morethannelson - Richard Hiscocks

OK - Naval History may not be up everyone's alley, so periodically I'll post links to articles or biographies which the non-anoraks might find interesting, and in so doing I'll surreptitiously try to lure them in.....

Admiral Thomas Drury (1750-1832) saw service in both the American and French Revolutionary wars, but his career was beset by illness, and he enjoyed very few opportunities for distinction. He appears however to have had a remarkable, if estranged wife! morethannelson.com/officer/thomas…

@aranda_olivier Congratulations! I so hope there will be an English translation!

Ça y est : en librairie le 2 avril et dès à présent en pré-commande, une toute nouvelle histoire de la marine de la Révolution est disponible. Celle-ci n'est pas, je crois, le désastre qu'on a longtemps prétendu : forgez-vous votre opinion à l'occasion des 400 ans de la Marine!

In April 1798, a ferocious night duel between the battle-hardened Mars 74 and the newly commissioned French Hercule 74 resulted in the capture of the latter, but the death of Captain Alexander Hood, the cousin of Admirals Lord Hood and Lord Bridport. morethannelson.com/mars-vs-hercul…

@GlynnAuthor Probably our best ever holiday after Wyoming and Montana!

The pumps could not keep up and the decision was made to run the ship ashore. The Arethusa was accordingly sailed onto mud flats at Île Molène, where she broke up after running clear of the surf. All the crew survived and were taken prisoner by the French. [2/2] #RoyalNavy

19 Mar 1779 // 32-gun frigate HMS Arethusa, having chased and lost a French frigate on the previous day, approached the coast of Brittany in hopes of sighting her again but came too close to shore and ran aground. She refloated but was badly damaged and began to flood. [1/2]

@aranda_olivier Merci! There are some familiar names there. I’ll get stuck in!

@morethannelson Surely there are some informations in Marine Vincennes, BB4 119 :

A question for my French naval history friends. Can you point me towards any sources that cover the British frigate Diamond grounding in the River Seine on 15 May 1798 and being engaged by gunboats from Le Havre? Merci!

@Trois_Ponts Tell me about it! I get very confused when writing in the same sentence about a British ship attacking 'a Frenchman' and trying to out-gun 'her'!

Les Anglais appellent leurs vaisseaux "men o’war" (littéralement hommes de guerre) mais utilisent le féminin "she" pour les désigner... C'est encore pire que chez nous.

2/2 and that the estate and title of La Roque had been bestowed on her by Queen Marie Antoinette. Is any of this true?

A question re Benjamin Franklin for my American friends. I've stumbled on a newspaper report about Elizabeth, the wife of Admiral Thomas Drury, which states that as a child she was taken by her relative, (Franklin) to be educated in France, 1/2

The son of a naval purser, Admiral Edmund Crawley (1755-1834) was in his mid-30’s before he achieved post rank, and his opportunities for active employment in the French wars were limited because of his poor health. morethannelson.com/officer/edmund…

@marksimner Hmm I could be persuaded, if only for the theme tune.

Time for a re-watch!

Posted captain at the early age of 18 through family influence, Sir George Martin (1764-1847) fought in a number of significant battles during a long and distinguished career in the Navy and eventually lived to become the Admiral of the Fleet. morethannelson.com/officer/sir-ge…

The aristocratic Admiral Charles Powell Hamilton, (1747-1825) had to wait until the age of 30 before achieving his first command. Although he served in both the American and French Revolutionary Wars, opportunities for distinction never quite fell his way morethannelson.com/officer/charle…

Currently in Naples and have to report that Castel Sant Elmo is a truly stunning fortress. Mind you, it couldn’t resist Captain Thomas Troubridge, but then little could.

@Herniestt @Empireaesth Thank you my friend. Think of Keats, Pellew, Howe……

@Empireaesth Jervis was way better than Nelson even at same age Thanks to @morethannelson I discovered a few ones I consider better than Nelson

Horatio Nelson is the greatest admiral in all of history. > Defeated the French and Spanish fleets at Trafalgar > Foiled Napoleon’s campaign in Egypt at the Nile > Single-handedly captured 2 Spanish ships at Cape St. Vincent > Secured British naval dominance for 100 years > “England expects that every man will do his duty” > Hated the French > Died a hero during his greatest victory > Achieved all of this while being one-armed and half-blind

Of obscure origins, Admiral Edmund Dod (1734-1815) had to wait until his mid-40’s before being posted captain. In the early 1790's he was awarded a commodore's broad pennant, but after he reached flag rank in his 63rd year he saw no further service. morethannelson.com/officer/edmund…

@GianlucaDamia14 2/2. I.e ‘Viscount’ is pronounced ‘vy-count’ not ‘vis-count’ and I believe the commentary said France declared war in May 1778: whereas I believe it was July. That said, a very enjoyable 20 minutes!

@morethannelson Yes, I already saw this, extremely useful, I discovered a lot of interesting books, thanks! I occasionally create historical content, primarily focusing on the American Revolution. I made this recently, if you watch it, any feedback is welcome: youtu.be/aYvInT1xO_Q?si…

In May 1798 two naval lieutenants led the astonishing defence of two captured French islands that saw 900 of the enemy killed for the loss of just one marine. (Hard to believe but it’s true!) morethannelson.com/the-defence-of…

@GianlucaDamia14 Apologies for the delay in getting back to you. Yes, I enjoyed it and you should certainly consider producing more. In particular I loved the chessboard type moves on the maps - that’s an excellent way of following a campaign. Only quibbles are minor, 1/2