Henry Appleton (captain) facts for kids
Henry Appleton was an English naval captain and commodore who was active between 1650 and 1654. He played a part in naval battles during a time when England was often at war at sea.
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Henry Appleton was likely from Kingston upon Hull. He became a naval officer later than many others. His name first appears in records on September 26, 1650. On that day, Parliament ordered him to become the commander of a new ship. This ship was being built in Woolwich.
Appleton was given command of the ship Leopard, which had 50 guns. He sailed to several places, including Smyrna, Zante, Messina, Naples, and Genoa. In November 1651, he arrived in Leghorn, Italy. While there, his ships captured a French vessel. This action upset the Grand Duke of Tuscany, who ruled the area. After a month, Appleton left Leghorn. He sailed to Naples and then back to Smyrna. He returned to Leghorn in June 1652.
Around this time, a war started between England and the Dutch Republic. A group of fourteen Dutch warships blocked the English ships in Leghorn. Appleton's fleet was much smaller than the Dutch one. He sent one of his ships, the Constant Warwick, to help Commodore Richard Badiley. Badiley was another English commander.
On August 27, 1652, the Dutch found Badiley's ships near the island of Elba. The Dutch, with ten ships, attacked Badiley. After a long fight, they captured the English ship Phoenix. Appleton did not help Badiley during this battle. He later said he was very sick at the time. However, Badiley said no one else knew about Appleton's sickness. He believed Appleton should have sent his ships to help anyway.
The Phoenix Incident
After his defeat, Badiley went to Porto Longone. Part of the Dutch fleet blocked him there. The other part watched Appleton at Leghorn and repaired the captured Phoenix. On November 2, Badiley traveled to meet Appleton. He had orders to take overall command of the English fleet.
They decided to try and get the Phoenix back. This was risky because it went against the rules of the neutral port. On the evening of November 20 (or November 30 by the new calendar), Captain Cox successfully recaptured the Phoenix. The Dutch sailors were celebrating and not paying attention.
The next day, Appleton upset the Grand Duke even more. He seized a Dutch prisoner who had escaped and was under the protection of a Tuscan guard. The Grand Duke was very angry. He had Appleton arrested and held him prisoner. Two days later, Appleton was sent to Commodore Badiley at Porto Longone. Badiley held a meeting with his officers. They removed Appleton from command of the Leopard. The English government approved this decision. Appleton was ordered to return to England.
However, Badiley decided to let Appleton stay in command of the Leopard for a short time. The two English fleets needed to combine. They had to fight their way past the Dutch. The Grand Duke had ordered the English to return the Phoenix or leave the port.
Final Battle and Disappearance
Appleton returned to his ship in Leghorn. On March 1, 1653, Badiley told him to be ready to sail out and meet him. Badiley hoped the Dutch would attack one fleet, and the other could help.
On March 4, the wind blew offshore. As soon as Appleton's ships left the port, the Dutch attacked him. Badiley was too far away to help. The Dutch quickly defeated Appleton's fleet. Only one of his six ships escaped. The Leopard fought bravely. But the crew eventually refused to fight anymore. They took Appleton prisoner and surrendered.
Appleton was held prisoner for several months. He was released after a large payment of 5,000 pieces of eight. He returned to England, complaining that he had been left alone and betrayed. An investigation showed that his complaints were not true. His defeat was not because Badiley didn't help. It was because Appleton left the port too quickly, before Badiley was ready. Henry Appleton was never given another command after this. He then disappeared from historical records.
