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HMS Hermione (1782)
Encyclopedia
HMS Hermione was a 32-gun fifth-rate
frigate
of the Royal Navy
. She was notorious for having the bloodiest mutiny
in British naval history, which saw her captain and most of the officers killed. The mutineers then handed the ship over to the Spanish, where she remained for two years, before being cut-out and returned to Royal Navy service under the names Retaliation and then Retribution.
of Bristol
, having cost £
11,350.14s.4d
to build, with a further £4,570.2s.2d spent on dockyard expenses, and £723.16s.9d on fitting out.
She was commissioned initially under Captain Thomas Lloyd, who commanded her until she was paid off in April 1783. She recommissioned that same month under Captain John Stone, who sailed her to Nova Scotia, after which she was paid off in 1785. The Hermione may have then been recommissioned under Captain William Ricketts during the Spanish Armament of 1790, though this is uncertain. She did however undergo a repair between October 1790 and June 1792, followed by a period spent refitting at Chatham Dockyard
until January 1793. She was recommissioned in December 1792 under Captain John Hills, under whom she sailed to Jamaica
in early 1793. She served in the West Indies during the early years of the French Revolutionary Wars
, being commanded from 1794 by Captain Philip Wilkinson. He was replaced in February 1797 — the year of the Spithead and Nore mutinies
— by Captain Hugh Pigot
. Pigot was a cruel officer who meted out severe and arbitrary punishment on his men. During a nine-month period, as captain of his previous command HMS Success he ordered at least 85 floggings
, the equivalent of half the crew; two men died from their injuries.
HMS Hermione under the command of Captain Pigot was sent to patrol the Mona Passage
between the Dominican Republic
and Puerto Rico
. Under Pigot, Hermione destroyed three privateer
s at Puerto Rico
on 22 March 1797. On 20 April 1797 Hermione was the lead ship in a squadron formed of the 32-gun frigates, and , the 14 gun brig and the cutter . The squadron cut out nine ships at Jean-Rabel
without suffering any casualties. On 6 September 1797 and in company with and she captured a 6-gun Spanish privateer.
David Casey was an experienced junior officer who had distinguished himself to Captain Pigot during the previous months, but his disrating was one of the primary triggers to the mutiny. About a week before the mutiny, Casey was at his station on the main top, and the captain noticed that a reef knot, one of the ties that held the sail securely, had not been tied by one of the sailors under his supervision. Casey was brought before the captain, and apologised for the oversight and took responsibility for it. The captain demanded that Casey apologise on his knees, a completely unacceptable and debasing demand for a gentleman. Casey refused to be humiliated in such a way. Pigot offered him one more opportunity and when Casey once more refused the captain ordered that Casey receive 12 lashes (more commonly a sailor's punishment than that of a junior officer), and he was disrated, which would effectively end his career as a naval officer. Casey was a popular officer amongst the crew and they felt that he was punished unfairly. The topmen began to plot mutiny.
Pigot had also developed the practice of frequently flogging the last sailor down from working aloft. On 20 September 1797, Pigot ordered the topsails to be reefed after a squall
struck the ship. Dissatisfied with the speed of the operation because "these would be the yard-arm men, the most skilful topmen" he gave the order that the last men off the yard would be flogged. This policy was particularly unreasonable as the men would be spaced along the yard and the two whose station was furthest out would always be the last down. Three young sailors, in their haste to get down, fell to their deaths on the deck. One of the sailors hit and injured the master, Mr Southcott. Pigot ordered their bodies thrown into the sea with the words "throw the lubbers overboard"; a particularly offensive insult in the seaman's vocabulary. He then instructed two bosun's mates to flog the rest of the topmen when they complained. The topmen were also flogged the next morning.
The combination of the humiliation of Casey, the deaths of the topmen and the severe punishment of the rest of the sailors appear to have driven the crew to mutiny. These factors however were arguably the final events in a series of harsh and brutal punishments by the captain. Dudley Pope
in his book "The Black Ship" argues that it was not Pigot's cruelty that drove the men to mutiny but it was the general injustice that he showed in his favouritism to some and overly harsh punishment of others. Had Pigot remained more even handed in his leadership, the mutiny might have been avoided.
The evening of 21 September 1797, a number of the crew, drunk on stolen rum, rushed Pigot's cabin
and forced their way in after overpowering the marine
stationed outside. They hacked at Pigot with knives and cutlass
es before throwing him overboard. The mutineers, probably led by a core group of just 18 men, went on to murder another eight of Hermiones officers: the first lieutenant, Samuel Reed, the second lieutenant, Archibald Douglas, the third lieutenant, Henry Foreshaw, the marine commander, Lieutenant McIntosh; Bosun William Martin, Purser Pacey, Surgeon Sansum, and the captain's clerk
. Two midshipmen were also killed and all the bodies were thrown overboard. Three warrant officers survived, the gunner and carpenter were spared because they were considered useful to the ship, and Southcott the master was spared so he could navigate. Southcott lived to be a key witness, along with Casey who was also spared, and their eyewitness accounts and testimony were key to the trials of many of the mutineers. Three petty officers joined the mutiny, one midshipman, Surgeon's Mate
Cronin, and Master's Mate
Turner.
Fearing retribution for their actions, the mutineers decided to navigate the ship toward Spanish waters. One reason the master's life was spared was because Turner could not navigate the ship properly without his help. The Hermione sailed to La Guaira
, where they handed the ship over to the Spanish authorities. The mutineers claimed they had set the officers adrift in a small boat, as had happened in the mutiny on the Bounty
some eight years earlier. The Spanish gave the mutineers just $25 dollars each in return, and presented them with the options of joining the Spanish army, heavy labour, or refitting their ship. Hermione was taken into Spanish service, was renamed Santa Cecilia, and was manned by 25 of her former sailors under Spanish guard.
. Parker wrote to the governor of La Guaira, demanding the return of the ship and the surrender of the mutineers. Meanwhile he despatched under Captain Henry Ricketts to commence negotiations. He also set up a system of informers and posted rewards that eventually led to the capture of 33 of the mutineers, some of whom were tried aboard , and at least one aboard . Of these, 24 were hanged
and gibbet
ted, one was transported
, and eight were acquitted or pardoned. To Parker's fury, Admiral Richard Rodney Bligh had issued pardons to several mutineers. Parker forced Bligh to resign and return to Britain. Hermione had meanwhile sat in Puerto Cabello
until Captain Edward Hamilton
, aboard cut her out of the harbour on 25 October 1799. The Spanish casualties included 119 dead; 231 were taken prisoner, while another 15 jumped or fell overboard. Hamilton had 11 injured, four seriously, but none killed.
then renamed her Retribution on 31 January 1800. She was recommissioned in September 1800 at Jamaica under Captain Samuel Forster. She subsequently sailed to Britain and was fitted at Woolwich
in October 1803 for service for Trinity House
at a cost of £484. She was broken up at Deptford
in June 1805.
Fifth-rate
In Britain's Royal Navy during the classic age of fighting sail, a fifth rate was the penultimate class of warships in a hierarchal system of six "ratings" based on size and firepower.-Rating:...
frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. She was notorious for having the bloodiest mutiny
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
in British naval history, which saw her captain and most of the officers killed. The mutineers then handed the ship over to the Spanish, where she remained for two years, before being cut-out and returned to Royal Navy service under the names Retaliation and then Retribution.
Early years
HMS Hermione was the lead ship of a six ship class of frigates designed by Edward Hunt, termed the Hermione class. She was launched on 9 September 1782 from Teast'sSydenham Teast
Sydenham Teast was a shipbuilder and shipowner based in Bristol, England, during the 18th and 19th centuries. Amongst Teast's businesses was whaling, and an ivory and wood trade between England and Africa...
of Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, having cost £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
11,350.14s.4d
Penny (British pre-decimal coin)
The penny of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, was in circulation from the early 18th century until February 1971, Decimal Day....
to build, with a further £4,570.2s.2d spent on dockyard expenses, and £723.16s.9d on fitting out.
She was commissioned initially under Captain Thomas Lloyd, who commanded her until she was paid off in April 1783. She recommissioned that same month under Captain John Stone, who sailed her to Nova Scotia, after which she was paid off in 1785. The Hermione may have then been recommissioned under Captain William Ricketts during the Spanish Armament of 1790, though this is uncertain. She did however undergo a repair between October 1790 and June 1792, followed by a period spent refitting at Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional...
until January 1793. She was recommissioned in December 1792 under Captain John Hills, under whom she sailed to Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
in early 1793. She served in the West Indies during the early years of the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
, being commanded from 1794 by Captain Philip Wilkinson. He was replaced in February 1797 — the year of the Spithead and Nore mutinies
Spithead and Nore mutinies
The Spithead and Nore mutinies were two major mutinies by sailors of the Royal Navy in 1797. There were also discontent and minor incidents on ships in other locations in the same year. They were not violent insurrections, being more in the nature of strikes, demanding better pay and conditions...
— by Captain Hugh Pigot
Hugh Pigot (Royal Navy captain)
Hugh Pigot was an officer in the Royal Navy. Through his connections and their patronage he was able to rise to the rank of captain, despite apparently poor leadership skills and a reputation for brutality. While he was captain of Hermione he eventually provoked his men to mutiny...
. Pigot was a cruel officer who meted out severe and arbitrary punishment on his men. During a nine-month period, as captain of his previous command HMS Success he ordered at least 85 floggings
Flagellation
Flagellation or flogging is the act of methodically beating or whipping the human body. Specialised implements for it include rods, switches, the cat o' nine tails and the sjambok...
, the equivalent of half the crew; two men died from their injuries.
HMS Hermione under the command of Captain Pigot was sent to patrol the Mona Passage
Mona Passage
The Mona Passage is a strait that separates the islands of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. The Mona Passage connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean Sea, and is an important shipping route between the Atlantic and the Panama Canal....
between the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. Under Pigot, Hermione destroyed three privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
s at Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
on 22 March 1797. On 20 April 1797 Hermione was the lead ship in a squadron formed of the 32-gun frigates, and , the 14 gun brig and the cutter . The squadron cut out nine ships at Jean-Rabel
Jean-Rabel
Jean-Rabel is a city located west of the city of Port de Paix and east of the city of Mole st Niclas Môle-Saint-Nicolas Arrondissement, in the Nord-Ouest Department of Haiti.It has 125,745 inhabitants....
without suffering any casualties. On 6 September 1797 and in company with and she captured a 6-gun Spanish privateer.
Mutiny
MidshipmanMidshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
David Casey was an experienced junior officer who had distinguished himself to Captain Pigot during the previous months, but his disrating was one of the primary triggers to the mutiny. About a week before the mutiny, Casey was at his station on the main top, and the captain noticed that a reef knot, one of the ties that held the sail securely, had not been tied by one of the sailors under his supervision. Casey was brought before the captain, and apologised for the oversight and took responsibility for it. The captain demanded that Casey apologise on his knees, a completely unacceptable and debasing demand for a gentleman. Casey refused to be humiliated in such a way. Pigot offered him one more opportunity and when Casey once more refused the captain ordered that Casey receive 12 lashes (more commonly a sailor's punishment than that of a junior officer), and he was disrated, which would effectively end his career as a naval officer. Casey was a popular officer amongst the crew and they felt that he was punished unfairly. The topmen began to plot mutiny.
Pigot had also developed the practice of frequently flogging the last sailor down from working aloft. On 20 September 1797, Pigot ordered the topsails to be reefed after a squall
Squall
A squall is a sudden, sharp increase in wind speed which is usually associated with active weather, such as rain showers, thunderstorms, or heavy snow. Squalls refer to an increase in the sustained winds over a short time interval, as there may be higher gusts during a squall event...
struck the ship. Dissatisfied with the speed of the operation because "these would be the yard-arm men, the most skilful topmen" he gave the order that the last men off the yard would be flogged. This policy was particularly unreasonable as the men would be spaced along the yard and the two whose station was furthest out would always be the last down. Three young sailors, in their haste to get down, fell to their deaths on the deck. One of the sailors hit and injured the master, Mr Southcott. Pigot ordered their bodies thrown into the sea with the words "throw the lubbers overboard"; a particularly offensive insult in the seaman's vocabulary. He then instructed two bosun's mates to flog the rest of the topmen when they complained. The topmen were also flogged the next morning.
The combination of the humiliation of Casey, the deaths of the topmen and the severe punishment of the rest of the sailors appear to have driven the crew to mutiny. These factors however were arguably the final events in a series of harsh and brutal punishments by the captain. Dudley Pope
Dudley Pope
Dudley Bernard Egerton Pope was a British writer of both nautical fiction and history, most notable for his Lord Ramage series of historical novels. Greatly inspired by C.S. Forester, Pope was one of the most successful authors to explore the genre of nautical fiction, often compared to Patrick...
in his book "The Black Ship" argues that it was not Pigot's cruelty that drove the men to mutiny but it was the general injustice that he showed in his favouritism to some and overly harsh punishment of others. Had Pigot remained more even handed in his leadership, the mutiny might have been avoided.
The evening of 21 September 1797, a number of the crew, drunk on stolen rum, rushed Pigot's cabin
Cabin (ship)
A cabin or berthing is an enclosed space generally on a ship or an aircraft. A cabin which protrudes above the level of a ship's deck may be referred to as a "deckhouse."-Sailing ships:...
and forced their way in after overpowering the marine
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
stationed outside. They hacked at Pigot with knives and cutlass
Cutlass
A cutlass is a short, broad sabre or slashing sword, with a straight or slightly curved blade sharpened on the cutting edge, and a hilt often featuring a solid cupped or basket shaped guard...
es before throwing him overboard. The mutineers, probably led by a core group of just 18 men, went on to murder another eight of Hermiones officers: the first lieutenant, Samuel Reed, the second lieutenant, Archibald Douglas, the third lieutenant, Henry Foreshaw, the marine commander, Lieutenant McIntosh; Bosun William Martin, Purser Pacey, Surgeon Sansum, and the captain's clerk
Captain's clerk
A captain's clerk was a rating, now obsolete, in the Royal Navy for a person employed by the captain to keep his records, correspondence, and accounts. The regulations of the Royal Navy demanded that a purser serve at least one year as a captain's clerk, so the latter was often a young man working...
. Two midshipmen were also killed and all the bodies were thrown overboard. Three warrant officers survived, the gunner and carpenter were spared because they were considered useful to the ship, and Southcott the master was spared so he could navigate. Southcott lived to be a key witness, along with Casey who was also spared, and their eyewitness accounts and testimony were key to the trials of many of the mutineers. Three petty officers joined the mutiny, one midshipman, Surgeon's Mate
Surgeon's mate
A surgeon's mate was a rank in the Royal Navy for a medically trained assistant to the ship's surgeon. The rank was renamed assistant surgeon in 1805, and was considered equivalent to the rank of master's mate/mate...
Cronin, and Master's Mate
Master's mate
Master's mate is an obsolete rating which was used by the Royal Navy, United States Navy and merchant services in both countries for a senior petty officer who assisted the master...
Turner.
Fearing retribution for their actions, the mutineers decided to navigate the ship toward Spanish waters. One reason the master's life was spared was because Turner could not navigate the ship properly without his help. The Hermione sailed to La Guaira
La Guaira
La Guaira is the capital city of the Venezuelan state of Vargas and the country's chief port. It was founded in 1577 as an outlet for Caracas, to the southeast. The town and the port were badly damaged during the December 1999 floods and mudslides that affected much of the region...
, where they handed the ship over to the Spanish authorities. The mutineers claimed they had set the officers adrift in a small boat, as had happened in the mutiny on the Bounty
Mutiny on the Bounty
The mutiny on the Bounty was a mutiny that occurred aboard the British Royal Navy ship HMS Bounty on 28 April 1789, and has been commemorated by several books, films, and popular songs, many of which take considerable liberties with the facts. The mutiny was led by Fletcher Christian against the...
some eight years earlier. The Spanish gave the mutineers just $25 dollars each in return, and presented them with the options of joining the Spanish army, heavy labour, or refitting their ship. Hermione was taken into Spanish service, was renamed Santa Cecilia, and was manned by 25 of her former sailors under Spanish guard.
Recapture and renaming
Meanwhile news of the fate of Hermione reached Admiral Sir Hyde Parker when captured a Spanish schoonerSchooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
. Parker wrote to the governor of La Guaira, demanding the return of the ship and the surrender of the mutineers. Meanwhile he despatched under Captain Henry Ricketts to commence negotiations. He also set up a system of informers and posted rewards that eventually led to the capture of 33 of the mutineers, some of whom were tried aboard , and at least one aboard . Of these, 24 were hanged
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
and gibbet
Gibbet
A gibbet is a gallows-type structure from which the dead bodies of executed criminals were hung on public display to deter other existing or potential criminals. In earlier times, up to the late 17th century, live gibbeting also took place, in which the criminal was placed alive in a metal cage...
ted, one was transported
Penal transportation
Transportation or penal transportation is the deporting of convicted criminals to a penal colony. Examples include transportation by France to Devil's Island and by the UK to its colonies in the Americas, from the 1610s through the American Revolution in the 1770s, and then to Australia between...
, and eight were acquitted or pardoned. To Parker's fury, Admiral Richard Rodney Bligh had issued pardons to several mutineers. Parker forced Bligh to resign and return to Britain. Hermione had meanwhile sat in Puerto Cabello
Puerto Cabello
Puerto Cabello is a city on the north coast of Venezuela. It is located in Carabobo State about 75 km west of Caracas. As of 2001, the city has a population of around 154,000 people. The city is the home to the largest port in the country and is thus a vital cog in the country's vast oil...
until Captain Edward Hamilton
Sir Edward Hamilton, 1st Baronet
Sir Edward Joseph Hamilton, 1st Baronet KCB was an officer of the Royal Navy, who saw service during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, eventually rising to the rank of Admiral.-Family and early life:Hamilton was born on 22 March 1772, the second...
, aboard cut her out of the harbour on 25 October 1799. The Spanish casualties included 119 dead; 231 were taken prisoner, while another 15 jumped or fell overboard. Hamilton had 11 injured, four seriously, but none killed.
Fate
Santa Cecilia was renamed Retaliation by Parker; the AdmiraltyAdmiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
then renamed her Retribution on 31 January 1800. She was recommissioned in September 1800 at Jamaica under Captain Samuel Forster. She subsequently sailed to Britain and was fitted at Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
in October 1803 for service for Trinity House
Trinity House
The Corporation of Trinity House of Deptford Strond is the official General Lighthouse Authority for England, Wales and other British territorial waters...
at a cost of £484. She was broken up at Deptford
Deptford
Deptford is a district of south London, England, located on the south bank of the River Thames. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne, and from the mid 16th century to the late 19th was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first of the Royal Navy Dockyards.Deptford and the docks are...
in June 1805.