Naval battles of the world : $b Great and decisive contests on the sea ... with an account of the Japan-China war and the recent battle of the Yalu; the growth, power, and management of our new Navy.Shippen, Edward
History
Naval battles of the world : $b Great and decisive contests on the sea ... with an account of the Japan-China war and the recent battle of the Yalu; the growth, power, and management of our new Navy.
Shippen, Edward
Naval battles; Sino-Japanese War, 1894-1895; United States. Navy
A curious incident is said to have taken place on board this ship,
when lying entirely dismasted, and otherwise disabled, the captain and
second lieutenant severely wounded, and the ship so roughly treated
that a whisper of surrender was heard. Lieutenant Monckton resolutely
exclaimed, “he would be d----d if she ever should surrender, and that
he would nail her colors to the stump of the mast.” At that moment
a cock, having been liberated from a broken coop, suddenly perched
himself on the stump of the mainmast, clapped his wings, and crowed
aloud. In an instant three hearty cheers rang through the ship, and
there was no more talk of surrender. The cock was afterwards given to
the Governor of Plymouth, lived to a good old age, and was frequently
visited by the Marlborough’s men.
The Brunswick, 74, had a large figure-head of the Duke of that name,
with a laced cocked hat on. This hat was carried away by a shot,
during the battle. The crew sent a deputation to the captain to ask
him to give his own laced hat to supply the place; and he did so; the
carpenter nailing it on the Duke’s head, when they continued the action.
Nothing could exceed the gallant conduct of this ship, as we have
already noticed. The Defence, Captain Gambier, also behaved most
gallantly, being terribly cut up, and totally dismasted. She was one of
the few that passed through the enemy’s line, and got into the midst
of the French ships. Captain Gambier was an excellent officer, and a
gentleman of strict principles of religion and morality. At the close
of the action, Captain Pakenham, a rattling, good-humored Irishman,
hailed him from the Invincible, “Well, Jimmy, I see you are pretty well
mauled; but never mind, Jimmy, whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth.”
When the Sans Pareil was taken possession of, the English Captain
Trowbridge was found on board, a prisoner, having been captured in the
Castor, when in charge of the Newfoundland convoy. On the morning of
the 1st of June, the French officers, seeing the British fleet under
easy sail, going parallel to the French line, taunted him by saying,
“there will be no fighting to-day; your Admiral will not venture
down.” “Wait a little,” said Trowbridge, “English sailors never like
to fight with empty stomachs; I see the signal flying for all hands
to breakfast; after which, take my word for it, they will pay you a
visit.” When the Sans Pareil had got enough of the battle, and was
prepared to surrender; her captain sent down to request Trowbridge to
come on deck and do him the honor of striking the colors. This he very
properly declined to do.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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