Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

John Quilliam (29 September 1771 – 10 October 1829) was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

officer who served as

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

on HMS ''Victory'' at the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval engagement that took place on 21 October 1805 between the Royal Navy and a combined fleet of the French Navy, French and Spanish Navy, Spanish navies during the War of the Third Coalition. As part of Na ...

. He was a farmer's son who was impressed into the Royal Navy in 1791.

Biography

Early life

The eldest son of John Quilliam and Christian Clucas of Ballakelly, John Quilliam was born in Marown, Isle of Man, in 1771. It is said he did not care for farming and consequently he was apprenticed to a stonemason.Isle of Man Times, 21 October 1950, page 7. His early nautical career is unknown. However, he was impressed into the

from a collier in Castletown harbour.

Career

Unlike most impressed sailors, Quilliam rose rapidly in the

. By 1797 he had risen to the rank of

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...

and is recorded at the

Battle of Camperdown The Battle of Camperdown (Dutch language, Dutch: ''Zeeslag bij Kamperduin'') was fought on 11 October 1797 between the Royal Navy's Commander-in-Chief, North Sea, North Sea Fleet under Admiral Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan, Adam Duncan and a ...

following which he was again promoted, this time to the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

, on the recommendation of Admiral Duncan subsequently serving as third lieutenant on the

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

, under the command of Captain James Young. On 7 October 1799 ''Ethalion'' captured the 36-gun Spanish treasure ship ''Thetis''. For his part in the capture, Quilliam received over £5000.

Battle of Copenhagen

At the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801, Quilliam was

aboard the

. The slight

draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...

of the ''Amazon'' meant she was able to get close under the

shore batteries In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to facil ...

; however this in turn led to the ''Amazon'' receiving a high volume of damage, the result of which was that all the higher-ranking officers were killed, leaving Quilliam in command. Quilliam's gallantry and calmness under fire following the death of

Edward Riou Edward Riou Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (20 November 17622 April 1801) was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the French Revolutionary Wars under several of the most distinguished naval officers of his age and won fame and hono ...

and all the senior officers of the ''Amazon,'' quickly came to the attention of

Lord Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...

. In 1803, when HMS ''Victory'' was commissioned as his

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...

, Nelson appointed Quilliam

. Subsequently, Quilliam became an accomplished officer.

Battle of Trafalgar

Quilliam was the senior lieutenant on the ''Victory'' being responsible for safety, part of this remit seeing him develop an emergency system in order to steer the ship. He assisted in steering ''Victory'' into action at Trafalgar, his system coming into effect early in the battle, when having sustained damage to her steering gear ''Victory'' required all Quilliam's experience in order for her to continue to remain

seaworthy Seakeeping ability or seaworthiness is a measure of how well-suited a watercraft is to conditions when underway. A ship or boat which has good seakeeping ability is said to be very seaworthy and is able to operate effectively even in high sea sta ...

. A contemporary report stated:

Post Trafalgar

Following Trafalgar Quilliam was promoted to captain and placed in command of HMS ''Ildefonso'', a Spanish ''74'' having to refit her at

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

and not arriving in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

until 16 May 1806. In 1808, he was captain of Admiral Stopford's flagship HMS ''Spencer'', subsequently taking command of the frigates HMS ''Alexandria,'' HMS ''Inconstant'' and HMS ''Crescent'', seeing action on the

Newfoundland Station The Newfoundland Station was a formation or command of, first, the Kingdom of Great Britain and, then, of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. Its official headquarters varied between Portsmouth or Plymouth in England where a squadron of ships would s ...

where he served as such until the defeat of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

in 1815 when he retired from the navy. On 18 September 1813, off Cape Row as

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

of the ''Crescent'', Quilliam captured the 14-gun American

privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

the ''Elbridge Gerry'' together with her crew of 66 men.

Personal life

Politics

Although still an active naval officer, in 1807 Capt. Quilliam was invited to become a

Member of the House of Keys The House of Keys () is the directly elected lower house of Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man, the other branch being the Legislative Council. History The oldest known reference to the name is in a document of 1417, written in La ...

. At that time the body was self-elected, the members being chosen by the

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

on the recommendation of the house. He resigned his seat in 1810 in order to return to sea, however on his return to the Island he was again invited to continue as a

in 1817.

Retirement

On the conclusion of his career in the navy,

Quilliam returned to the Isle of Man, investing his considerable wealth in numerous properties. On 21 December 1807, Quilliam married Margaret Stevenson at Castletown, his wife being part of a renowned Manx family from Balladoole. The couple made their family home at Ballakeighan before they acquired a property on the Parade, Castletown, living in the house known as the ''"Balcony House."'' The marriage produced no children. Quilliam's main hobby was fishing, and he occupied himself with a small fishing boat which he designed and fitted out himself. In 1826 Capt. Quilliam was instrumental along with Sir William Hillary in the formation on the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

of a District Association of the Royal National Institution of the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck. He also served as Chairman of the Committee for Shipwrecked Seamen. In addition he was one of a group of gentlemen who put forward the scheme for the erection of the Derbyhaven Breakwater.

Death

Capt. Qulliam died on 10 October 1829. He was buried in the Stevenson family vault in the graveyard at Kirk Arbory.

Memorial

There is the following inscription on his tombstone;

HMS ''Quilliam''

HMS ''Quilliam'' was a Q-class

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

serving in the

from 1942 to 1945. She was then transferred to the

Royal Netherlands Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy (, ) is the Navy, maritime service branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It traces its history to 8 January 1488, making it the List of navies, third-oldest navy in the world. During the 17th and early 18th centurie ...

, where she was commissioned as Hr.Ms. ''Banckert'' (D801) until 1957. During her wartime service ''Quilliam'' was involved in operations in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. While taking part in Operation Iceberg ( the Invasion of Okinawa), ''Quilliam'' was involved in a collision with the British aircraft carrier .

Commemoration

* A sculpture of Quilliam by Manx artist

Bryan Kneale Robert Bryan Charles Kneale (born 19 June 1930) is a Manx artist and sculptor, described by BBC News Online as "one of the Isle of Man's best known artists." Biography Born in the island's capital, Douglas, Kneale studied painting at the Dou ...

was unveiled on Trafalgar Day 2005 at

Castle Rushen Castle Rushen () is a medieval castle located in the Isle of Man's historic capital, Castletown, in the south of the Island. It towers over the Market Square to the south-east and the harbour to the north-east. The castle is amongst the best e ...

. The sculpture won the 2007

Marsh Award for Excellence in Public Sculpture The Marsh Award for Excellence in Public Sculpture is an annual award for public sculpture in the UK or Ireland. The Award is funded by the Marsh Charitable Trust and is made on the recommendation of a panel of judges under the auspices of the ...

. * The uniform of Captain Quilliam is on public display at the

Manx Museum The Manx Museum () in Douglas, Isle of Man is the national museum of the Isle of Man. It is run by Manx National Heritage. The museum covers 10,000 years the history of the Isle of Man from the Stone Age to the modern era. The museum serves as h ...

Douglas, Isle of Man Douglas (, ) is the Capital (political), capital city and largest settlement of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,677 (2021) and an area of . It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, Isle of Man, River Douglas, and on a sweepi ...

. * To mark the 150th anniversary of his death in 1979, a series of postage stamps by the

Isle of Man Post Office The Isle of Man Post Office (), which formerly used the trading name Isle of Man Post, operates postal collection, ancillary mail services, philatelic goods and delivery services and post office counter services on the Isle of Man. History Th ...

dedicated to Capt. Quilliam were released. The four stamps in the series depicted Quilliam being impressed into the

, his role at the

, his time in command of HMS ''Spencer'' and his subsequent career as a

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Quilliam, John 1771 births 1829 deaths Manx people Royal Navy captains Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars British naval commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Members of the House of Keys