Naval History On This Day, Any Nation

[Kevin]

23rd January

 

 

1761

HMS Minerva (32), Cptn. Alexander Hood, took Warwick. (34), M. la Verger de Belair, 30 leagues west of Cape Pinas

1781

HMS Culloden (74), Cptn. Balfour, wrecked on the east end of Long Island in a gale.

1793

HMS Providence, Cptn. William Bligh, and HMS Assistant arrive St Vincent, West Indies, on 2nd breadfruit voyage.

1798

HMS Melampus (36), Cptn. Graham Moore, captured French corvette Volage (22), M. Desageneaux.

1801

The company of HMS Active (38), in a Spanish prize, captured Sta. Maria.

1807

HMS Felix Schooner (14), Lt. Robert Clarke(2), wrecked in St. Andero Bay, near Santander.

HMS Orpheus (32), Cptn. Thomas Briggs, wrecked on a coral reef in the West Indies

1814

HMS Astrea (36), Cptn. John Everleigh, and HMS Creole (36), Cptn. George C. Mackenzie, engaged Etoileand Sultane off the island of Maio.

[Kevin]

24th January

 

 

1761

HMS Richmond (32), Cptn. Elphinstone, destroyed Felicite (32), Cptn. Donell (Killed in Action), off Flanders.

1808

HMS Iris (36) Cptn. John Tower, captured the French privateer lugger Marsouin (14) off the Lizard

[flying_dutchman2]

01-24-2014

 

On this day in 1781, Patriot commanders Lieutenant Colonel Light Horse Henry Lee and Brigadier General Francis Swamp Fox Marion of the South Carolina militia combine forces and conduct a raid onGeorgetown, South Carolina, which is defended by 200 British soldiers.

 

German naval forces under Admiral Franz von Hipper, encouraged by the success of a surprise attack on the British coastal towns of Hartlepool and Scarborough the previous month, set off toward Britain once again, only to be intercepted by a squadron of British cruisers led by Vice-Admiral Sir David Beatty on the morning of January 24, 1915, near the Dogger Bank in the North Sea.

[Kevin]

25th January

 

 

1782

The Battle of St Kitts (aka The Battle of Frigate Bay). The British fleet under Rear-Admiral Sir Samuel Hood out manouvered and was attacked by a larger French fleet under the Comte de Grasse off Basse Terre, St. Kitts. Hood repulsed repeated attacks but could not prevent the loss of the Island.

HMS Solebay (28) wrecked off Nevis

1794

HEICS Houghton, Cptn. Hudson, and HEICS Nonsuch, Cptn. John Canning, engaged Cybele off Saint-Nicholas point, Java

1800

HMS Brazen (18), Cptn. J. Hanson, driven by a gale on to the Ave Rocks near Newhaven and wrecked.

1824

HMS Columbine Sloop (18), Hon. Chas. Abbot, wrecked in the harbour of Port Longue, Island of Sapienza

[flying_dutchman2]

Military History - 25th Jan.

On this day in 1776, the Continental Congress authorizes the first national Revolutionary War memorial in honor of Brigadier General Richard Montgomery, who had been killed during an assault on Quebec on December 31, 1775.

The Israeli submarine Dakar, carrying 69 sailors, disappears on this day in 1968 and is never seen again. The exact fate of this vessel remains a mystery to this day.

1579 - Treaty of Utrecht signed, marks beginning of Dutch Republic (VERY important)

1775 - Americans drag cannon up hill to fight British (Gun Hill Road, Bronx)

1802 - Napoleon Bonaparte elected president of Italian (Cisalpine) Republic

1856 - Battle of Seattle; skirmish between settlers & Indians

1865 - CSS Shenandoah arrives in Melbourne, Australia

[Kevin]

26th January

 

 

1793

Horatio Nelson appointed to command HMS Agamemnon (64).

1800

HMS Brazen (18), James Hanson, was driven by a gale on to the Ave Rocks near Newhaven and was destroyed

1805

HM brig Epervier (16), John Impey, captured the French privateer schooner L'Elizabeth (4)

1808

William Bligh deposed as governor of NSW by 'Rum Rebellion' mutiny.

[Kevin]

HMS Agamemnon (1781)

 

 

Under Nelson[edit]

In anticipation of the start of Britain's involvement in the French Revolutionary War after the execution of King Louis XVI, Agamemnon was recommissioned on 31 January 1793. She was placed under the command of Captain Horatio Nelson, and after provisioning joined the fleet lying at anchor at the Nore. She subsequently sailed to join the Mediterranean fleet under Vice-Admiral Hood, which was blockading the French port of Toulon.^[2] On 27 August the town of Toulon declared its allegiance to the Royalist Bourbon cause, and Hood's fleet moved in to take control of the naval dockyard and the 30 French ships of the line that were in the harbour. After capturing 19 of the ships, Agamemnon was sent to Naples to ask King Ferdinand IV for reinforcements with which to secure the town; he agreed to provide 4,000 men. When the revolutionary army, commanded by Napoleon Buonaparte, launched its assault against Toulon, the troops proved insufficient to hold it, and they were forced to abandon the town.^[10]

In April and May 1794, seamen from Agamemnon, led by Nelson, helped capture the Corsican town of Bastia. The French surrendered on 21 May, after a 40-day siege. After this action, Agamemnon was forced to sail to Gibraltar to undergo urgent repairs, the ship having become very worn out after just 16 months at sea, despite having undergone a fairly extensive refit just prior to being recommissioned.^[2] Upon completion of her repairs, Agamemnon returned to Corsica, anchoring south of Calvi on 18 June.^[10] After Hood arrived with additional ships, Agamemnon contributed guns and men to the 51-day siege of Calvi, during which time Nelson lost the sight in his right eye when a French shot kicked sand and grit into his face. The town surrendered on 10 August, Agamemnon having lost six men in the engagement.^[11] Shortly thereafter the inhabitants of Corsica declared themselves to be subjects of His Majesty King George III.^[12]

Agamemnon (left) battling Ça Ira on 13 March 1795. The frigates HMS Inconstant(left, background) and Vestale (right) are also visible.

Agamemnon, still with the Mediterranean fleet—now under Vice-Admiral William Hotham, who had superseded Hood in December 1794—participated in the Battle of Genoa when a French fleet, comprising 15 ships of the line, was sighted on 10 March 1795. Three days later, the French having shown no signs that they were willing to give battle, Admiral Hotham ordered a general chase. The French ship Ça Ira lost her fore and main topmasts when she ran into one of the other ships of the French fleet, Victoire, allowing HMS Inconstant to catch up with and engage her. Agamemnon and Captain came up to assist soon after, and continued firing into the 80-gun French ship until the arrival of more French ships led to Admiral Hotham signalling for the British ships to retreat. Ça Ira was captured the following day, along with Censeur, which was towing her, by Captain and Bedford.^[11][12]

On 7 July 1795, whilst in company with a small squadron of frigates, Agamemnon was chased by a French fleet of 22 ships of the line and 6 frigates. Due to adverse winds, Admiral Hotham was unable to come to her aid until the following day, and the French fleet was sighted again on 13 July, off the Hyères Islands. Hotham signalled for his 23 ships of the line to give chase, and in the ensuing Battle of the Hyères Islands, Agamemnon was one of the few Royal Navy ships to engage the enemy fleet.^[a] The French ship Alcide struck her colours during the battle, only to catch fire and sink. Many of the other French ships were in a similar condition; Agamemnon and Cumberland were manoeuvring to attack a French 80-gun ship when Admiral Hotham signalled his fleet to retreat, allowing the French to escape into the Gulf of Fréjus.^[12] Admiral Hotham was later greatly criticised for calling off the battle, and was relieved as Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean by Admiral Sir John Jervis at the end of the year.^[13]

Nelson was promoted to Commodore on 11 March, and on 10 June 1796 transferred his pennant to HMS Captain, Captain John Samuel Smith replacing him asAgamemnon's commander. Having been deemed in great need of repair, the ship then returned to England.^[13

 

 

 

^{part off http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Agamemnon_(1781)#Under_Nelson}

[flying_dutchman2]

On January 26, 1788, Captain Arthur Phillip guides a fleet of 11 British ships carrying the first 736 convicts banished from England to Australia land in Botany Bay. Over the next 60 years, approximately 50,000 criminals were transported from Great Britain to the "land down under," in one of the strangest episodes in criminal-justice history.

[Kevin]

27th January

 

 

1695

Capture of Content and Trident by an English Squadron.

1801

HMS Oiseau (32), Cptn. Linzee, and HMS Sirius (36), Cptn. Richard King, captured Dedaigneuse (36) off Cape Finisterre.

HMS Amethyst  (36), Capt. John Cooke, and HMS Sirius (36), Cptn. Richard King, captured the Spanish letter of marque Charlotta some 20 miles north of Cape Belem

HMS Concorde (36), Cptn. Barton, engaged Bravure about 75 miles west of Cape Finisterre.

1807

HMS Lark (16), Cptn. Robert Nicholas, captured two Spanish guarda costa schooners bound for Porto Bello,Postillon (3) and Carmen (5).

HMS Jason (32), Cptn. Thomas John Cochrane, re-took Favourite (16), Lt. Le Marant Daniel, off the Soramine River, Surinam.

1813

HMS Daring (12), Lt. William R. Pascoe, was run ashore on Tamara (one of the Loss Islands, off Guinea) and burnt when threatened by two French frigates, Arethuse and Rubis.

1816

Samuel Hood died

[Kevin]

Sir Samuel Hood, 1st Baronet

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

 

Sir Samuel Hood, 1st Baronet

Sir Samuel Hood K.B.K.S.F. Engraved by Ridley, Holl & Blood from an Original Miniature in the possession of Lady Hood.European Magazine

Born 1762 Died 24 December 1814
Madras, India Allegiance  United Kingdom Service/branch  Royal Navy Years of service 1776 - 1814 Rank Vice-Admiral Commands held HMS Juno
HMS Aigle
HMS Zealous
HMS Venerable
East Indies Station Battles/wars First Battle of Ushant, 1778
Battle of the Saintes, 1782
Battle of the Nile, 1798 Awards Order of Saint Ferdinand and of Merit
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword
Knight of the Order of the Bath Relations Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood

Vice-Admiral Sir Samuel Hood, 1st Baronet KB RN (1762 – 24 December 1814) was an officer of theRoyal Navy and the cousin once removed of the more famous Admiral Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood and his younger brother Alexander Hood who sponsored Arthur (lost in a hurricane) Sir Samuel Hood and his younger brother Alexander into the Royal Navy. ^[1]

Naval career[edit]

He entered the Royal Navy in 1776 at the start of the American Revolutionary War.^[2] His first engagement was the First Battle of Ushant on 27 July 1778, and, soon afterwards transferred to the West Indies, he was present, under the command of his cousin, at all the actions which culminated in Admiral George Rodney's victory of 12 April 1782 in the Battle of the Saintes.

After the peace, like many other British naval officers, Hood spent some time in France, and on his return to England was given the command of a sloop, from which he proceeded in succession to various frigates. In the 32-gun fifth-rate frigate Juno his gallant rescue of some shipwrecked seamen won him a vote of thanks and a sword of honour from the Jamaica assembly.^[2]

French Revolutionary Wars[edit]

Early in 1793, after the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars, Hood went to the Mediterranean in Junounder his cousin Lord Hood, and distinguished himself by an audacious feat of coolness and seamanship in extricating his vessel from the harbour of Toulon, which he had entered in ignorance of Lord Hood's withdrawal. In 1795, in Aigle, he was put in command of a squadron for the protection of Levantinecommerce, and in early 1797 he was given command of the 74-gun ship of the line Zealous, in which he was present at Admiral Horatio Nelson's unsuccessful attack on Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Captain Hood conducted the negotiations which relieved the squadron from the consequences of its failure.^[2]

Napoleonic Wars[edit]

Zealous played an important part at the Battle of the Nile. Her first opponent was put out of action in twelve minutes. Hood immediately engaged other ships, the Guerriere being left powerless to fire a shot.

When Nelson left the coast of Egypt, Hood commanded the blockading force off Alexandria and Rosetta. Later he rejoined Nelson on the coast of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, receiving for his services the order of St Ferdinand.^[2]

In the 74-gun third-rate Venerable Hood was present at the Battle of Algeciras on 8 July 1801 and the action in the Straits of Gibraltar that followed. In the Straits his ship suffered heavily, losing 130 officers and men. In 1802, Captain Hood was employed in Trinidad as a commissioner, and, upon the death of the flag officer commanding the Leeward Islands station, he succeeded him as Commodore. Island after island fell to him, and soon, outside Martinique, the French had scarcely a foothold in the West Indies. Amongst other measures Hood took one may mention the garrisoning of Diamond Rock, which he commissioned as a sloop-of-war to blockade the approaches of Martinique. For these successes he was, amongst other rewards, appointed a Knight Companion of the Order of the Bath (KB).^[2]

Admiral Hood Monument

In command next of the squadron blockading Rochefort, Sir Samuel Hood lost an arm during the Action of 25 September 1806 against a French frigate squadron. Promoted to Rear Admiral a few days after this action, Hood was in 1807 entrusted with the operations against Madeira, which he brought to a successful conclusion.^[2]

In 1808 Hood sailed to the Baltic Sea, with his flag in the 74-gun Centaur, to take part in the Russo-Swedish war. In one of the actions of this war Centaur and Implacable, unsupported by the Swedish ships (which lay to leeward), cut out the Russian 50-gun ship Sevolod from the enemy's line and, after a desperate fight, forced her to strike. King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden rewarded Admiral Hood with the Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword.^[2]

Late career[edit]

Present in the roads of A Coruña at the re-embarkation of the army of Sir John Moore after the Battle of A Coruña, Hood thence returned to the Mediterranean, where for two years he commanded a division of the British fleet. In 1811 he became Vice Admiral.^[2]

In his last command, that of the East Indies Station, he carried out many salutary reforms, especially in matters of discipline and victualling.^[2] He died without issue at Madras in 1814, having married Mary Elizabeth Frederica Mackenzie, eldest daughter and heiress of Francis Mackenzie, 1st Baron Seaforth.

A lofty column, the Admiral Hood Monument was raised to his memory on a hill near Butleigh, Somersetshire. There is another memorial in Butleigh Church with an inscription written by Robert Southey. The Hoods Tower Museum in Trincomalee gains it name form the fire control tower named after him at Fort Ostenburg.

Edited January 27, 2014 by Kevin

[flying_dutchman2]

Sir Samuel Hood was a busy man.

[flying_dutchman2]

1900 Hyman Rickover, American admiral who is considered the "Father of the Atomic Submarine."

 

1671 - Pirate Henry Morgen lands at Panama City

[Kevin]

28th January

 

 

1778

Second American New Providence Expedition raises the flag with thirteen stripes over Fort Nassau. 

1799

HMS Proserpine (28), Cptn. James Wallis, struck sand bank in the river Elbe in bad weather and wrecked.

1801

HMS Forte (44), Cptn. Lucius Ferdinand Hardyman, wrecked on a sunken rock in the harbour of Jedda, Red Sea.

1805

HMS Gipsy destroyed privateer schooner.

1806

HMS Growler (12), Lt. Thomas Nesbitt, captured French privateer lugger Voltigeur (6) off St. Malo.

HMS Attack (14), Lt. Thomas Swain, captured French privateer lugger Sorcier (14), Guillaume Francoise Neele, off St. Malo.

1812

HMS Manilla (38), Cptn. John Joyce, wrecked on Haaks, Texel.

1814

Surrender of Ragusa (Dubrovnik) to HMS Bacchante (38), Cptn. William Hoste, HMS Saracen (18), John Harper, and troops.

[flying_dutchman2]

01-28

 

1915 - In the country's first such action against American shipping interests on the high seas, the captain of a German cruiser orders the destruction of the William P. Frye, an American merchant ship.

 

1915 - Congress passed legislation creating the U.S. Coast Guard.

[Kevin]

29th January

 

1703

HMS Lincoln (48) foundered

1719

HMS Crown (48) wrecked off the Tagus

1781

Wilmington surrendered to the Blonde (32), Cptn. Andrew Barclay, with HMS Delight (14), HMS Otter (14) and consorts.

1801

HMS Bourdelais (24), Cptn. Thomas Manby, sunk French national corvette La Curieuse (18), Cptn. Radelet, off Barbados

HM Fireship Incendiary (16), Cptn. Richard Dalling Dunn, taken and destroyed off Cape Spartel by French Squadron under Rear-Admiral Ganteaume

1805

HMS Raven (14), Lt.(act. Cdr.) William Layman, wrecked on the beach at Santa Catalina, near Cadiz.

HMS Kingfisher (18), Richard William Cribb, captured French privateer Deux Amis (6), Francis Dutrique, in the Caribbean

1810

Boats of HMS Phoenix (36), Cptn Thomas Baker, and HMS Jalouse (18) captured Charles (14).

1814

HMS Holly Schooner (8), Lt. Samuel Sharpe Treacher, parted her cables in a violent gale and ran onto the rocks under the Mount of San Sebastian and was wrecked.

1856

HM paddle-sloop Polyphemus (5), Cdr. F.P. Warren, wrecked on sandbank near Hansholman Light off coast of Jutland

[flying_dutchman2]

On this day the 29th of January:

 

1914 - U.S. Marines land in Haiti to protect U.S. consulate

1943 - Beginning of 2 day battle of Rennell Island after which U.S. transports reached Guadalcanal

[st george]

1574 - Sea battle of Reimerswaal - Admiral Boisot beats Spanish fleet.

1943 - New Zealand cruiser Kiwi collides with Japanese submarine I-1 at Guadalcanal.

1944 - USS Missouri, the last battleship commissioned by the US Navy, is launched.

[flying_dutchman2]

The more contributors, the more historical information.

Cool beans.

 

Marc

[Kevin]

30th January

 

 

1761

HMS Venus (32), Cptn. Harrison, and HMS Juno (32), Capt. Henry Towry, took La Brune (32), to the westward of Scilly

1779

HMS Weazel (16), Cdr. Lewis Robertson, was taken by La Boudeuse (36), off St. Eustatia.

1794

HMS Amphitrite (24), Cptn. Anthony Hunt, wrecked after striking an uncharted submerged rock whilst on passage between Elba and Livorno.

1808

HMS Delight captured by the French at Reggio.

1809

Start of  Sir A. Cochrane's campaign to capture Martinique.

HM Cutter Haddock (4), Ch. Win. Selwyn, captured by the French brig Genie (16) in the Channel.

1862

USS Monitor launched.

[flying_dutchman2]

1944 - American amphibious landing on Kwajalein, Marshall Islands.

1961 - Lieutenant Commander Samuel Lee Gravely, Jr. becomes first African-American to command a combat ship, USS Falgout.

1981 - Era of Enlisted Naval Aviators ends when last pilot retired.

[st george]

1774 - Capt Cook reaches 71°10' south, 1820km from south pole.

1790 - Mr Greathead, the inventor of the first Lifeboat, carries out 1st test at sea.

1862 - Launching of first turreted warship, USS Monitor.
1895 - SS Elbe sinks after collision in North Sea, 332 killed.

1945 - "Wilhelm Gustloff" torpedoed off Danzig by Soviet sub-c 9,400 die.

[Kevin]

31st January

 

1748

HMS Nottingham (60), Cptn. Harland, and HMS Portland (50), Cptn. Charles Stevens, took Magnanime (74) off Ushant.

1779

HMS Apollo (32), Cptn. Philemon Pownall, took Oiseau.

1797

HMS Andromache (32) captured an Algerine corsair.

1808

HMS Delight Sloop (16), Philip Cosby Handfield, wrecked on the coast of Calabria.

HMS Leda (38), Cptn. Robert Honeyman,  wrecked at the entrance of Milford Haven.

1812

HMS Laurel (36), Cptn. Samuel Campbell Rowley, wrecked on the sunken Govivas rock in Teigneuse Passage, Quiberon Bay.

1823

HMS Naiad (38), Cptn. Robert Cavendish Spencer, and HMS Cameleon (10) captured Algerine corsair Tripoli(18).

1828

HMS Cambrian (38), Cptn. Gawen William Hamilton, wrecked in attacking piratesoff the fort at Grabusa (or Carabousa), a small island about a mile off Akra Vouxa, the north-west point of Crete.

[st george]

1804 - British vice-admiral William Blighs fleet reaches Curacao.

1917 - Germany notifies US that U-boats will attack neutral merchant ship
1918 - A series of accidental collisions on a misty Scottish night leads to the loss of two Royal Navy submarines with over a hundred lives, and damage to another five British warships

1953 - "Princess Victoria" capsized off Stanraer Scotland; 133 die.

[flying_dutchman2]

1944 - American amphibious landing on Kwajalein, Marshall Islands

1961 - Lieutenant Commander Samuel Lee Gravely, Jr. becomes first African-American to command a combat ship, USS Falgout

1981 - Era of Enlisted Naval Aviators ends when last pilot retired

[Kevin]

1st February 

 

1793

France declared war on Britain and Holland starting Revolutionary War. 

Adam Duncan promoted to Vice Admiral.

1807

HMS Lark (16), Cptn. Robert Nicholas, and boats at Zispata Bay. Silenced a battery and engaged a convoy with 3 small escorts. 1 enemy was taken but 2 earlier prizes ran aground and were burnt.

[Kevin]

taken from on this day 30th January 

1790 - Mr Greathead, the inventor of the first Lifeboat, carries out 1st test at sea.

 

 

 

Henry Greathead

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

 

Henry Francis Greathead Born January 27, 1757
Richmond, North Yorkshire Died 1818 Nationality British Occupation Boat builder Known for Lifeboat design

Henry Francis Greathead (1757–1818) was a pioneering rescue lifeboat builder from South Shields.^[1][2] Although Lionel Lukin had patented a lifeboat in 1785,^[3] Greathead successfully petitioned parliament in 1802 with the claim that he had invented a lifeboat in 1790, and he was awarded £1,200 for his trouble.^[4] Although his claims have been contested,^[5] he did build 31 boats, which saved very many lives, and succeeded in making the concept of a shore-based rescue lifeboat widely accepted.

Early life[edit]

He was born on 27 January 1757 in Richmond, North Yorkshire, but the family moved to South Shields in 1763. His father was well off, having been in public service for 46 years, as an officer of salt duties and later as supervisor and comptroller of the district. Henry received the best education available in the area, then served an apprenticeship in boat building. In 1778 he took a position as a ship's carpenter. The next year he was shipwrecked near Calais and on his return to England narrowly avoided being press-ganged into naval service. During a voyage to the Grenadas his ship was taken by American privateers, and was then sent to New York where he was impressed aboard a British sloop. He remained in service till the end of the American Revolutionary War in 1783.^[6][7]

He returned to South Shields where he set up his own boat building business in 1785, and married in the following year. He had six children, though all but two of them died at a young age.^[6]

Lifeboat design[edit]

In 1789 a ship was stranded on a sandbank and the crew could not be rescued because of storm conditions. A committee was formed to build a boat capable of effecting a rescue in such conditions. Two models were submitted. One, modelled in tin by William Wouldhave, was to be built of copper, made buoyant by the use of cork, and was incapable of being capsized. The committee however disapproved of the idea of a copper boat, but Wouldhave was awarded one guinea for his trouble. Greathead also made a submission, built of wood, but which floated bottom up when upset. He was however rewarded by being employed to build a boat as directed by the committee. Sometime after, two members of the committee presented a model which Greathead was instructed to build. At his suggestion it was agreed that a curved keel should be used.^[5] They decided that something akin to a Norway Yawl should be built.^[2]

The lifeboat constructed had a curved keel and rose more fore and aft than a Norway Yawl. When full of water amidships, one third at each end would be out of water, and it could continue underway without foundering. It could be rowed in either direction and was steered by an oar rather than a rudder.^[8] It was rowed with ten short oars, these being more manageable in heavy seas than a full-length oar. The boat was thirty feet long and ten feet broad. The sides were cased with cork, four inches thick, weighing nearly 7 hundredweight and secured with copper plates. It added considerably to the buoyancy of the boat, helping it recover quickly from any upset. The curvature of the keel made her very easy to steer about her centre.^[9] She was able to carry twenty people, and went out on her first trial on 30 January 1790.^[6]

Recognition[edit]

It took some years before this lifeboat become well known to the public, and it was not until 1798 that Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland, purchased a lifeboat for North Shields, and then another for Oporto in 1800.^[1][6] In 1802 Greathead's work was "deemed a fit subject for national munificence" and a petition was submitted to the House of Commons. A committee ascertained the utility of the lifeboat, the originality of the invention, and the remuneration that he had already received. They interviewed numerous witnesses and after some debate the House unanimously granted him £1,200. Trinity House awarded 100 guineas, as did Lloyd's of London. The Society for the Encouragement of the Arts and Sciences gave him 50 guineas and a gold medallion.^[6]

Greathead never took out a patent on his invention, and was always willing to share his plans with others for the public good.^[7]

By 1806 his lifeboats were in use at Whitby, North Shields, South Shields, Exmouth, Penzance, Plymouth, Newhaven, Ramsgate, Dover, Liverpool, Lowestoft, St Andrews, Montrose, Aberdeen, Ayr, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark and Russia.^[6] In 1811 the list included Guernsey, Arbroath, Pillau, Cronstadt, Rye, Whitehaven, Stettin, Riga, Danzig, Cromer, Leith, Bridlington, Charleston, Fraserburgh, Gothenburg, San Lucar, Dunbar, Blyth, Spurn and Heligoland. The Admiralty had also purchased five smaller craft.^[4]

In total, Henry Greathead built 31 lifeboats. His eleventh boat, the Zetland built in 1802, saw 78 years of service in Redcar and saved over 500 lives with the loss of only one crew member. She normally had a crew of 13, but up to 20 could be needed in rough weather. Her cork fenders were replaced at some point by internal buoyancy tanks. This boat is the only one of Greathead's to survive, and is preserved at the RNLI Zetland Museum.^[10][11][12]

Criticisms[edit]

Greathead's claims to have invented the rescue lifeboat and his contributions to its design were contested. Several letters appeared in newspapers and periodicals denying his right to the honour and awards lavished upon him. It has been suggested that his only claim to the invention was the use of a curved keel. A Mr. Hailes, mathematician familiar with marine architecture, supported Wouldhave's claim to the invention, and believed that the curved keel was an error. However, Wouldhave's claims were hampered by his poverty and violent language.^[5]

Edited February 1, 2014 by Kevin

[flying_dutchman2]

1662 - Dutch garrison on Formosa surrenders to Chinese pirates.

1788 - 1st US steamboat patent issued, by Georgia to Briggs & Longstreet.

1941 - United States Fleet reorganized, reviving Atlantic and Pacific Fleets

1942 - USS Enterprise and Yorktown make first WW II air strike, Japanese Marshall Islands

1955 - Operation Deep Freeze, a research task force, established in Antarctic

[Kevin]

2nd February 

 

 

1712

George Anson entered the navy as a volunteer on board HMS Ruby (54)

1799

HMS Nautilus (16) wrecked off Filey Bay

1800

USS Constellation, (38) Cptn. Thomas Truxtun, defeats la Vengeance (54), Cptn. Pitot

1801

HMS Legère Sloop (24), Cdr. Cornelius Quinton, sprang a leak and had to be run ashore to save the lives of the crew in Jamba Bay, east of Carthagena, S. America.

1812

HMS Southampton (32), Sir James Yeo, captured Haytian privateer Amethyst (44)

1813

Boats of HMS Kingfisher (18) took 6 vessels at Corfu.

1839

Capture of Kurrachee by HMS Wellesley (74), HMS Algerine (10), Lt. William Sidney Thomas, and troops.

1862

USS Hartford, Cptn. David G. Farragut, departs Hampton Roads for Mississippi River campaign

Edited February 4, 2014 by Kevin

[flying_dutchman2]

On this day in History:

1709 - British sailor Alexander Selkirk is rescued after being marooned on a desert island for 5 years, his story inspires "Robinson Crusoe".

1800 - USS Constellation (CAPT Thomas Truxtun) defeats la Vengeance.

1862 - USS Hartford, Captain David G. Farragut, departs Hampton Roads for Mississippi River campaign.

[st george]

1848 - 1st ship load of Chinese arrive in SF.

1880 - SS Strathleven arrives in London with 1st Australian frozen mutton.

1894 - US warship Kearsarge wrecked on Roncador Reef, near Solomon Island.

2012 - MV Rabaul Queen sinks off the coast of Papa New Guinea with 246 people saved and 126 missing (100 of these estimated to be trapped inside).