Notes 2009
AETNA (8) Bomb Purchased in 1803. Sold in 1816.
On 18 October 1805 Lieut. George BLIGH was appointed to command AETNA but, since she was absent from the fleet, he continued in VICTORY and was dangerously wounded at Trafalgar three days later.
Cdr. THOMAS then served as flag-captain, 22/10/1805, to Lord COLLINGWOOD.
AETNA was the only vessel of her class present. On the night of 11 April AETNA, the frigate INDEFATIGABLE and the sloop FOXHOUND were stationed near the north-west of the Isle d'Aix while the fireships were launched against the enemy. At 11 a. m. on the 13th. AETNA, BEAGLE, the gunbrigs and the rocket cutters moved up to the mouth of the Charante to fire on OCEAN, REGULUS and INDIENNE which had been driven ashore there. AETNA split her 13" mortar in the attack. At 4 p. m. the falling tide forced them to return to their former anchorage under fire from shore batteries. By the evening of the 14th. she had fired away all her 10" shells but she did not leave the mouth of the Charente until the 29th.
AETNA forming part of the naval force in the Scheldt under the orders of Sir Richard STRACHAN.
On the 30th. they watched the troops go ashore covered by the frigates.
The following morning at 11 o'clock AETNA, with the rest of the force, opened fire with her two mortars for the first time and fired 42 shells before an officer in a boat came round the various ships about midnight to desire them to desist.
On 2 August AETNA moved towards the fort at Rammekens and on the 5th. she anchored about a mile and a half from Flushing.
AETNA saw no more action until the 13th. when she fired seventy-four 13-inch shells and thirty-nine 10-inch at Flushing before the tide turned. When they were able to close again another fifty-two 12-inch and nine ten-inch shells were discharged. VESUVIUS, several gunbrigs and man-of-war launches with 24-pounders were firing alongside them.
There was more firing on the 14th. and 15th. before a white flag was seen and the town surrendered on the 17th.
By the 18th. AETNA was a little more than 12 miles from Antwerp and a number of officers went ashore for a walk on South Beveland.
On the 22nd they dropped down to the town of Doel and fired thirty-five 13 inch and five ten-inch shells to deter the French from throwing up a battery. HOUND, THUNDER and AETNA threw one shell per hour through the night but in the morning they found that the enemy had continued work so, until the 26th. they fired another 133 shells at the battery. All this time Antwerp was only seven or eight miles away but still the troops waited, suffering from Miasmatic fever and dysentery.
On the 29th. Aetna fired fifteen large shells against the battery and THUNDER, HOUND and a brig threw their shells into the enemy troops on the opposite side of the Scheldt. The following day forty-one more shells were fired.
During the first week in September South Beverland was evacuated and the fiasco of the Walcheren expedition drew to a close.
Cdr. BOWKER was removed by Sir Charles COTTON into WIZARD in October 1810.
On 24 November the mortar and howitzer boats under Capt. HALL threw several hundred shells into Santa Maria whilst AETNA, DEVESTATION and THUNDER, with part of the Spanish flotilla and the British gunboats drew the fire from Catalina. At the beginning of December AETNA burst her large mortar, the fourth time she had done so during the siege.
EURYALUS, DEVASTATION, AETNA, METEOR, EREBUS and the ANNA-MARIA despatch-boat were detached under Capt. GORDON of SEAHORSE on the 17 August to go up the Potomac and bombard Fort Washington which lies on the left bank about ten or twelve miles below the city. Because of contrary winds and because they had no pilot through Kettle-Bottoms it was the 27th. before they reached the Fort. They had to sweep for more than 50 miles over a period of five successive days (see DEVASTATION for detail).
BLOODHOUND (14) Gun-brig Built in 1801, Rotherhithe. Sold in 1816.
BLOODHOUND and BASILISK were stationed between Barfleur and Marcou when, on the 16 August, they saw two brigs and 17 gunvessels trying to get round Cape Barfleur.
They signalled to Capt. DONNELLY in MAIDSTONE and followed the French into the bay to the westward of the cape where the enemy anchored close to the beach under cover of a battery and some field pieces.
When Capt. DONNELLY arrived on the scene he decided that they would not be able to approach closely enough to the enemy and made the signal for recall.
The enemy rowed round the lighthouse and ran for Cherbourg, the wind and tide preventing the British vessels following for half an hour.
On 20 July 1804 a north -east gale forced the enemy brigs and luggers in the Boulogne Roads to move their anchorage. Capt. OWEN signalled BLOODHOUND, HARPY and ARCHER to keep them inshore. A number of the enemy were wrecked as the gale drove them ashore.
He had a crew of five in his pinnace including boatswain's mate James NUTHALL.
In the summer of 1809 BLOODHOUND was serving in the Scheldt under Rear-Ad. Sir R. J. STRACHAN. She was sent with others under Sir Home POPHAM into the West Scheldt to sound and buoy the channels to enable the larger ships to go up the river.
REGULUS (44) 5th rate Built in 1785, Northam. Broken up in 1816.
MODESTE (36). Taken by Capt. MAN in BEDFORD off Genoa on 17 October 1793. Broken up in 1814.
Capt. HINTON, Mediterranean.
The enemy vessel had managed to keep her distance using sweeps but when she struck her sails and rigging were wrecked and she had cut away her boats and booms and thrown three of her eighteen guns overboard.
(She was pierced for twenty-four.) Her hull was undamaged and, being a fine vessel, she was taken into the Royal Navy as VICTOR.
The Master of MODESTE, Mr William DONOVAN, was killed in the action and one seaman wounded.
The JENA was four months out from the Ile de France (Mauritius) and had taken the JENNET of Madras, which she had sunk, and the SWALLOW of Penang; the latter was still in sight during the chase but she managed to escape to leeward and was not seen again.
At the beginning of February 1813 off Scilly, the large French privateer schooner FURET which was being chased by the WASP sloop was captured by MODESTE.
Her commander, Louis Maracourt, was so convinced of her superior sailing qualities that he would not bring to until his rigging and sails had been damaged by shot from MODESTE and three of her men had been wounded.
Belonging to St. Marlo and armed with 14 guns she had left Abrevai the previous day with 98 men on board.
CENSOR (12) Gun-brig Built in 1801, Rotherhithe. Sold in 1816.
On 25 January she was ordered to north from Plymouth to Leith to receive seamen.
Early in August 1808 he heard that the enemy intended to send thirteen gun vessels from Delfzyl to Flushing so he decided to cut them out. Unfortunately, when the boats of CENSOR and BREVDRAGEREN arrived with 50 men on the evening of the 10th., the flotilla had already sailed. He and Lieut. DOBSON decided to storm the fortress at Delfzyl but found that they were unable to land closer than seven miles from the town. There was a great surf beating against the piles and a strong wind blowing straight on shore and it was broad daylight before they could enter the fortress. They spiked four long 24-pounders and took and artillery sergeant and his guard prisoner but then had to retreat under fire when they roused the garrison of 350 men. When they reached the boats they found that the tide had turned and they had to drag them through a quarter of a mile of mud before launching.
After a chase of two hours he captured the French lugger HEUREUSE ETOILE on the 11 November 1811. She mounted four guns and was manned by 12 men. In her three days out from Stralsund she had only captured a Prussian galliot in ballast.
ARROW (28) Built in 1796, Redbridge. Taken in 1805.
Owing to her unusual appearance she soon became well known to those illicit traders who easily recognised her at a distance. She was paid off at Portsmouth in February 1803 and Capt. VINCENT was re-appointed to her on 1 March.
Lord GARDNER, the Port Admiral, gave permission for a Custom House cutter to wait in the offing to impress seamen from vessels passing up the Channel, but, no sooner had ARROW been completed with a crew of prime hands than most were drafted to a troopship for the West Indies and Capt. VINCENT was obliged to sail with only two thirds his full complement which included a few landsmen volunteers from his home town of Newbury, Berkshire, procured at his own expense.
In March 1804, as she entered the Dardanelles with a convoy, she was fired on from the European shore. The British minister in Constantinople protested and the Governor was heavily fined. Capt. VINCENT was presented with an elegant sabre by the Turks.
At the island of Fano on 3 June 1804 Capt. VINCENT sent his boats, under the command of the 1st. lieutenant, Mr Cuthbert DALY, to attack the French privateer tartan, L'ACTIF (6) which had been hauled close to the beach under a cliff where a number of her crew armed with muskets had stationed themselves. The boats came under heavy musket and grape shot so ARROW supported them with a brisk fire and Lieut. DALY succeeded in boarding her and cutting her adrift. She soon after grounded so she was set on fire. A new vessel, fitted out at Livorno, she had about 74 men and rowed 24 oars. Thomas PATTERSON, master's mate and one seaman were killed and another died later. There were several wounded.
There were no casualties or fire and the only damage was the loss of the main top-mast. She had suffered much storm damage during her time in the Mediterranean and the wooden water tanks in her hold, as well as many interior parts of the hull were found to be rotten. The dockyard at Malta decided that she was too weak to be heaved down, so she was ordered home to be docked in December 1804.
Lord NELSON wrote to Capt. VINCENT ". . to convey to you my full approbation of your zealous activity in the various services performed by his Majesty's sloop under your command. "
At dawn on the 3rd. they sighted two sails off Cape Caxine on the Algerian coast which they hoped were missing ships from the convoy, but were soon identified as French frigates.
(Actually HORTENSE (40), and INCORRUPTIBLE (38).) ARROW, which was leading the convoy, cast off her tow, the leaking ADVENTURE brig, and she and ACHERON placed themselves between the enemy and the convoy, which was instructed to make best speed to a designated rendezvous. The French could not get within range until the morning of the 4th. when the HORTENSE hailed ACHERON and then fired a broadside into her. She returned the fire and ARROW raked the French frigate. INCORRUPTIBLE did not take part in this attack, and it was not until two hours later that both frigates bore down. Capt. VINCENT signalled the transport, Duchess of Rutland, to assist in the action as the most effective ship of the convoy, but she did not even answer him. Both British vessels were armed only with carronades and the French could stand off and use their long guns.
ARROW resisted for an hour before striking, her hold full of water and four guns dismounted, with 13 killed and 27 wounded, out of 132. She sank as soon as her people had been taken off. Lieut. Edward ELERS, 2nd of ARROW, and several men, had to jump overboard to avoid going down in her and were picked up by INCORRUPTIBLE's boats. Capt. VINCENT saved his Turkish sabre but a French officer managed to obtain hold of it and it could not be recovered.
ACHERON surrendered about 15 minutes later with 3 killed and 8 wounded. She was so damaged that the French burnt her. Only three vessels of the convoy were taken, including the Duchess of Rutland, whose master also failed to destroy the Convoy Sinals and Instructions. ARROW's people were detained in Carthagena until May when Lord NELSON sent a cartel to take them to Gibraltar. Here they found a testimonial of thanks by the masters of the convoy ships which had escaped. Capt. VINCENT and his officers sailed for Portsmouth in the CAMEL storeship on 28 May and on 17 June they were honourably acquitted of blame for the loss of ARROW.
Capt. VINCENT received a post commission two days later and Lloyd's presented him with a sword and a piece of plate, each worth 100 pounds.
CERES (32) Built in 1781, Liverpool. Hulk in 1804.
AGINCOURT (64) Built in 1796, Blackwall. She was laid down as an East Indiaman and purchased by the Admiralty on the stocks. Sold in 1814.
WILLIAMSON, as a Lieutenant, had commanded the launch and Mr ROBERTS, the master, the pinnace, when Capt. COOK landed on the beach in Hawaii on 14 February 1779 to find out who had stolen the cutter belonging to DISCOVERY. COOK and four marines were killed while the rest managed to scramble aboard the pinnace which had moved inshore. WILLIAMSON did nothing to help but moved the launch farther out. He was challenged to a duel by the captain of the marines over the matter, but refused to fight.
On 4 December 1797 a court martial at Sheerness tried Capt. WILLIAMSON for his conduct at the Battle of Camperdown in October.
It was charged that, through cowardice, negligence and disaffection he had held AGINCOURT back from the fight and not done his utmost to bring the enemy ships to battle.
The court found that cowardice had not been proved but that other parts of the charge had been proved in part. He was sentenced to be placed at the bottom of the captain's list and rendered incapable of ever serving on board a ship of the Royal Navy.
When he sailed with convoys to Newfoundland in 1797 and 1798 WALDEGRAVE had found that some of the merchant ships were deficient in the complement of their sails. This hindered the sailing of the whole convoy and he suspected that some merchants were even hoping to profit from the capture of their ships. When he had the authority as Commander in Chief of the Newfoundland station he issued new regulations in November 1789 that ships were to be properly equipped before they would be afforded protection. Proof that this was necessary was found when the sailing of a convoy from St. John's for Portugal under the protection of LATONA was delayed while masters completed the complement of their sails.
ORPHEUS (32) Built in 1780, Deptford. Wrecked in 1807.
The weather was very stormy and, as the ship was leaking and in a very bad state of repair, the pumps had to be kept in continual use for seven weeks.
Capt. EVANS had ordered a gun to be fired at the approaching column but the wind suction prevented the gunner's mate from obeying the order.
ORPHEUS ran into the harbour for shelter from the gales but Capt. EVANS found that she could not be docked until the next spring tides unless she she could be lightened within the next 48 hours so, to save themselves the labour of constant pumping for another fortnight, his exhausted crew worked watch and watch through the night and all hands the following day to load the stores and guns into lighters.
Every part seemed to be quite rotten; the first and second futtocks could have been dug out with shovels.
ORPHEUS was rebuilt with teak, re-rigged and Capt. EVANS made her ready again for sea but he was superseded by Capt. HILLS who came out from England.
While sailing across the Molucca Passage from the island of Ternate to the Straits of Banka on 24 October 1799, Capt. HILLS gave chase to two vessels.
When the wind dropped the boats were hoisted out and it was nearly four hours before they could be brought to action.
After a quarter of an hour they both struck and proved to be the ZEEVRAGHT, brig, and the ZEELAST, panchallang, each mounting 22 guns of different calibre, and belonging to the Dutch East India Company.
ORPHEUS lost one seaman killed in the main top and five wounded, including the first lieutenant, Mr HODGKINS, who received a musket ball through the right arm.
The enemy had 75 men on board and lost 7 killed and 7 wounded.
After passing to the north of the islands they made the Isle of Java near Point Indramago on the 16th. and discovered a large ship and a brig at anchor.
The two enemy vessels moved inshore and they exchanged shots until it got dark when boats were sent to prevent the Dutch destroying their ships and escaping ashore.
The following morning they surrendered and found to be the HERTZOY DE BRUNSWICK (28), and the DOLPHIN (24) belonging to the Dutch East India Co.
On 15 August she left Portsmouth with a convoy for Newfoundland and Quebec.
The escort was augmented by the GREYHOUND cutter for the first 1,000 miles into the Atlantic, she left the convoy on the 26th.
ORPHEUS returned with the home-bound convoy on 11 December and on the 22th. escorted the CERES transport to Cork. She returned on 9 January 1804.
On 24 January she sailed to spend a week cruising off Cherbourg before leaving for Lisbon on 14 February.
At the beginning of August ORPHEUS escorted a convoy of 11 sail for Halifax down Channel but on the 8th. they had to put into Plymouth Sound having been taking aback by a south west wind which was blowing up into a gale.
Capt. Henry HILL, from CAMILLA, 24, protection of trade between England and Portugal.
In April 1805 he worked ORPHEUS out of the Tagus during a gale, to the astonishment of experienced pilots, with the intelligence that the French and Spanish fleets had met at Cadiz.
On 25 September he captured the French privateer schooner GUADALOUPE which had sailed from the island of the same name four days before.
Two of her three 6-pounders were thrown overboard during the chase.
The Spanish schooner SUSANNA armed with two 8 and two 6-pounders was captured in the Gulf of Mexico on 12 November.
HARDY (14) Built in 1804, Wearmouth. Storeship in 1818. Hospital ship in 1821. Sold in 1835.
On the morning of 19 February, fifteen miles west of Beachy Head, he discovered a lugger close in shore and chased after her.
A revenue cutter came up astern of HARDY and, with her superior sailing, overtook and reached the enemy first. She was the REVOIS (16), Capt. Friesmanton, with 48 men, and had left Dieppe the day before.
In the autumn of 1810 a court martial at Cadiz found that Lieut. NOPS was guilty of tyranny, oppression and embezzlement of stores.
He was fined six months pay, placed at the bottom of the list and dismissed from the command of HARDY.
Obituaries
[1805 April] 17. Lately, at Bath, Joseph Roubidge. Esq.
RUBIDGE, J. W.
Miniature Painter.
East Lane, Walworth.
1823. 853 W. Atfield, Esq.
1824. 639 Mrs. Cox.
669 Mrs. J. W. Rubidge.
-- Rubidge = -- Gilmore, one of three sisters, the others marrying a Capt. Portlock and Capt. George Graham Gore, who perished in Franklin's expedition to the North Pole.
[Note added 15 Aug 2020: Rather, Graham Gore, who perished in Franklin's expedition, was the son of John Gore and Sarah Gilmour, so this clue is off by a generation, or is referring to a different person.]
Richard Elsam, of St Margaret, New Fish Street, bach.. & Sibyll Ruebridge, of St Bridget, spr., marr. with lic.
ADM Records of the Admiralty, Naval Forces, Royal Marines, Coastguard, and related bodies
Division within ADM Records of the Navy Board and the Board of Admiralty
ADM 6 Admiralty: Service Records, Registers, Returns and Certificates
ADM 6/227 Register of candidates for admission to Greenwich Hospital. Described at item level
Covering dates 1819 May 6 - 1819 May 20
John Ariss, Samuel Barnsley, Burrows Carman, Philip Clarke, John Clifford, David Cockburne, John Cossell, John Davis, William Drewett, Dennis Dwyer, John Gaslar, John Green, John Samuel Hall, Thomas Harris, Joseph Jonathan, Joseph Joseph, John Luney, William Mahoney, Duncan McGregor, James Morgan, James Morrison, George Vavasour, William Near, Matthew Ningle, Edward Nowland, David Ozeley, David Ozeley, John Potts, James Read, Richard Reeder, William Roberts, James Rubidge, William Russell, Richard Sandwell, John Sherwood, John Smith, Benjamin Squirrel, Nathaniel Tucker, John Usher, Thomas Wellard, William Wachton, Isaac Whitfield, Thomas Willson
Greenwich out-pensioners applying for admission into Greenwich Hospital as in-pensioners (after service in the Royal Navy, Royal Marines or the Naval Dockyards)
ADM Records of the Admiralty, Naval Forces, Royal Marines, Coastguard, and related bodies
Division within ADM Records of Medical and Prisoner of War Departments
ADM 101 Admiralty and predecessors: Office of the Director General of the Medical Department of the Navy and predecessors: Medical Journals
Subseries within ADM 101 Select Journals. HM Ships
ADM 101/81/1 Journal of His Majesty's Ship Aetna by James Campbell, Surgeon, between 9 July 1807 and 8 July 1808, during which time the ship was employed in the Belts [and in the second battle of Copenhagen, 16 August to 5 September 1807]. Notes embarkation of Marine Artillery to work bomb-mortars (as Royal Artillery officers had on occasion refused to accept the authority of naval officers).
Folio 4: Charles Rubridge, aged 22, Lieutenant; disease or hurt, great heat and pain on voiding urine with discharge of pus from the urethra, attended with painful erections. Taken ill 6 February 1808 at Woolwich. Discharged to duty 14 February 1808.
...
Folio 4: Charles Rubridge, aged 22, Lieutenant; disease or hurt, induration and swelling of the glands in the groin. Taken ill, 7 May 1808 at Deptford. Discharged to duty 2 June 1808.
...
Folio 13: Abstract of the preceding journal being a summary of all the cases contained therein; 10 Continued fevers; 12 Ulcers; 16 Wounds and Accidents, with 1 death; 7 Venereals. General remarks; from the very great attention observed by the Captain and officers, to cleanliness, ventilation etc may be attributed the general good health of the Aetna's ship company. Signed James Campbell, Surgeon
RUBIDGE, Ellen Lamentha, f, Sept 4, 1869, 51 years 3 months, Haldimand Twp, cause - Bright’s disease 2 years, infm – A. Rubidge, Port Hope (Northumberland & Durham Co) 002229-69
RUBIDGE, George Walter, m, Feb. 12, 1896, 43 years, Otonobee Twp, cause – tuberculosis 5 or 6 years, tobacconist, infm – A. Comstock, undertaker, Peterborough (Peterborough Co) 016022-96
RUBIDGE, Mary Violet, f, Sept. 27, 1917, 41 years, Peterborough, cause – recurrent carcinoma 3 years, carcinomatous carbuncle 6 months, burial - Little Lake Cemetery Peterborough, stenographer, d/o Frederick Rubidge & Fanny Shaw, infm – J. Comstock of Peterborough, N. Monaghan Twp (Peterborough Co) 025720-17