superstructure destroyed her buoyancy. Then she rolled over and disappeared, twenty miles off Cape Finisterre. Ignorant of the tragedy,
Inconstant passed over the spot ten minutes later, and saw nothing.
When Lieutenant Murray came up for the morning watch at 4 a.m., he found that the wind had veered to the Northwest, and that all effort was concentrated on regaining station. By the half light of dawn, ships were gradually identified, but when Glyn enquired the position of
Captain, Murray replied laconically “Sir, she has not yet been sighted”.
Next morning Warrior lowered her cutter four times to recover boat’s gear, a hatch cover, and part of a hammock netting, all identified as being from the
Captain. At noon, Milne signaled “Admiral is sure all will sympathise with regard to the dreadful disaster that has occurred”.
On September 9th, Monarch came up over the horizon signaling
“One officer and seventeen men saved from HMS Captain in launch”.
They were the only survivors of 472 officers and men.
(References and bibliography – G Ballard ibid. p110-113 Sept 17 and Oct 1 1870
A Hawkey `HMS Captain’ 1963)
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HMS Captain
1870