Thomas Bladen Capel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir Thomas Capel
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| Born | 25 August 1776 London, England |
| Died | 4 March 1853 (aged 76) London, England |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |
 Royal Navy |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held | HMS Mutine HMS Alecto HMS Arab HMS Meleager HMS Phoebe HMS La Hogue Far East squadron Portsmouth Command |
| Battles/wars | French Revolutionary War Napoleonic Wars War of 1812 |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath |
Admiral Sir Thomas Bladen Capel (born August 25, 1776 – died March 4, 1853) was a brave officer in the British Royal Navy. He served with great skill in three big wars: the French Revolutionary War, the Napoleonic Wars, and the War of 1812. His excellent service helped him get promoted quickly and become well-known. He was also a close friend of Admiral Nelson and was considered part of Nelson's special group of officers, often called "Nelson's band of brothers."
Contents
A Young Sailor's Start
Thomas Capel was born in London in August 1776. He was the fourth son of a very important family, the Earl of Essex. Because of his family's high standing, Thomas received special advantages from a young age. When he was just five years old, his name was added to the crew list of a ship called HMS Phaeton. This was a common practice back then. It meant he could start gaining seniority even before he actually went to sea. This helped him move up the ranks much faster later on.
First Sea Adventures
Capel's real journey at sea began in April 1792. He first served on HMS Assistance near Newfoundland. Then, in March 1793, he became a midshipman (a junior officer) on HMS Syren. His captains were very impressed with his sailing skills and good behavior. He later moved to other ships, including the frigate HMS Apollo.
He also served under Lord Hugh Seymour on two large warships, HMS Leviathan and HMS Sans Pareil. On Sans Pareil, he took part in the battle of Groix in 1795. After this battle, his ship returned to patrol the English Channel. In May 1796, Capel was promoted to acting lieutenant. By April 1797, he joined the new frigate HMS Cambrian as a full lieutenant.
Hero at the Battle of the Nile
In April 1798, Capel joined the main ship of Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson. This ship was the HMS Vanguard, a powerful 74-gun ship. In May, the Vanguard and a small group of ships left Gibraltar to find the French fleet in the Mediterranean Sea.
On May 20, a sudden storm hit them. The Vanguard was badly damaged, losing its front mast and parts of its other masts. Even with reinforcements arriving, Nelson stayed on the damaged Vanguard. This meant Capel was serving as Nelson's signal officer on August 1, 1798. On that day, Nelson's fleet completely defeated the French at the famous battle of the Nile.
Capel greatly impressed Admiral Nelson during the battle. Nelson called him "a most excellent officer" in his reports. As a special reward, Capel was given the sword of the highest-ranking French admiral who survived the battle.
Leading His Own Ships
First Commands and Promotions
After the Battle of the Nile, Capel was made acting commander of the 16-gun ship HMS Mutine. He was given the important job of carrying the second set of official reports about the victory to London. This was a huge honor, especially since many more senior officers were available. The first reports, carried by another officer, were captured by the French. This meant Capel was the first to bring the exciting news of the victory to London.
His promotion to commander was officially confirmed. He then commanded an older fireship (a ship filled with explosives to set enemy ships on fire) called HMS Alecto. Soon after, on December 27, 1798, he was promoted again to post captain. This was a very important rank, allowing him to command larger ships.
Commanding Frigates
Following his promotion, Capel took command of the 22-gun ship HMS Arab in January 1799. He sailed this ship to Jamaica. In July 1800, he moved to command the 32-gun frigate HMS Meleager. Sadly, this ship was wrecked on some rocks in the Gulf of Mexico in June 1801.
Back to War with France
Observing the Enemy
In May 1802, after a short period of peace, Capel was given command of the 38-gun frigate HMS Révolutionnaire. He sailed to the Mediterranean Sea and later became captain of HMS Phoebe. When war with France started again in April 1803, Capel, still on HMS Phoebe, rejoined Nelson. His job was to watch the movements of the French navy very closely.
In April 1805, Phoebe spotted the French fleet leaving Toulon. While Nelson chased them across the Atlantic and back, Capel was ordered to use his group of frigates to block French ships from reaching Sicily, Sardinia, and Egypt.
The Battle of Trafalgar
The combined French and Spanish fleet entered Cadiz on August 20. Phoebe joined the British ships blocking the port. In October 1805, Capel's squadron was based at Gibraltar. They acted as the "eyes" of the British fleet. When the enemy fleet sailed out, Phoebe was one of the ships that relayed signals to Nelson's main fleet, which was 48 miles away.
On October 21, Capel went to Nelson's flagship, HMS Victory, to get his final orders for the upcoming battle. Phoebe and three other frigates were to stay upwind and repeat Nelson's signals to the ships further back. They were also to chase any enemy ships that tried to escape and help any damaged British ships or captured enemy ships.
Capel was present throughout the famous battle of Trafalgar. He relayed Nelson's signals to the rest of the fleet and stayed close to the action, even though his ship didn't directly fight the enemy. After the battle, a big storm hit. Phoebe was crucial in saving the captured French ship Swiftsure and the Spanish ship Bahama, bringing them safely to Gibraltar. Admiral Collingwood praised Capel's amazing efforts in saving these ships.
Adventures in Turkey
After Trafalgar, Capel returned to England. He was then appointed to the 40-gun ship Endymion. Capel's ship took the British ambassador to Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul). In 1807, Capel learned of a plan to kidnap the ambassador and some British merchants. He cleverly stopped this by inviting them to dine on the Endymion and then sailing away.
Later that year, Capel returned to Constantinople and took part in forcing a passage through the Dardanelles under Sir John Duckworth. On the way back, Endymion was hit by two huge stone cannonballs, which killed three of her crew and injured ten. Capel was again praised for his part in this action. He was then given command of the large warship La Hogue. He took this ship to North America when the War of 1812 began.
War of 1812 Operations
Capel stayed in North America for the entire war. He commanded a small group of ships along the eastern coast. During this time, Capel carefully watched American shipping. He effectively blocked the American frigate base at New London.
In April 1813, Capel captured the American merchant ship Caroline. He also trapped an American ship called Young Teazer in a harbor in June 1813. The Young Teazer was blown up by its own crew rather than being captured. Capel returned home in 1814 and received the CB award in June 1815 for his service.
Reaching the Top Ranks
Capel commanded the Royal Yachts Royal George and Apollo between 1821 and 1827. This helped him gain more promotions and favors from important people. Even though promotions were slower in peacetime, he became a rear-admiral in May 1825 and a rear-admiral of the red squadron in July 1830. He was knighted soon after and received the KCB award in February 1832.
In May 1834, Sir Thomas Capel became the commander-in-chief of the Far East squadron. He served there until July 1837 on the frigate HMS Winchester. He was promoted to vice-admiral in January 1837.
By 1847, Capel was a full admiral. He was part of the group that decided to create the Naval General Service Medal for naval service between 1793 and 1840. This medal included a special clasp for the Battle of Trafalgar, which Capel himself wore. In 1848, he became the Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, a very important position. He received the highest honor, Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, in April 1852.
Thomas Bladen Capel passed away at his home in London on March 4, 1853. He was buried in Kensal Green cemetery in a family plot. His wife, Dame Harriet Capel, was later buried there too. Their gravestone can still be seen today.
Family Life
In 1816, Thomas Capel married Harriet Catherine Smyth. They did not have any children. Lady Adela Caroline Harriett Capel, who was Admiral Bladen Capel's great-niece, wrote in her diary about visiting him and his wife at Little Cassiobury. This was a house near Cassiobury House, which was designed in the late 1600s. Little Cassiobury still exists today in Watford.
