22 NAVY NEWS, NOVEMBER 2009
Comical name for a bit-part player
COLOSSUS, Leviathan, Conqueror, was from the Solent to Land’s End, and Her blockade work was in the main
Dreadnought, Defiance and Thunderer; although the wars with France were in a tedious, including collecting the weekly
ships with a heart of oak which saw lull, there were still smugglers to chase. accounts from the ships of the fleet, but
Nelson’s plans for Trafalgar through to In 1802 Pickle’s beat was switched on occasions Pickle was sent into the
overwhelming victory. to the Bristol Channel, though in the lion’s den.
Ships with names which resonate with autumn of that year she was sent with She regularly went into the mouth of
power and aggression or evoke classical despatches to the Mediterranean, where Brest harbour to count the French men
heroes. she dallied until February 1803. o’ war, and once landed a party there
And then there was Pickle, a six-gun On returning to the UK in the spring to destroy a telegraph installation – an
schooner with a comical name which of 1803 she recommissioned, and Lt John incident which C S Forester incorporated
served as the general dogsbody, dwarfed Richards Lapenotière was in charge when into a Hornblower story.
even by the frigates which themselves she joined the fleet off Ushant for the Her greatest feat – to date – was
were not strong enough to join a fleet close blockade of Brest. in March 1804, when the 74-gun
encounter. There she suffered the only fatality of Magnificent was wrecked on the Pierre
But Pickle has her own special place in her entire Naval career, when OS James Noir reef off Brest, and Pickle played a
Naval folklore, even though that fame was Staner fell overboard on June 6. pivotal role in the rescue of the entire
granted to her just 35 years ago. The blockade became her station for crew of the stricken third-rate.
Pickle was neither a Naval Ship (which, the next 18 months – a miserable time for The schooner spent the following winter
at the turn of the 19th century, had to be the crew of a ship built for speed in the in the Caribbean, then refitted in Plymouth
commanded by an RN Captain) nor even Caribbean, not coastal work in the storms before resuming the role of dogsbody over
a ship, as she did not have three masts and of the Atlantic and English Channel. the summer, flitting to and fro between
was not square-rigged. She was worked very hard, occasionally Devonport, the British fleet off Finisterre
The fact she was a schooner places running messages to squadrons off Ferrol, and Nelson’s fleet off Cadiz.
the likely location of her builder as the Corunna and Rochefort, and it would Her ship’s company at the time was
American seaboard or the Caribbean, as
appear that Lapenotière was not the a typical mix of mariners – a mix of
this type of vessel was never common in
Navy’s greatest seaman or leader. Englishmen, Irishmen, Americans, a Scot,
the Royal Navy.
During his 41 months in command, a Welshman, a Channel Islander and a
She was bought in 1800 by Vice Admiral
Pickle lost or sprang her bowsprit or jib Norwegian.
Lord Hugh Seymour, Commander-in-
boom seven times and suffered major She was still with Nelson when
Chief in Jamaica, who wanted a tender
damage to other spars, while on three Blackwood’s frigates spotted the Franco-
for his flagship Sans Pareil, and who
occasions the officer was obliged to Spanish fleet put to sea on October 19.
handed over £2,500 for the 125-ton craft,
heave some of Pickle’s guns overboard to During the Battle of Trafalgar Pickle
originally named the Sting.
prevent a catastrophe. stayed to windward of Nelson’s column
The fact that the Navy Board had
On average half his crew deserted of ships then scurried about doing what
refused him permission did not bother the
each year and the number of floggings good she could – including an act of
dashing, wealthy and very well-connected
was notably high – none of her other particular heroism (see below).
peer, who counted the Prince of Wales
commanding officers so much as let the By the time the fighting subsided Pickle’s ● A 1995 replica of the Pickle, built in Poland, which featured heavily in the Trafalgar
among his chums. 200 programme four years ago
cat out of the bag, or saw the vessel suffer doctor, Assistant Surgeon Mr Britton, was
The Sting, built in 1799, had a
such damage. able to offer his assistance to Surgeon
complement of 40 sailors, and replaced
renamed Pickle, presumably to hide her refitted for Channel service.
So it was not a happy schooner, Beatty in the Victory for three days.
the worm-ridden fleet tender Pickle, taking
presence from the prying eyes of their An alternative version has the Pickle
although at least some of the blame must Pickle rode out the storm that threatened
over the tasks of carrying despatches,
mortal foes at the Treasury, but Sting she as being a West Country merchant lie with her situation – between May 1803 oblivion to the battered wooden walls then,
stores and personnel to outlying ships and
remained until early 1802. vessel which was bought and fitted out and December 1804 she was at sea nearly with prisoners offloaded, Lt Lapenotière
shore bases.
By that time, under the command of for the Navy – the obfuscation over 70 per cent of the time, the rest being split was summoned to Admiral Collingwood’s
The Admiralty Board, thwarted over
Lt Thomas Thrush, she had carried Sir her acquisition, and a lack of crucial between refit and repair, time at anchor temporary flagship Euryalus.
the vessel’s purchase, was further snubbed Hugh’s body back to England after his documents, makes either story possible.
off Plymouth or sheltering from winter Nelson’s successor had another little
over her name – they had ordered she be death from yellow fever in 1801 and been Whatever her origin, Pickle’s patch
storms in Torbay. job for the Pickle...
Modern source
Hounslow
Admiralty
Hertford-bridge
Staines
Basingstoke
Bagshot
for Pickle Night
Andover
Overton
Salisbury
W
oodyates
Blandford
Oakhampton
Crockenwell
Honiton
Axminster
Launceston
Exeter
Bridport
Dorchester
BEING chosen to convey
Blue Anchor
PICKLE Night, as Royal Navy traditions go, is barely out of
Bodmin
news of a fleet victory short trousers.
home was, to a junior
The event dates back 35 years this month, to HMS Nelson
in Portsmouth, when the president of the Senior Rates Mess
Falmouth
officer in Nelson’s navy,
akin to a Lottery win.
asked the Commodore of the Royal Naval Barracks for
permission to celebrate Trafalgar Night, quite reasonably
As the ships-of-the-line
wondering why the officers should get all the good parties.
clashed off Cape Trafalgar, Lt Commodore John Lea supported the idea, but could see
Lapenotière’s prospects were a problem – high-profile guests could be in short supply
diminishing as fast as those of
around October 21.
the Franco-Spanish Fleet.
The Commodore suggested they celebrate the arrival
Aged 35, in command of a tiny
of the news of the battle two weeks later, on or around
unrated vessel and little prospect of
November 6, allowing ‘special guests’ to recover after the
promotion, Lapenotière could only
rigours of Trafalgar Night. The rest is history...
● HMS Pickle’s voyage from
Cape Trafalgar to Falmouth (right)
envisage more time as the fleet’s
was followed by a 37-hour sprint
SLJO – silly little jobs officer – then
of Lorient and she was forced news and have it published – in
on November 4-6 1805 by Lt
the Georgian equivalent of a P45.
to retrace her route to avoid a the middle of which, an hour too
Lapenotiere to the Admiralty (above,
November 3 ●
But the man who passed glad
suicidal encounter. late, Sykes reached the Admiralty.
showing changes of horses)
tidings of success to the Admiralty
The lost time allowed Pickle to The next morning Lapenotière
in London could expect a windfall
pass her – the schooner never even was tidied up and taken to Windsor,
Moses Cannadey, grounded her
– £500 was the going rate,
spotted the enemy – and instead where – using cutlery over breakfast
on a shoal approaching Cadiz.
October 30 ●
equivalent to several years’ pay –
of battling contrary winds in the – the officer described the battle to
The crew took to the boats and
and promotion as well as fame,
Channel, Lapenotière went ashore King George III.
all survived, but Pickle quickly
temporary or otherwise.
at Fish Strand Quay in Falmouth, The King gave Lapenotiere the
filled with water and sank.
That sort of plum job would
40 miles short of Plymouth. silver muffineer (sugar or spice
A Union Jack which is believed marina
normally fall to a frigate captain,
Warming to his role as bearer of shaker) which the officer had used
to be the last surviving flag flown
the most obvious candidate being
good (and bad) news, Lapenotière to represent Victory in his tabletop
at the Battle of Trafalgar was due
the brilliant Henry Blackwood of
announced the victory at Trafalgar, recreation of the battle.
to be sold at auction as Navy News
the Euryalus.
and the death of Nelson, to those But more to the point,
went to press.
October 28 ●
But Collingwood, Nelson’s
who happened to be on the quay, Lapenotière was also promoted to
The flag, flown on HMS
successor, regarded Blackwood as
then began a 266-mile journey commander, given a sword worth
Spartiate and presented by the
indispensable in the event of further
to London by post chaise – a 100 guineas from the Patriotic
ship’s crew to Lt James Clephan,
enemy activity, so the choice of
huge gamble, as the cost of such Fund, received a share of prize
is to be sold by Charles Miller
messenger was between Pickle or
a trip was equivalent to half a money from the battle, and –
Ltd on Trafalgar Day, and has
the even-smaller Entreprenante,
lieutenant’s annual pay. though only after three petitioning
an estimated sale price of up to
the fleet’s other dogsbody.
Nautilus put into Plymouth 12 letters – bagged the £500 bounty
£15,000.
With the latter operating inshore
hours later and Sykes, possibly for bringing the news to London.
rescuing sailors from battered prize
with an eye to the potential riches, He even had his travel expenses
ships, Lapenotière hit the jackpot.
also hired a post chaise. reimbursed.
At noon on October 26, Pickle
The paths of the two men His career reinvigorated,
set sail for England with all speed
converged at Honiton, so Sykes Lapenotière was given a slightly Schooner relishes challenge
– in her case, a paltry four knots
would have known he was behind bigger vessel to command, and
to six knots.
Lapenotière, but the race continued eventually made post-captain in PICKLE had no part to play in the outcome of almost naked, burned on her neck and shoulders by
Lapenotière’s dreams of money
as each man headed from town 1811, but his time in the limelight Trafalgar – her 48lb broadside was one 25th of that molten lead, clinging to floating debris.
and fame began to crumble when
to town – in Lapenotière’s case, was by that time long past. of HMS Victory, for example. Even a frigate had eight Jeanne was later reunited with her husband, a
the sloop Nautilus joined Pickle,
requiring 19 changes of horses. He died in the bosom of his times her destructive power. maintopman in Achille.
and her captain, Cdr John Sykes,
The lieutenant was even denied family in Cornwall in early 1842. So Pickle and the other dogsbody, Entreprenante, In all Pickle saved more than 150 French sailors
took it upon himself (as the
a triumphal entry to London; the Pickle did not survive nearly stood back and watched as the battle unfolded. from drowning as the Achille burned fiercely from
more senior officer) to ensure the
last two hours were at walking pace so long. Around 4pm the French 74-gun Achille came stem to stern, loaded cannon cooking off and scattering
despatches from Collingwood got
because of thick fog, and it was She had three more years of escort under attack from HMS Prince, whose broadsides shot across the sea as she went about her task.
through to the Admiralty.
past midnight on November 6, 37 work, blockades and patrolling, ignited a fire in the shrouds and sails. And as the British ships withdrew, carrying their
The Nautilus was a much
hours after leaving Falmouth, that usually off Ushant but with at least Attempts by French seamen to quell the blaze were former enemies to safety, Achille finally succumbed
more seaworthy vessel, and as she
the officer met the Secretary of the one foray to the Caribbean, and foiled by a further broadside, and as her seacocks to the flames at around 5.30pm, the explosion
disappeared over the horizon, so
Admiralty, William Marsden, who one more moment of glory. were opened to flood her hull the crew began to creating a sobering finale to the diminuendo of a
too did Lapenotière’s hopes.
was often to be found burning the In January 1807 she captured a abandon ship. waning battle long won by the Royal Navy.
But three days later, on
midnight oil. French privateer with a complement Despite the risk of a massive explosion, Pickle and
November 2, Nautilus ran into
Having found and woken the twice the size of her own. Entreprenante moved in, along with boats from HMS marina With thanks to Iain MacKenzie at the Naval
a powerful French squadron out
First Lord, Lord Barham, Marsden But barely 18 months later, in Swiftsure, to pick up survivors from the water. Historical Branch; The Ships of Trafalgar by
set wheels in motion to spread the July 1808, her new captain, Lt Among them was Jeanne Caunant, who was found Peter Goodwin was also consulted
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