HMS Captain 1870         

 

Guide to further research
Up Memorabilia Descendants List of Memorials Other Publications Further research Various things have been of use in compiling both genealogical and historical information regarding HMS Captain, and these are listed below. There are probably many more, and the author of this web site would be pleased to learn of anything worth adding to this list.


The National Archives (formerly the Public Records Office), Kew, London (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk)

The National Archives building is easily accessible, free, very helpful, and well worth many visits. Apparently there are ten million records available here, but those naval records that have been of help so far are - 

ADM 29/98 Record of Service
ADM 154/6 Deaths at Sea
ADM 12/10 Widows Pension list
ADM 115/172 Debts and credits
ADM 23/143 Special Pensions
ADM 139/360 Continuous Service records
ADM 44 Wills, births and marriage certificates

And no doubt many more.


Royal Hospital School, Greenwich

Although the records are also kept at the National Archives (PRO) at Kew (ADM 73/226), this is well worth a separate mention. Set up in what is now the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London, the school was founded in the 17th century for the support of Royal Navy seaman, their widows and children. 

The writer’s own ancestor on HMS Captain had both brothers and his own children there, and ADM 73/226 contains packets of papers for each boy joining the school. This is a goldmine for genealogists, containing the original application forms, records of service for the fathers, lists of siblings, and much more supporting the application.

(2009 note - personal family history research into many of the charitable schools in Greenwich has been added for anyone interested.)

National Maritime Museum, Greenwich (www.nmm.ac.uk)

Within their big collection of maritime books and  paintings  etc are those relating  to  HMS Captain; various storage facilities away from the main building which house, amongst other things, the models of the ship. In addition, at their Woolwich Arsenal site is housed the Historic Photographs & Ship Plans Section, which has a couple of dozen original prints of the construction plans of HMS Captain. Visit by appointment, where they will provide (for a charge) copies for you. Be aware that the ones produced for this website's author are up to 3 metres long.

See also list of orphanages to where some of the children of the lost men went.



Thesis

Searching the web for references to HMS Captain, details of a thesis entitled “Floating Bodies, Naval Science: science, design, and the Captain controversy, 1860-1870,” 1994 (Max Planck Inst, Berlin) by Dave McGee were found on http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~hapsat/recent_grads.html

The thesis purports to “argue the Captain disaster is best understood as a collapse of the social process of design”.

To which I can add nothing.

Stanley Sandler's article

`In Deference to Public Opinion' - The Loss of HMS Captain, referred to elsewhere (click to see details ) has extensive references at the end which may be useful.

 

D K Brown, RCNC

Wrote an article published in "Warship Technology" (1989), the journal of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects entitled "The Design and Loss of HMS Captain", the conclusions being included in the "Where Does the Blame Lie" section of this website.