How Britannia Came to Rule the Waves: Updated to 1900Kingston, William Henry Giles
History
How Britannia Came to Rule the Waves: Updated to 1900
Kingston, William Henry Giles
Great Britain. Royal Navy -- History
Maine Lyons, a brother of Sir Edmund Lyons, afterwards Lord Lyons,
belonging to the _Rose_ corvette, was mortally wounded while
endeavouring to tow a fire-ship in flames clear of the French _Armide_.
Commodore Bathurst of the _Genoa_ was also mortally wounded, after
having previously been severely hurt by a splinter soon after the
commencement of the action. One of the Turkish ships fell foul of the
_Albion_, when the crew of the former attempted to board, but being
repulsed, the Turk was boarded instead by Lieutenant John Drake, who
compelled her crew to cry for quarter. Unhappily, before he could
rescue some Greek prisoners in her hold, she burst into flames, when he
was compelled to retire, and her cables being cut by one of the
_Albion's_ midshipmen, she drifted clear of that ship and soon
afterwards blew up. Among the many acts of gallantry was one performed
by Lieutenant Robb, in command of the _Hind_ cutter. She had arrived
after the commencement of the action, when entering the bay she took up
a raking position at about the distance of forty yards across the stern
of a large frigate, and opened a rapid fire. After remaining here for
three-quarters of an hour, and receiving the fire of various smaller
vessels, her cable was cut by a shot, and she drifted between a large
corvette and a brig, which she engaged till the brig blew up. Her last
cable being cut, she drifted into the hottest part of the action, till
her main-boom ran into one of the main-deck ports of a Turkish frigate,
the crew of which made several attempts to board her, but were repulsed
by Lieutenant Robb and his crew. The Turks after some time sent a large
strongly-manned boat to attack the cutter. Just as the boat got
alongside the _Hind_ two carronades, charged with grape and canister,
fired into her by the latter, knocked her to pieces. The cutter after
this fortunately drifting clear of the frigate, escaped the destruction
which might have been her fate. Besides receiving numerous round-shot
in her hull, she lost a master's mate and 3 men killed, and a midshipman
and 9 men wounded. Every ship in the squadron behaved well, and was
ably supported by the Russians and French. A small number only of the
Turco-Egyptian fleet escaped destruction, though it was larger than Sir
Edward Codrington had at first supposed. The very doubtful advantage
gained by the action was purchased at the heavy loss of 75 killed,
including several valuable officers, and 195 wounded, while the French
and Russians together lost still more. The usual rewards were bestowed
on the victors; though a new ministry coming in, the action was spoken
of in the royal speech as "that untoward event." However, its ultimate
result undoubtedly was the liberation of Greece from the Turkish yoke.
Another result was the suppression of the office of Lord High Admiral by
the Duke of Wellington, who, on becoming Prime Minister, requested the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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