This and That

Mutinies in 1797

In 1797 some mutinies in the Royal Navy made the round, two are to be emphasized at this point. Here is a short list :

Spithead

The mutiny in Spithead, a ship docking area near Portsmouth, lasted about four weeks, from 16 April to 15 May 1797, when sailors from a total of 16 ships of the canal fleet under Admiral Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Bridport, protested against living conditions on board Royal Navy ships and demanded wage increases.

In 1658, the level of hiring for seafarers had been fixed, i.e. it had remained almost unchanged for more than 100 years. Wages and prices remained stable until the 1760s, until after the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763), however, there was progressive monetary devaluation. In addition, since the 1760s the hulls of ships have increasingly been covered with copper plates so that British warships no longer had to call at ports regularly to clean the hulls. The additional time at sea changed the pace of life of the sailors decisively. The Royal Navy made no attempt to incorporate these changes into its planning and was slow to understand their impact on the teams. Finally, the composition of crews from voluntary sailors and pressed men from the inland led to tensions and dissatisfaction during wartime.

The mutineers were led by elected delegates who tried for two weeks to negotiate with the admiralty mainly about better pay, the abolition of a purser’s pound, and the replacement of some unpopular officers. Neither flogging nor pressing was mentioned. The mutineers maintained their daily naval routine and discipline on their ships (mostly with their regular officers) and also allowed some ships to leave the berth for patrolling. They also agreed that if French ships were sighted they would end the mutiny and leave immediately.

As the mutineers were suspicious, especially with regard to the promised pardons, negotiations initially failed, and there were several incidents in which some unpopular officers were sent off ship and others were treated with contempt. When the situation calmed down, Admiral Lord Howe intervened and presented an agreement that was largely acceptable to the mutineers, as it included the King’s pardon for all teams, the removal of some unpopular officers, a wage increase, and the abolition of the purser’s pound. As a result of the mutinies of Spithead and The Nore, the worst grievances in the Royal Navy – bad food, brutally enforced discipline, and withholding pay – were mitigated or abolished.

The mutiny leaders remained anonymous, even after the agreement. Rumor has it that HMS Royal George quartermaster Valentin Joyce was one of the leaders.

The Nore

Inspired by the example of their comrades in Spithead, the sailors also began to mutiny near the Sandbank Nore, a mooring in the Thames estuary near London. On 12 May 1797, the team took over the HMS Sandwich. The crews of several other ships, which also anchored there, followed them, while other ships tried to sail away secretly, although they were fired at with cannons by the mutineers on the ships. It was more difficult to organize this mutiny centrally because, unlike in Spithead, the ships were further apart, but eventually delegates were elected for each ship.

The sailor Richard Parker was elected president of the fleet’s delegates. He was a former helmsman who was demoted in December 1793 and tried before a military court but was reenlisted in 1797. On 20 May, Admiral Charles Buckner was presented with a list of eight demands that were essentially those of the mutineers of Spithead but also demanded that the King dissolve Parliament and make immediate peace with France. These demands were made by the Admiralty, which only wanted to accept the Spithead concessions and the immediate return to service.

The mutineers blocked sea access to London, and also prevented merchant ships from calling at the port of London. On June 5, 1797, Parker gave the order to let the merchant ships pass. Only the Royal Navy ships should continue to be blocked; the reason given for this order was that passing the merchant ships would make a good impression on the people ashore. However, the mutineers may have been overburdened with a total blockade of the busy Thames. After the mutiny in Spithead was successfully ended, the government and the admiralty were unwilling to make any further concessions, partly because they assumed that some leaders of the mutiny in London were pursuing further political goals.

Nore Mutiny Elected Delegates in Council or Beggars on Horseback Cartoon by Isaac Cruickshank

The mutineers were denied food, and when Parker signaled that the mutineers’ ships were all to sail to France, the other ships refused to follow, and the mutiny failed. Parker was convicted of treason and piracy and hung on the Sandwich. 29 other leaders were executed, and others were whipped, arrested, and deported to Australia. However, most mutineers were not punished.

After the mutiny of The Nore, Royal Navy ships no longer rang five times after the dog watch, as this was the signal for the beginning of the mutiny.

Other Mutinies

In September 1797 the crew of HMS Hermione mutinied in the West Indies. The British frigate was to protect merchant ships that brought coffee, cotton, and tobacco from the Caribbean. The ship was commanded by Hugh Pigot, one of the worst martinets in maritime history. Plagued by self-doubt, he was prone to cruelty and uncontrolled outbursts of anger. During a Caribbean storm, heavy gusts of rain swept over the Hermione. Pigot sent his people into the masts to catch up with the wildly beating sails. He cursed, everything was too slow for him. Whoever was last down again, he threatened to have beaten back up the rigging. Hectically the sailors climbed down, and three of them fell to their deaths. Pigot’s answer: He had the survivors flogged.

The following night the accumulated hatred, fired by rum, turned into violence. Two dozen men attacked the sleeping Pigot with knives, sabers, and axes. Then the officers were tugged on deck, slaughtered, and thrown overboard. After the slaughter, the sailors danced to the music of a flute.

On 27 December, the crew of the HMS Marie Antoinette killed their officers and abducted the ship to a French port in the West Indies. Other mutinies took place off the coast of Ireland and at the Cape of Good Hope, attacking the fleet of Admiral Jervis off the Spanish coast.