1 of 7 April 2023 The 1805 Dispatches #23.02 THE 1805 DISPATCHES THE VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE From The Chairman, Capt. John Rodgaard USN (Ret) By the time members receive the latest edition of The 1805 Dispatches, members in the northern hemisphere are experiencing another spring, whilst our members in the southern hemisphere another winter. As for our Californian and Canadian members, it has been a difficult time, with the atmospheric rivers deluging California and heavy snow blanketing parts of Canada. Now that is a coincidence. As I’m writing this, the windows in my house are rattling and the vibrations through the house are telling me that we have another rocket launch at the Kennedy Space Center. I can see the contrail from another Space X launch. These launches have become routine ‘happenings’ for us here on the Space Coast of Florida. Speaking of happenings, you will certainly see in this edition of The 1805 Dispatches much has happened or is about to happen for us as a Club. I see that a few of our UK members have been out and about. Seeing Trincomalee up close is definitely on my list. We as a Club are much appreciative to Earl and Countess Howe for opening their doors to a group of our members and friends. I am sure you will join me in congratulating fellow Club members who were involved with the book The Baltic Cauldron and its London launch. As co-editor of The Trafalgar Chronicle, I can tell you that this year’s edition will have excerpt chapters from the book to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Royal Swedish Navy. I do hope many of you will join me at the unveiling of the Cornwallis commemorative stone as well as the Club’s AGM on the following day. For these two events, do check the Events Diary in this issue. Hoping you are all well and cheerful, One of our Canadian members sent me this. HMS Trincomalee In the wet dock at The National Museum of the Royal Navy, Hartlepool (See page 3) Fortunately, one of the tricks that an editor has, that he never tells anyone about if he has any sense, is to adjust picture sizes (he/she has other tricks, so please don’t worry about us) in order to accommodate extra, or lesser, text submitted by contributors. It is a sad fact of life that many contributors treat deadlines as guidelines (you know who you are!) – i.e. advisory – and how to do last-minute adjustments is something that an editor has to learn FAST! Unfortunately, I don’t have all that much sense, hence you are reading this, above a large picture, instead of the usual inspiring Editorial. Your editor has, however, been on the road, seeking interesting items for this newsletter, as you will see if you venture in. EDITORIAL
2 of 7 April 2023 The 1805 Dispatches #23.02 CORNWALLIS REMEMBERED Culmination of a Remembrance Decade – Don’t Miss It!!! 2013 was the year in which The 1805 Club commenced finding precisely where in Milford on Sea Admiral Sir William Cornwallis was buried. Ten years on, 2023 is the year in which we close off what was started a decade ago. St. Ann’s Church, Portsmouth Naval Dockyard, is the venue on 16 June for the unveiling of a remembrance stone to the Admiral. Additionally, the 2nd Sea Lord has given permission for the Club to use the next-door magnificent eighteenth-century Admiralty House and its lawn and gardens for refreshments after the service and unveiling. Don’t miss this prestigious event, closing off a decade of concentrated Club activity. Included in that decade has been: • much investigative work carried out by The 1805 Club supporting the Milford on Sea Historical Record Society (MOSHRS) to identify precisely where Sir William was buried within All Saints Church, Milford on Sea; • the work to restore the ledger marking the Admiral • the summer-long series of events in and around Milford-on-Sea in 2019. Avid readers of recent Trafalgar Dispatches will be aware from the Events Calendar and articles that the Club, in partnership throughout the decade with the Milford-on-Sea Historical Record Society (MOSHRS), of this Remembrance Service and Unveiling of a Memorial Stone to the Admiral. St Ann’s Church is within the secure boundary of HM Dockyard as is neighbouring Admiralty House. It is a remarkable church in which Cornwallis and his contemporaries would have worshipped. Because it is within the security perimeter, those attending this event will have to provide us, as part of their application to attend, their full names, addresses and nationality. On arrival at HM Dockyard, and without any exception, all of us will need to present passport or driving licence photographic evidence of their identity. There are NO exceptions to this. The Chaplain of the Fleet, The Venerable Andrew Hillier, along with the Bishop of Portsmouth, The Right Reverend Dr Jonathan Frost, the vicar of St Ann’s, Rev Phill Amey and the Club’s own Chaplain, Rev Lynda Sebbage will be leading the Remembrance Service. There will be a choir and organist and a full Order of Service. After the church service, those in attendance will witness Nigel Atkinson Esq., Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire unveil the remembrance stone to Sir William. Set in consecrated ground at the entrance to St Ann’s, the remembrance stone has been commissioned jointly between The 1805 Club and MOSHRS. Following the unveiling, we will walk through a large gate into Admiralty House gardens for buffet refreshments. Being mid-June the weather has a good chance at the very least of being dry, enabling us to enjoy the wonderful lawn and gardens. But if it is wet, then we can be accommodated inside Admiralty House as well. This occasion promises to be a wonderful event, culminating a decade-long’s activity by the Club with MOSHRS to remember the admiral. Full details will be promulgated to members. Stephen Tregidgo Club Lead on Cornwallis Remembrance Stone Above: William Cornwallis as Admiral By Daniel Gardner (1750-1805). Engraver: William Ridley (1764-1838) - NMM PAD3292 (Public Domain) Below: St. Ann’s Church, HMNB Portsmouth (Photo: Historic England)
3 of 7 April 2023 The 1805 Dispatches #23.02 On Monday 20 March your indefatigable Editor and your even less fatigable Club Secretary ventured to the north-east of England, on a maiden visit (for us) toHMS Trincomalee in the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) in Hartlepool. It was a trip well worth doing. Trincomalee, or ‘Trinc’ as those in her immediate vicinity call her, was built as a Leda-class frigate of 38 guns and launched in 1812, and she and HMS Unicorn(now in Dundee, Scotland) are the only surviving frigates of that class. In 1845 she was changed to 26 guns. Having been built of teak in India, and having missed the Napoleonic Wars, Trinc now has the honour of surviving as the oldest ship still afloat in Europe; the only older ship afloat being USS Constitution, ‘Old Ironsides’. Trinc has been lovingly preserved and moves to arrange a trip to the locality in the future – 2025 if we can manage it – for The 1805 Club. The NMRN has big plans for the future, so our visit may be determined by what they can achieve – we would look right flats to visit just before some big expansion were to occur. This was a private visit, but local members were informed of it and invited to join us. As it happened, only George Cansino was able to do so, and we were also joind by Jane Steele, then a non-member (“until I get home”, she said, and kept her word, joining on 21 March) but also a member of the Patrick O’Brian Appreciation Society on Facebook. We had the great benefit of being shown around by the Operations Manager, Simon Walsh, who sneaked us into the new display about the discovery of the wreck of HMSInvincible(obviously a misnomer), due to open at Easter. Photos, courtesy Stephen Howarth, clockwise from above: 1. Stephen Howarth, Jane Steele, George Cansino and Peter Turner. 2. Trinc from the pub. 3. Bow and stern of Trinc. 4. The Georgian facade of NMRN Hartlepool. 5. Ed ‘in’ costume. 6. Simon Walsh. Find him when you visit! VISITTO ‘TRINC’
4 of 7 April 2023 The 1805 Dispatches #23.02 Remember that there is a whole treasure trove here https://www.facebook.com/ The1805Club/ SHIP’S WORD WHEEL Take a ten-minute break and find as many words as possible, using the letters in the wheel. Each must use the hub letter and at least 3 others, used only once. No plurals (if only made by adding an ‘s’ or ‘es’), no foreign words not in common usage in English, nor proper nouns. There is at least one nine-letter word to be found. 20 = Average; 40 = Good; 50 = Amazing! Answers on page 6 VAN DE VELDES EXHIBITION Out of ‘our period’, but there is a splendid exhibition of the drawings and paintings of the 17th century artists Willem van de Velde, the Elder and his son, Willem van de Velde, the Younger, at Queen’s House, Greenwich, organised by Royal Museums Greenwich, called ‘Greenwich, Art and the Sea. It is more poignant because these two artists actually worked in Queen’s House, space having been given to them by Charles II. The exhibition continues until 14 January 2024, so there is no rush, but it is suspected that you will find second, third, or more, visits necessary because there are so many riches to see and enjoy. Your intrepid Club Secretary and slightly less trepid Editor visited the exhibition on 13 March en route to the book launch mention on page 5, and soon found that a couple of hours at Queen’s House were very inadequate. It is the drawings of the Van de Veldes that interest your Editor, in some ways more than the paintings, but the tapestry of the Battle of Solebay is quite breathtaking.It is a massive 3.94m (12’11”) by 5.64m (18’6”), weighing 36.4kg (80¼lb), and a couple of the details are shown here, together with the detail from one of the many pen paintings in the exhibition. Photos courtesy of Stephen Howarth. Above: The Burning of the Royal James at the Battle of Solebay, 29 May 1672. Mortlake tapestry woven with wool warps, wool and silk wefts, woven after a design by Willem van de Velde, the Elder. Part shown. Right top and centre: Details from the same tapestry. Right below: Detail from a pen painting showing Willem van de Velde, the Elder, in his galliot at the Battle of Scheveningen,1656.
5 of 7 April 2023 The 1805 Dispatches #23.02 Last year, 2022 (for future readers), was the 500th anni-versary of the creation of the Swedish Navy. To commemorate this event Whittles Publishing launched an important book, The Baltic Cauldron: Two Navies and the Fight for Freedom, edited by Michael Ellis, Gustaf von Horfsten and Derek Law, with a Foreword by Christer Hägg*, Peter Hore (friend of The 1805 Club) and Carl-Johan Hagman, and with contributions from all of them plus John Hattendorf *, David Davies *, Thomas Engevall, Andrew Lambert, Eric de Saumarez*, Michael Rawlinson, Nils Modig and Göran Wallén. A veritable cornucopia of the talents of naval history today. The book covers all aspects of naval conflict from the beginning until today, and is gripping. The relevance to the international situation today is well presented. Highly recommended. The 1805 Club was not directly involved with the publication of this book, but is acknowledged as a sponsor, with John Rodgaard and Peter Turner as named individual sponsors. (* denotes a Member of The 1805 Club) THE BALTIC CAULDRON JAMES KEITH Master of HMS NEPTUNE at Trafalgar We often hear about the famous and the brave, but we do not often hear about the equally brave, but less famous. Especially when we are hearing about the history of navies of ‘our’ period. We were recently contacted by Gary Osborne-Clarke, descendant of James Keith, who was the Master of HMSNeptune(98) at the Battle of Trafalgar. Mr Osborne-Clarke wished to sell the paintings by auction. The contact originated through Peter Hore, who passed it on to us to see if any members were interested. It was publicised on our Facebook page, but the portraits failed to sell and the owner is now reconsidering and seeking a suitable home for them. Here is what the auction house (Clevedon Salerooms) said about the portraits: “Trafalgar Interest - Rare pair of 19th Century oil on canvas portraits, of James Keith (Master of HMS Neptune at the Battle of Trafalgar, 21st October 1805) and of his wife Lesley Keith (née Douglas), both depicted bustlength, he with white wing-collared shirt and Naval coat, she with lace bonnet, blue silk dress and mantle, 74cm x 61.5cm, (restored 1998), in gilt frames. Recorded in the family of the current owner (a descendant) is the existence of a letter, a transcript of which still exists and is reproduced[inpart] below: "H.M.S. Neptune. Off Cadiz November 1st, 1805 My Dear Mother, On the 21st of last month, as you will hear by the newspaper, our �leet fought the combined force of France and Spain and though we were much inferior in numbers, we gained a decisive victory, after four hours hard �ighting. Fifteen of their ships struck. Our loss has been great, in as much as Lord Nelson, our Commanderin-Chief was killed. His loss will long be felt by England as an of�icer. [……] If I thought there were any nautical men near you I would have detailed the action from the beginning to the end with notes, but not expecting that, I rest satis�ied with having told you that I have survived the �ight, and that I shall be very happy to hear the trumpet sound peace over all the world. May God continue you health and strength is the most earnest prayer, of, my dear Mother, Your affectionate son"” The owner of the portraits, Gary Osborn-Clarke, is now relieved that the portraits failed to sell at the auction, and has decided that they will be donated, or loaned to a museum where their history can be shared. In an email he said, “I would like to ask if any of you can help me with donations or loans? I have seen from the email addresses that some of you work for or are connected with the National Maritime museum? I have just submitted an online donation form for the two Trafalgar portraits. And I have also submitted a donation form to the National Museum of the Royal Navy. I am asking if you can help, as I don't know people in these organisations, and assuming that many of you are interested in anything relating to Trafalgar, hopefully you can help?” We intend to help Mr Osborne-Clarke with this project. In a future edition of The Kedge Anchor (to any nonmembers, KAis our Club magazine, available in print only to members) it is hoped that we will expand this brief mention into a full-sized article about James Keith, the family history and the fate of the portraits – and hopefully, where you can go and see them.
6 of 7 April 2023 The 1805 Dispatches #23.02 Maritime archaeologist, Peter Holt, has recently released theRoyal Navy Wooden Shipwrecks Database. It isa searchable PDF document with a list of more than 100 wrecked or abandoned wooden-built Royal Navy ships that have been located and investigated anywhere in the world. The list starts with the loss of theMaryRosein 1545 and includes all documented RN losses in the Age of Sail. The list includes basic information about construction, armament, loss and location for each ship, plus a list of publications about each shipwreck site. The list will be updated as new information becomes available, so the version number is included with each document. The information is not copyright and free to use, but a credit would be appreciated. Latest version available at: http://www.3hconsulting.com/rnshipwrecks.html Peter Holt spent 20 years with Sonardyne International Ltd. designing subsea navigation systems. Between 2010 and 2016 Peter directed the SHIPS Project, a wide-ranging study of the maritime history of Plymouth funded by the US research foundation ProMare. Since 1989 Peter has worked on maritime archaeology projects all over the world. He has written books and a number of papers on surveying, geophysics and data management. Peter was a visiting research fellow at Plymouth University from 2010 to 2016, supervising numerous MSc Hydrography projects each year. Peter is a Chartered Engineer, a Member of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists, a Member of the Hydrographic Society, a NAS Senior Tutor, and the NAS south-west regional coordinator. He serves on the International Shipwreck Conference organizing committee. (Image courtesy of Pixabay.) ROYAL NAVY WOODEN SHIPWRECKS DATABASE A FREE DOWNLOAD VISIT TO PENN HOUSE On 18 March, at the invitation of The Earl and Countess Howe, a group of Club members and friends met at their home (Penn House in Buckinghamshire) for a private guided tour of the house and its collection of artworks and other treasures principally related to Admiral Lord Howe, the Earl's direct ancestor. The Howes are not Club members but have been its kind supporters for many years. Left to right: Jim Walker, Jenny Collingwood, Margaret Curtis, Richard Gunner, John Curtis, Judy Collingwood, Mark West, The Earl Howe, The Countess Howe, Juliet Bewley, Sam Hearn, John Bewley, Stephen Howarth, Annamaria Gwyther, John Gwyther. Photo: Annabel Cody
7 of 7 April 2023 The 1805 Dispatches #23.02 THE 1805 CLUB Founded in 1990, the Club: ・Promotes research into and education about the Royal Navy, merchant maritime service and other state navies of the same era; and ・Promotes and engages in the preservation of monuments and memorials relating to the Royal Navy and seafaring people of the later sailingnavy era; and ・Organises relevant cultural, historical and social events. The Club is charity No. 1071871, registered in England and Wales. Individuals desiring further information may contact: Stephen Howarth, Hon. Club Secretary, The 1805 Club Shelton Great Barn, Shelton, Notts, NG23 5JQ, UK Email: secretary@1805club.org Telephone: 01949 851346. For a membership application details please contact: For a membership application form please contact: Dr Sue Carr, Hon. Membership Secretary, The 1805Club London,UK Email: membership.secretary@1805club.org Or: Harold E (Pete) Stark, Hon US Secretary, The 1805 Club Annapolis, MD, USA Email: the.americas.membership.secretary@1805club.org Telephone: 410-269-9760 (mobile) Or: Mark Billings, Hon Canadian Secretary, The 1805 Club Montreal, Quebec, Canada Email: canadian.membership.secretary@1805club.org Telephone: 1-514-296-1641 Peter Turner, Editor of The Kedge Anchor Aldeburgh, Suffolk, UK Email: ka.editor@1805club.org Telephone: +(44) 7903 251008 The Newsletter for Anyone Interested in The 1805Club PURPOSE. The purpose of this newsletter is to support and advance the Club’s objectives. The newsletter provides anyone who is interested with brief items of news about the club and its activities, in the hope that the it can help the club attract wider interest in naval history and new members. Much of the content will be a précis of articles that will appear inTheKedge Anchor, the six-monthly club magazine. EDITORIAL POLICY. The editor has full editorial responsibility for the newsletter. Views expressed in the newsletter are those of individual authors, unless claimed by the editor. Articles which appear do not express the of�icial position of The 1805 Club on any subject unless speci�ically noted as such. Content of contributions to the newsletter may be edited for grammar, space allocation, or to better serve the purpose of the newsletter. Contributors wishing to be alerted to editorial decisions should notify the editor at the time that their contribution is submitted. Otherwise the submission will be published within the scope of the editorial policy. ISSUE AND COPY DATES The proposed issue dates for The 1805 Dispatches are: February, April, June, August, October and December. Anyone wishing to contribute an article or news item to the editor for inclusion in the newsletter should do so by the beginning of the month preceding the issue in which it is to be inserted. Any articles that are not time-speci�ic can be submitted at any time, with a note advising him of that fact. All copy is welcome, but not all copy may be used! NAVAL TERMS THAT HAVE ‘COME ASHORE’ Loggerheads - Hollow spheres of iron on a shaft that were heated in a fire and used to melt solid pitch in a bucket, and avoid ignition. Seamen considered it fun to settle a dispute by attempting to beat each other with loggerheads whilst dodging their opponent's swing. It could hurt.Ashore, to be ‘at loggerheads’ has come to be slang for any quarrelling. Duckboard, burdock, ruddock, buckra, bourd, bucko, burka, courb, douar, doura, drouk, ducor, koura, obruk, baku, baud, bauk, baur, boru, bour, buck, buda, budo, bura, burd, burk, cauk, cour, crud, cuba, curb, curd, daub, daur, douc, douk, dour, drub, duad, duar, duck, duka, dura, duro, koru, kudo, kura, kurd, raku, roku, ruck, rudd, urao. SHIP’S WORD WHEEL ANSWERS Event Date Event Title Event Description Club Lead 16 Jun 2023 Unveiling Cornwallis Plaque Ceremony to unveil stone plaque commemorating Cornwallis at St Ann’s Church, HMNB Portsmouth Stephen Tregidgo 16 Jun 2023 Semi-formal 1805 Club dinner Royal Maritime Club, Portsmouth Stephen Howarth 17 Jun2023 Annual General Meeting and Members’ Day Princess Royal Gallery Historic Dockyard, Portsmouth Stephen Howarth 1Aug2023 Battle of the Nile Commemoration John Rodgaard & PeteStark 21,22Sep 2023 McMullen Naval History Symposium (See panel below) This is a bi-annual event held at the US Navy Academy, the largest symposium of its kind. The Club will sponsor two three-person panels. John Rodgaard & PeteStark ToBe Arranged Nelson’s Marriage Certi�icate &Uniform Return of Marriage Certi�icate and delivery of new Captain’s uniform to St Nevis. John Rodgaard, Stephen Howarth, Benedict Ryan and PeteStark 21Oct2023 Trafalgar Night Dinner Formal dinner in HMSNelsonWardroom Stephen Howarth 10Nov 2023 Pickle Night New York Yacht Club John Rodgaard EVENTS DIARY The Events Committee are discussing additions to this calendar on a monthly basis.
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