Henry William Bayntun facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir Henry William Bayntun
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Aged 13 years, 6 months by Thomas Hickey
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| Born | 1766 Algiers , North Africa |
| Died | 16 December 1840 Bath, Somerset, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
| Service/ |
Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1777-1840 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held |
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| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath |
Admiral Sir Henry William Bayntun (1766 – 16 December 1840) was a very important officer in the Royal Navy. His long career included both great successes and tough challenges during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He was involved in many operations in the West Indies, survived a shipwreck, fought in the famous Battle of Trafalgar, and took part in the difficult expedition to Buenos Aires in 1807.
Contents
Henry William Bayntun was born in 1766 in Algiers, a city in North Africa. His father worked there as a consul general, which is like a diplomat. Henry joined the navy when he was quite young. By the age of seventeen, on April 15, 1783, he became a lieutenant. This was a significant step up in rank.
When war started with Revolutionary France in 1793, Bayntun was sent to the West Indies. He served under Admiral Sir John Jervis. Bayntun helped capture Martinique during the Battle of Martinique. After this success, he was given command of a small warship called HMS Avenger.
Bayntun also took part in the invasion of Guadeloupe. On May 4, 1794, he was promoted to post captain. This meant he was now in charge of a larger ship, HMS Undaunted. This ship had actually been a French frigate named La Bienvenue, which was captured during the Battle of Martinique.
Commanding Larger Ships
Later, Bayntun commanded another 36-gun French frigate, HMS Reunion. Sadly, this ship was wrecked in December 1796. In January 1799, he was given command of HMS Quebec.
He then commanded even bigger warships called ships of the line. These included HMS Thunderer and HMS Cumberland. With these ships, he became well-known for successfully blocking the French Caribbean islands. This was after the islands were returned to France under the Treaty of Amiens. In 1803, he captured the French frigate Créole. He also captured her convoy, which was a group of ships, and hundreds of French troops on board.
The Battle of Trafalgar
In 1804, after ten years in the West Indies, Bayntun returned to England. He was given command of HMS Leviathan. This was a fast "third-rate" ship, meaning it was a large warship with many guns. His ship joined Nelson's fleet near Brest, France. They then sailed back to the West Indies to chase the French fleet.
After finding out the French had returned to Europe, Leviathan sailed to Gibraltar. On October 8, 1805, they arrived off Cádiz, Spain. Bayntun was one of the few captains at Trafalgar who had been blockading the enemy for a long time.
Bayntun's Role in the Battle
At the famous Battle of Trafalgar on October 21, Leviathan was the fifth ship in Nelson's column. This was the main line of attack. Leviathan first fired along the side of the French flagship Bucentaure. Then, it attacked the huge Spanish ship Santissima Trinidad.
When Captain Thomas Hardy saw a distant enemy squadron approaching, he ordered Leviathan and other ships to get closer to the enemy. Leviathan then fought the Spanish ship San Agustín. Another French ship, Intrepide, was helping the San Agustín. When HMS Conqueror joined the fight, Bayntun was able to bring his ship right next to the damaged San Agustín. He kept firing at Intrepide at the same time.
As the 74-gun HMS Orion passed by, Bayntun famously shouted to its captain, Edward Codrington, "I hope you will make a better fist of it!" This meant he hoped Codrington would do a better job. Later, with 160 of his own crew dead or wounded, the commander of the San Agustín surrendered to Bayntun. Only four of Leviathan's crew were killed, and just over 20 were wounded during the battle.
After the Battle
After the battle, the weather got worse. There were also worries about a French counter-attack. Vice-Admiral Collingwood, who was in command after Nelson's death, ordered many captured enemy ships to be destroyed. Bayntun helped organize the evacuation of the crews from the ships closest to him that were to be sunk.
Bayntun reported that he did his best, but because of the bad weather, "...much less has been done than I most ardently wished and many boats have been lost." His prize, the San Agustín, was burned and sank a few days after the battle. Leviathan itself was not badly damaged and returned to Gibraltar safely.
Bayntun was chosen to carry a special flag, called a guidon, at Nelson's funeral. He was part of the water procession from Greenwich to Whitehall. He also received gifts from the Lloyd's Patriotic Fund, which honored many officers.
In 1807, Bayntun took part in the naval side of the failed invasion of Argentina. Even though the invasion didn't go well, Bayntun was not blamed like some other officers. He continued his service in the navy.
In 1809, he took command of the 74-gun HMS Milford. From 1811, he commanded the royal yacht HMY Royal Sovereign. He held this position until he was promoted to rear-admiral on August 12, 1812. After Napoleon was defeated and sent away to Elba, Bayntun was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in January 1815. This was a high honor.
Bayntun continued to serve in the Navy, slowly receiving more promotions over the years. He became a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on October 25, 1839, which is one of the highest honors.
Family and Death
Henry William Bayntun married Susannah. They had a daughter named Susannah, who was born in 1809.
Sir Henry William Bayntun passed away in Bath in 1840. He is buried at All Saints' Church, Weston, in Bath, along with other family members.
A Captain-class frigate named HMS Bayntun was later named after him. This ship served during the Second World War.
