HMS Gladiator (1783)
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HMS ''Gladiator'' was a 44-gun
fifth-rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a fifth rate was the second-smallest class of warships in a hierarchical system of six " ratings" based on size and firepower. Rating The rating system in the Royal N ...
''Roebuck''-class ship of the
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 ...
. She was launched on 20 January 1783 by
Henry Adams Henry Brooks Adams (February 16, 1838 – March 27, 1918) was an American historian and a member of the Adams political family, descended from two U.S. presidents. As a young Harvard graduate, he served as secretary to his father, Charles Fran ...
of
Bucklers Hard Buckler's Hard is a hamlet in the civil parish of Beaulieu, in the New Forest district, in the county of Hampshire, England, on the banks of the Beaulieu River. With its two rows of Georgian cottages running down to the river, Buckler's Har ...
. She spent her entire career on harbour service, never putting to sea. Even so, her crew earned
prize money Prize money refers in particular to naval prize money, usually arising in naval warfare, but also in other circumstances. It was a monetary reward paid in accordance with the prize law of a belligerent state to the crew of a ship belonging to ...
for the seizure of two Russian and five American ships. Her static existence made her an excellent venue for
courts-martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the arme ...
and a number of notable ones took place aboard her. She was broken up in 1817.


Career

''Gladiator'' was commissioned in December 1792 under Lieutenant Samuel Hayter as a convalescent ship. Then, still under Hayter, she was recommissioned in February 1794 as a
guardship A guard ship is a warship assigned as a stationary guard in a port or harbour, as opposed to a coastal patrol boat, which serves its protective role at sea. Royal Navy In the Royal Navy of the eighteenth century, peacetime guard ships were usua ...
. In December 1795 she was under the command of Lieutenant Stephen Parker, followed by Lieutenant Emanuel Hungerford from September 1799. She was Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Bickerton's flagship from February 1800 to May. Lieutenant Joseph Bromwich then took command of ''Gladiator'', being succeeded in September by Lieutenant John Connolly. From December 1801 she was again a convalescent ship and the flagship for Rear-Admiral Sir John Holloway until April 1802 when she was paid off. ''Gladiator'' was recommissioned in April 1803 under Lieutenant Thomas Harrison. From May she was again Holloway's flagship until June 1804 when she became Rear-Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin's flagship. In February 1807 she came under the command of Lieutenant John Price as a convalescent ship. On 26 October 1807, Tsar
Alexander I of Russia Alexander I (, ; – ), nicknamed "the Blessed", was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first king of Congress Poland from 1815, and the grand duke of Finland from 1809 to his death in 1825. He ruled Russian Empire, Russia during the chaotic perio ...
declared
war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
on Great Britain. The official news did not arrive there until 2 December, at which time the British declared an embargo on all Russian vessels in British ports. ''Gladiator'' was one of some 70 vessels that shared in the seizure of the 44-gun Russian frigate ''Speshnoy'' (''Speshnyy''), then in Portsmouth harbour. The British seized the Russian storeship ''Wilhelmina'' (''Vilghemina'') at the same time. The Russian vessels were carrying the payroll for Vice-Admiral
Dmitry Senyavin Dmitry Nikolayevich Senyavin or Seniavin (; – ) was a Russian admiral during the Russo-Turkish and Napoleonic wars. He was the successor of F. F. Ushakov: in the Battle of Athos, D. N. Senyavin developed the tactics used by Ushakov †...
’s squadron in the Mediterranean. In 1811 ''Gladiator'' was under the command of Lieutenant Thomas Dutton and served as flagship for Rear-Admiral
William Hargood Admiral of the White Sir William Hargood (6 May 1762 – 12 December 1839) was a British naval officer who served with distinction through the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars, during which he g ...
. Lieutenant-Commander Charles Hewitt took command in July 1812, and ''Gladiator'' successively bore the flags of Rear Admirals Hargood, Edward Foote and
Peter Halkett Admiral Sir Peter Halkett, 6th Baronet (''c.'' 1765 – 7 October 1839) was a senior Royal Navy officer of the early nineteenth century who is best known for his service in the French Revolutionary Wars. The younger son a Scottish baronet, Halke ...
. When news of the outbreak of the
War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...
reached Britain, the Royal Navy seized all American vessels then in British ports. ''Gladiator'' was among the Royal Navy vessels then lying at Spithead or Portsmouth and so entitled to share in the grant for the American ships ''Belleville'', ''Janus'', ''Aeos'', ''Ganges'' and ''Leonidas'' seized there on 31 July 1812.


Courts-martial

Because ''Gladiator'' spent her entire career in port, she provided a convenient venue for courts-martial. In 1800 alone she was the venue for over 30. In that year alcohol was causative in many cases, but not all. On 3 July a court-martial tried John Duncan, seaman on , for having murdered officers of that ship, or aiding and abetting thereof in September 1797, and then conveying the ship to the enemy at
La Guaira La Guaira () is the capital city of the Venezuelan Vargas (state), state of the same name (formerly named Vargas) and the country's main port, founded in 1577 as an outlet for nearby Caracas. The city hosts its own professional baseball team i ...
. The charges were proven so the court directed that Duncan be hanged. The court-martial also ordered one man hanged for desertion, which was an unusually harsh verdict. However, the man had deserted three times, after having enlisted three times (under different names) and taken the bounty money. Also, there had been a large number of desertions at Portsmouth and the court's intent was to send a message. In 1802, Edward Hamilton, who led the boat action that recovered ''Hermione'', stood trial aboard ''Gladiator'' for cruelty. On 10 December 1797, a court-martial tried John Hubbard and George Hynes, seamen from HMS ''St George'', for an unnatural crime. The court found them guilty and sentenced them to death. On 13 November 1801, a court-martial on the ship tried Sir William Parker for having exceeded his duties as CinC of the Americas by dispatching two ships outside his area of duty, contrary to standing orders to keep them nearer the Americas for defence. He was honourably acquitted from the court martial after delivering a defence of his actions. However, it was said that the court martial had been political in nature, owing to a long-standing enmnity and dispute between Parker and Admiral John Jervis. At least three courts-martial involved charges against Admirals. The first occurred between 23 and 26 December 1805, after the
Battle of Cape Finisterre (1805) In the Battle of Cape Finisterre (22 July 1805) off Galicia, Spain, the British fleet under Admiral Robert Calder fought an indecisive naval battle against the combined Franco-Spanish fleet which was returning from the West Indies. In the ens ...
. Admiral
Robert Calder Admiral Sir Robert Calder, 1st Baronet, (2 July 174531 August 1818) was a Royal Navy officer who served in the Seven Years' War, the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. For much of his career he w ...
requested a court-martial to review his decision not to pursue the enemy fleet after the engagement. The court ruled that Calder's failure to pursue was an error of judgement, not a manifestation of cowardice or disaffection, and severely reprimanded him. The second occurred between 6 and 11 March 1807. The accused was Sir Home Popham and the charge was that he had conducted an unapproved (and notably quixotic and unsuccessful) expedition to
Buenos Ayres Buenos Ayres is a village in Trinidad and Tobago. It is located in southwestern Trinidad, north of Erin and southeast of Point Fortin. Buenos Ayres is the hometown of the calypsonian Cro Cro. The Erin Savannas, one of the last remaining natu ...
, leaving his duty station, the
Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( ) is a rocky headland on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A List of common misconceptions#Geography, common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Afri ...
, undefended. The charge was found proven and the court reprimanded Sir Home.
History 1793-1844 from the newspapers.
The third was the Court-martial of James, Lord Gambier, court-martial of Admiral Lord Gambier for his conduct of the
Battle of the Basque Roads The Battle of the Basque Roads, also known as the Battle of Aix Roads ( French: ''Bataille de l'île d'Aix'', also ''Affaire des brûlots'', rarely ''Bataille de la rade des Basques''), was a major naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars, fought in ...
. Admiral Sir
Eliab Harvey Admiral Sir Eliab Harvey (5 December 1758 – 20 February 1830) was a Royal Navy officer and politician who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and was as distinguished for his gambling and dueling as for his military re ...
, who had commanded "The Fighting Temeraire" 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 ...
, believed that Gambier had missed an opportunity to inflict further damage upon the French fleet. He told Gambier "I never saw a man so unfit for the command of a fleet as Your Lordship." Thomas Cochrane threatened to use his parliamentary vote against Gambier for not committing the fleet to action. Gambier called for a court-martial to examine his conduct. The court, on 26 July 1809 exonerated Gambier. Consequently, neither Harvey nor Cochrane were appointed by the Admiralty to command for the duration of the war. Another notable court-martial took place on 5–6 February 1810. The court-martial assembled to try Captain
Warwick Lake Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...
for having marooned a sailor named Robert Jeffery of on the desert island of
Sombrero In English, a , ; ) is a type of wide-brimmed Mexican men's hat used to shield the face and eyes from the sun. It usually has a high, pointed crown; an extra-wide brim (broad enough to cast a shadow over the head, neck, and shoulders of the w ...
. Some months after Lake had abandoned the sailor, Lake's commanding officer, Sir Alexander Cochrane, discovered what had happened and immediately ordered Lake to retrieve Jeffery. When ''Recruit'' arrived at Sombrero, Jeffery could not be found. (An American ship had picked up Jeffery and he was eventually discovered some three years later in
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
. He returned to Britain where Lake provided compensation ''in lieu'' of a suit.) The subsequent court-martial ordered that Lake be dismissed from the service. On 23 April 1813, ''Gladiator'' was the venue for the court-martial of the officers and men of for the loss of their ship in the action with the ''Constitution'' on 29 December 1812. The court honourably acquitted Lieutenant
Henry Ducie Chads Admiral Sir Henry Ducie Chads, (24 February 1788 – 7 April 1868) was an officer in the Royal Navy who saw action from the Napoleonic Wars to the Crimean War. Family background Chads was born in Marylebone, London, the eldest son of Captain ...
and the other surviving officers and men of ''Java''. What was probably one of the last courts-martial held on ''Gladiator'' occurred between 18 and 21 August 1815. The subject was the conduct of Captain
Daniel Pring Daniel Pring ( 1788 – 29 November 1846) was an officer in the British Royal Navy. He is best known for the part he played in the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States. He was born near Honiton in Devon. He entered the Navy in 18 ...
, of , and the officers and men of the squadron at the
Battle of Plattsburgh The Battle of Plattsburgh, also known as the Battle of Lake Champlain, ended the final British invasion of the northern states of the United States during the War of 1812. Two British forces, an army under Lieutenant General Sir George Prévos ...
on Lake Champlain. The court honourably acquitted Captain Pring and the others.


Fate

''Gladiator'' was paid off on 5 October 1815. She was broken up in August 1817.


Notes


Citations


References

* *
Duckworth Duckworth may refer to: * Duckworth (surname), people with the surname ''Duckworth'' * Duckworth (''DuckTales''), fictional butler from the television series ''DuckTales'' * Duckworth Books Duckworth Books, originally Gerald Duckworth and Co ...
, Sir John Thomas (1805) ''Minutes of a court martial, holden on board His Majesty's ship Gladiator, in Portsmouth Harbour: on Thursday, the 25th day of April, 1805, and the two following days, for the trial of Sir J.T. Duckworth, K.B., Vice Admiral of the Blue, on charges exhibited against him by Captain James Anthol Wood, of the Royal Navy''. (London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme). * * *


External links


HMS Gladiator's career
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gladiator (1783) 1783 ships Ships built on the Beaulieu River