HMS Bellerophon (1786)

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HMS Bellerophon (1786)

The first HMS Bellerophon of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British Armed Forces . From the mid-18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early 1940s....
was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line
Ship of the line

A ship-of-the-line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th century through the mid-19th century, to take part in the Naval tactics in the Age of Sail known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would maneuver to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear....
launched on 6 October 1786 at Frindsbury
Frindsbury

Frindsbury is part of the Medway Towns conurbation in Kent, southern England. It lies on the opposite side of the River Medway to Rochester, Kent, and at various times in its history has been considered fully or partially part of the City of Rochester....
on the River Medway
River Medway

The 'River Medway', which is almost entirely in Kent, England, flows for from just inside the West Sussex border to the point where it enters the Thames Estuary....
, near Chatham. She was built at the shipyard of Edward Greaves to the specifications of the Arrogant class, designed by Sir Thomas Slade in 1758. History has it that the First Lord of the Admiralty
Admiralty

The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. Originally exercised by a single person, the office of Lord High Admiral was from the 18th century onward almost invariably put "in commission", and was exercised by a Board of Admiralty....
at the time, John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich
Earl of Sandwich

Earl of Sandwich is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1660 for the prominent naval commander Admiral Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich....
, had a penchant for Greek and Roman mythology and plucked the name from Lemprière
John Lemprière

John Lempri?re , English classical scholar, lexicographer, theologian, teacher and headmaster. He was the son of Charles Lempri?re , of Mont au Pr?tre, Jersey....
's Classical Dictionary
Lemprière's Bibliotheca Classica

The Bibliotheca Classica , or Classical Dictionary containing a full Account of all the Proper Names mentioned in Ancient Authors is the best-known work of John Lempri?re, an English classical scholar....
.

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The first HMS Bellerophon of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British Armed Forces . From the mid-18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early 1940s....
was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line
Ship of the line

A ship-of-the-line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th century through the mid-19th century, to take part in the Naval tactics in the Age of Sail known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would maneuver to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear....
launched on 6 October 1786 at Frindsbury
Frindsbury

Frindsbury is part of the Medway Towns conurbation in Kent, southern England. It lies on the opposite side of the River Medway to Rochester, Kent, and at various times in its history has been considered fully or partially part of the City of Rochester....
on the River Medway
River Medway

The 'River Medway', which is almost entirely in Kent, England, flows for from just inside the West Sussex border to the point where it enters the Thames Estuary....
, near Chatham. She was built at the shipyard of Edward Greaves to the specifications of the Arrogant class, designed by Sir Thomas Slade in 1758. History has it that the First Lord of the Admiralty
Admiralty

The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. Originally exercised by a single person, the office of Lord High Admiral was from the 18th century onward almost invariably put "in commission", and was exercised by a Board of Admiralty....
at the time, John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich
Earl of Sandwich

Earl of Sandwich is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1660 for the prominent naval commander Admiral Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich....
, had a penchant for Greek and Roman mythology and plucked the name from Lemprière
John Lemprière

John Lempri?re , English classical scholar, lexicographer, theologian, teacher and headmaster. He was the son of Charles Lempri?re , of Mont au Pr?tre, Jersey....
's Classical Dictionary
Lemprière's Bibliotheca Classica

The Bibliotheca Classica , or Classical Dictionary containing a full Account of all the Proper Names mentioned in Ancient Authors is the best-known work of John Lempri?re, an English classical scholar....
. He directed that the vessel be named for the Greek warrior Bellerophon
Bellérophon

Bell?rophon is an opera with music by Jean-Baptiste Lully and a libretto by Thomas Corneille and Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle first performed at the Palais Royal, Paris on 31 January 1679....
who rode the winged horse Pegasus
Pegasus

In Greek mythology, Pegasus was a winged horse sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa....
and slew the monster Chimera
Chimera (mythology)

This article is about the Greek_Mythology creature. For other uses, see Chimera.In Greek mythology, the Chimera was a monstrous creature of Lycia in Asia Minor, composed of the parts of multiple animals: upon the body of a lioness with a tail that terminated in a snake's head, the head of a goat arose on her back at the center of her...
.

Early history
She fought at the battle of The Glorious First of June, under the command of Captain William Johnstone Hope
William Johnstone Hope

Vice Admiral Sir William Johnstone Hope, Order of the Bath was a prominent and controversial British Royal Navy officer and politician in late eighteenth and early nineteenth century Britain, whose career experienced fleet actions, disputes with royalty, party politics and entry to both Russian and British orders of chivalry....
, where she lost 4 killed and 27 wounded. In 1798 she fought at the Battle of the Nile
Battle of the Nile

At the Battle of the Nile or Aboukir Bay , a Kingdom of Great Britain fleet under Rear-Admiral Horatio Nelson surprised and largely destroyed a France fleet under Fran?ois-Paul Brueys D'Aigalliers anchored near Alexandria, Egypt, stranding Napoleon's army in Egypt....
under Captain Henry D'Esterre Darby
Henry D'Esterre Darby

Admiral Sir Henry D'Esterre Darby, Order of the Bath, was an officer in the Royal Navy. He was the second son of Jonathan Darby IV Esq., of Leap Castle, in King's County, Ireland....
, who was wounded early in the action; she lost 49 killed and 148 wounded. She also fought at the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar

The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the United Kingdom Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy , during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
in 1805, becoming one of the most famous British ships of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars

The Napoleonic Wars were a series of conflicts involving Napoleon I of France First French Empire and changing sets of European allies and opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815....
.

A letter to Henry D'Esterre Darby, her captain at the battle of the Nile, from Admiral Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson

Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bront?, Order of the Bath was a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland flag officer famous for his participation in the Napoleonic Wars....
, commander of the fleet at the battle, survives:

'My Dear Darby,
I grieve for your heavy loss of Brave fellows, but look at our glorious Victory. We will give you every assistance as soon as you join us, till then God Bless You.
Ever yours faithfully,

Horatio Nelson

Aug 3rd 1798

We shall both I trust soon get well.'

Her crew affectionately called the vessel the Billy Ruffian (or Billy Ruff'n). At Trafalgar she was the fifth in Admiral Collingwood's Southern division and thus was heavily engaged, battling the French L'Aigle to a bloody standstill at the cost of her captain John Cooke dead, 26 other crew killed and 123 wounded. Command was ably assumed by her first lieutenant William Pryce Cumby
William Pryce Cumby

Captain William Pryce Cumby, RN, Order of the Bath was an officer in the Royal Navy whose excellent service during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars was highlighted when he was thrust into the limelight following his service at the battle of Trafalgar....
, who safely steered the battered ship back to Gibraltar
Gibraltar

Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar. The territory shares a border with Spain to the north....
. On board during the battle was future Arctic
Arctic

The Arctic is the region around the Earth's North Pole, opposite the Antarctica region around the South Pole. The Arctic includes the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Greenland , Russia, the United States , Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland....
explorer John Franklin
John Franklin

Sir John Franklin, Royal Geographical Society was a United Kingdom Royal Navy Officer and Arctic List of explorers who mapped almost two thirds of the northern coastline of North America....
, serving as a young midshipman
Midshipman

A midshipman is a subordinate officer, an officer cadet, or alternatively a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the navy of several English-speaking countries....
.

Napoleon's surrender
She achieved further fame on 15 July 1815 when Napoleon Bonaparte surrendered to Captain Frederick Maitland
Frederick Lewis Maitland (Rear Admiral)

Rear admiral Sir Frederick Lewis Maitland Order of the Bath was an officer in the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary War and Napoleonic Wars....
of the Bellerophon and was transported to Torbay
Torbay

Torbay is an east-facing bay and natural harbour, at the western most end of Lyme Bay in the south-west of England, situated roughly midway between the cities of Exeter and Plymouth....
where the ship anchored off Brixham
Brixham

Brixham is a small fishing town and civil parish in the county of Devon, in the south-west of England. Brixham is at the southern end of Torbay, across the bay from Torquay, and is a fishing port....
on 24 July. There Maitland received orders from Admiral Lord Keith
George Keith Elphinstone, 1st Viscount Keith

George Keith Elphinstone, 1st Viscount Keith was a United Kingdom admiral active throughout the Napoleonic Wars.Fifth son of the 10th Lord Elphinstone, he was born in Elphinstone Tower, near Stirling, Scotland....
. He was '...most positively ordered to prevent every person whatever from coming on board the ship you command, except the officers and men who compose her crew.'

In response to his orders, Captain Maitland refused to allow the usual visits of the boats full of traders with supplies of fresh food. John Michelmore, aboard one of the boats hoping to sell bread, saw a sailor in one of the lower gunports who signalled to them and then set adrift a small bottle containing a message that Bonaparte was aboard. He and the baker rowed ashore and the news quickly spread. While Maitland still kept boats from actually coming alongside, there were no further attempts to conceal the Emperor's presence. After two days, Bellerophon received orders to proceed to Plymouth
Plymouth

Plymouth is a City status in the United Kingdom and unitary authority on the coast of Devon, England, about south west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers River Plym to the east and River Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound....
harbour where Lord Keith was anchored aboard his flagship HMS Ville de Paris. Napoleon remained on board Bellerophon and the ship was still kept isolated from the throngs of curious sightseers by two guardships anchored close at hand. On 4 August, Lord Keith ordered Bellerophon to go to sea and await the arrival of HMS Northumberland
HMS Northumberland (1798)

HMS Northumberland was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at the yards of Barnard, Deptford and launched on 2 February 1798....
which had been designated to take Napoleon into exile on St Helena. On 7 August, Napoleon left the Bellerophon where he had spent over three weeks without ever landing in England and boarded Northumberland which then sailed for St Helena.

Eventual fate
From 1815, Bellerophon served as a prison ship
Prison ship

A prison ship, historically sometimes called a prison Hulk , is a vessel used as a prison, often to hold convicts awaiting transportation to penal colonies....
at Sheerness
Sheerness

Sheerness is a town located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the northwest corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 12,000 it is the largest town on the island....
. She was renamed Captivity in 1824, sold on 12 January 1836 and broken up.