A War in Home Waters: at Home and at Sea, 1807 by Cragg John G

Author:Cragg John G. [John G., Cragg]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-02-03T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter XIII

Hector Fitzroy Blenkinsop was a middle-aged Royal Navy Post Captain of only a few years seniority. He had been at sea since 1792, but his career had advanced very slowly. Most of it had been spent in the Caribbean. For more years than was usual, Blenkinsop had been a midshipman on a ship of the line, where he had succeeded in twice failing the exam to become lieutenant, largely because he had paid little attention to the lessons he was supposed to learn on seamanship under a captain who made a modest income from their fathers for keeping midshipmen on his ship but taking no interest in their training.

Blenkinsop’s chance came when yellow fever hit Circe, one of the brigs of war on the station, wiping out all but one of her lieutenants. Blenkinsop was appointed acting lieutenant in the vessel, and when the supply of qualified lieutenants was not soon increased, his promotion was made permanent. He stayed with Circe, doing very well from her capturing merchant ships engaged in trade with the many enemy islands in the Leeward Islands.

The Treaty of Amiens ended the profitable use of Circe to further the war efforts and enrich the admiral under whose command she sailed. Her captain gave up his command to marry a Jamaica planter’s daughter, and the brig was decommissioned as excessive to the navy’s peacetime needs. Lieutenant Blenkinsop was able to find a birth as second lieutenant on a 32-gun frigate called Cicero, which was ordered to return to England just before she lost two of her lieutenants to yellow fever. Figaro’s captain, an experienced sailer called Harold Brasewait. was only too happy to accept the long-serving lieutenant for the journey home. Captain Brasewait believed in constantly exercising his crew, preparing for all sorts of situations. Blenkinsop, of course, could only feign enthusiasm for what he thought was excessive practice and work for all men aboard, but especially, in his view, the officers.

Cicero left Jamaica before news of the renewal of hostilities between Britain and France had reached the island. She crossed the Atlantic in complete ignorance of the changed state of affairs. Off Brest, she met a 36-gun frigate flying British colors. As the two vessels converged, the other frigate displayed what looked like it was the private signal used to prevent French ships from masquerading as English until they were in range. However, what was flown was not the appropriate signal that Cicero had expected and the number of the ship was not one found in Cicero’s list of active vessels. Captain Brasewait replied with the correct reply from the list he had been using in Jamaica and explained that Cicero was returning from Jamaica with an out-of-date signal book. The other frigate replied that they should meet so that Cicero could get the latest information.

None of the officers on the deck of Cicero suspected a trap. There were no enemy ships at sea after the peace treaty had been signed. Only when a lookout

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