Yet still they mourned their ancient leader lost.—Iliad.
During our cruise the influenza carried off great numbers in the fleet. Our ship’s company (a most excellent one) was turned over to the Raisonnable, 64, and that of the Ripon, 60, sent on board of us, and we shortly after left the fleet, and returned to the Downs to relieve the old Dromedary, and hoisted the flag (blue at the fore) of Vice-Admiral Sir Francis William Drake as port admiral, for about a month; when we were relieved by the Ripon, and then proceeded to St. Helen’s, where we remained a short time, and sailed with a flying squadron to the westward, consisting of four sail of the line and three frigates, under the command of Captain Reeve[[12]] as commodore, as follows:
| Crown | 64 | (Captain Reeve, senior officer) |
| Suffolk | 74 | [Captain Sir George Home][[13]] |
| Vigilant | 64 | [Captain J. Douglas][[13]] |
| Panther | 60 | [Captain R. Simonton] |
| Monsieur | 36 | [Captain Hon. Seymour Finch][[13]] |
| Recovery | 32 | [Captain Hon. G. C. Berkeley] [[13]] |
| Cerberus | 32 |
About the middle of July, in the Bay of Biscay we took, after a long chase, three prizes, the Pigmy cutter, Hermione victualler, with ninety bullocks for the combined fleet, and a brig laden with salt. A day or two after, when blowing very hard and under a close-reefed main topsail and foresail, on the starboard tack, a fleet was seen to leeward on the beam and lee bow. The commodore made the private signal which was not answered, and then the signal for an enemy and to wear and make sail on the other tack. Wore accordingly, and set close-reefed topsails, with fore and main tacks on board, which worked the old ship most charmingly. In loosing the mizen topsail, and before letting it fall, I slipped my foot from the horse[[14]] and fell off the yard into the top, and saved my life by catching hold of the clewline, having fallen from the bunt of the sail. The captain saw this and gave me a terrible rub down for not taking more care of myself. One of the prizes (the brig with salt) was retaken. The next morning, the weather being moderate, saw the enemy about three leagues to leeward. Sent down one of our frigates, the Monsieur who sailed remarkably well, to reconnoitre; in the evening they were out of sight. Soon after, we fell in with the Sandwich, 90, Vice-Admiral Sir Peter Parker (white at the fore), with the Count de Grasse[[15]] on board a prisoner, and a large convoy from the West Indies bound to England. Parted company from Sir Peter. Several ships of the line joined our squadron, which proceeded to cruise off the coast of Ireland for a short time, and then returned to Spithead, where we found the grand fleet fitting for the relief of Gibraltar. Caught fire in the marine storeroom near the after magazine, which damaged several knapsacks before it could be got under. We had only one boat alongside, the others being absent getting off the stores from the dockyard. A quartermaster’s wife and three others jumped out of one of the lower-deck ports into this boat, and casting off the painter pulled away for the hospital beach as well as any bargemen, leaving their husbands to take care of themselves.
August the 29th, one of our fleet, the Royal George, 100, Rear-Admiral Kempenfelt (blue at the mizen), being on a careen, to the astonishment of every person upset at Spithead, and more than two thirds of her crew drowned, and among the number that brave and meritorious officer Admiral Kempenfelt, a man that has never been surpassed as an able tactician. We saved twenty-seven of her hands. One of them told a curious story. He said he was boat-keeper of the pinnace, whose painter was fast to the stern-ladder; and just as the ship was going over, the hairdresser took a flying leap out of the stern gallery with a powder bag in his hand and had nearly jumped into his boat. He was so much alarmed that he could not cast off the painter, nor could he find his knife to cut it, and was obliged to jump and swim for his life, when our boat picked him up. His own boat went down with the ship. It was a sad sight to see the dead bodies floating about Spithead by scores until we sailed. The poor admiral and several officers were never found. Captain Waghorn (the admiral’s captain) was saved and tried by a court martial and acquitted. God knows who the blame ought to light on, for blame there must have been somewhere, for never was a ship lost in such a strange and unaccountable manner. The ship might have been weighed had proper steps been taken. A stupid attempt was made, but failed, as well it might; for neither officers nor men exerted themselves. The Royal William and Diligente were placed one on each side, and would have raised her, but energy was wanting, and there she remains, a disgrace to this day.[[16]] Lord Howe having hoisted his flag (blue at the main) on board the Victory, 110, and the fleet being ready, the signal was made on the 11th of September to get under way, and that we were to take charge of the convoy as commodore with a broad blue pennant, and the Buffalo, 60, to bring up the rear. The convoy consisted of fifty sail of victuallers for the relief, with which we went through the Needles and joined the grand fleet at the back of the Isle of Wight, the Bristol, 50, and East India fleet under her charge, in company. In forming the line of battle the Goliath was to lead on the starboard tack and the Vengeance on the larboard. The fleet consisted of thirty-four sail of the line, besides frigates, and their names I shall give when I come to the action with the combined fleets.[[17]] We had moderate weather down Channel, and the number of convoys collected, and under the protection of the grand fleet to a certain distance, made up several hundred sail, which cut a fine appearance.
But, when the fleet got well into the Bay of Biscay, things began to alter, the wind shifting to the SW, with heavy squalls, which increased from a gale to a furious hurricane. I remember being at dinner in the wardroom when the height of the gale came on, the ship being under a close-reefed main topsail, and a very heavy sea running, which made her labour prodigiously. Our third lieutenant (Montagu) came down and said: ‘Gentlemen, prepare for bad weather; the admiral has handed his main topsail and hove to under storm staysails. Our main topsail was not handed ten minutes before she gave a roll that beggared all description; ‘chaos seemed to have come again,’ and it appeared doubtful whether she would right. The quarter deck guns were out of sight from this lee lurch, and the weather roll was equally terrible. The scuttle butts[[18]] broke adrift and were stove; a lower-deck gun started and with great difficulty was secured; one of our poor fellows was lost overboard, and serious apprehensions were entertained for the safety of the ship, who cut such dreadful capers that we expected she would founder. I must here mention that when the Panther came from abroad, the devil tempted the navy board to order her proper masts to be taken out, and [a] fifty-gun ship’s placed in their room, and this occasioned her to roll so dreadfully. It was in this gale that the Ville de Paris, Glorieux, Hector, Centaur, and others were lost on their passage to England from the West Indies. It lasted a considerable time, and it was near the middle of October before the fleet entered the Gut of Gibraltar.[[19]]
His lordship made the signal to prepare for battle, and while he stood up the Straits with the fleet, we were ordered to lead in the relief. In doing so we had near been relieved for ever, for we were taken in a sudden squall with our lower-deck guns run out, that had nearly swamped the ship before we could get them in and the ports down. Stood in for the Rock, but unfortunately got black-strapped [[20]] with part of the convoy, and with difficulty got them safe into Rosia Bay. Had three cheers given us by the garrison. The enemy’s fleet, consisting of forty-five sail of the line, at anchor at Algesiras; one of their ships, the St. Michael, 70, a prize to the Rock; she had driven in the late gale under the batteries near the Old Mole and was captured. A constant cannonade kept up between the garrison and the Spanish lines; shot and shells flying in every direction; not a house left standing in the town, and the forts that were abreast the junk ships[[21]] (sunk before we arrived) beaten down to the water’s edge; the inhabitants living in the bomb-proof, the only place of safety; and with the exception of the old Moorish Tower, that bid defiance to shot and shells, everything had the appearance of desolation and ruin.
While we remained in Rosia Bay, one of the enemy’s line-of-battle ships (a three-decker) had the temerity to stand in and attack us and the convoy at anchor; but when within gunshot, the batteries opened such a heavy fire that she was obliged to haul off after being severely handled, doing us little damage—we had none killed or wounded. It was laughable to see the convoy blaze away with their pop-guns at this great hulk of a ship.
I have lately seen a volume [i. 106 seq.] of Lieutenant Marshall’s Naval Biography, where he mentions, in the Life of Admiral Holloway, who commanded the Buffalo, 60, several particulars respecting the relief. Anyone not knowing better must suppose from reading his account that Captain Holloway had the sole charge, when, in fact, he only brought up the rear, and was under our orders. No mention is made of the Panther being the commodore, and leading in a great part of the victuallers. Now, without wishing to take from the merits of Captain Holloway (who was a most able officer) I must beg leave to state that Captain Simonton, who was intrusted with the convoy, did his duty full as well as Captain H., although Lieutenant Marshall takes no notice of the Panther or her commander.
The same gentleman quotes an anonymous author[[22]] who reflects upon Lord Howe, and, among other incorrect statements, says it was injudicious in his lordship to place the Buffalo the rear ship in the action. Now I for one flatly contradict this, and I say that the Vengeance, 74, and not the Buffalo, was the rear ship. Lord Howe was too good an officer to place a ship in a situation where she was likely to be cut off, and his lordship’s character is above the animadversions of an author who was afraid to put his name to his work. One of the convoy under charge of the Buffalo was captured, with the baggage and soldiers’ wives, the only loss sustained.