Page 23 - History of War - Issue 18-15

FRONTLINE: HEAD TO HEAD

HMS BELLEROPHON YEARS IN OPERATION: 12 THE LEGEND OF

‘BILLY RUFFIAN’
LOYALTY: BRITISH
WEIGHTANDDIMENSIONS TACTICS This was not the fi rst time that Bellerophon
had attacked a much larger French warship.
2 2 In 1794, Bellerophon was part of Lord Howe’s
Channel fl eet victory at the Glorious First of
Bellerophon was dwarfed by L’Orient, at only Bellerophon aimed for the centre of the French June, the largest fl eet action of the war. The
1,612 tons in weight, 168 feet (51.2 metres) in line and came to rest alongside L’Orient. Within fi rst ship to engage the French, Bellerophon
length and 46 feet (14.3 metres) in breadth. an hour, L’Orient was on fi re, Bellerophon was de- exchanged broadsides at close range with
masted and Captain Darby wounded. the 100-gun Révolutionnaire and was badly
CREW damaged. Temporarily repaired, Bellerophon
was damaged again in the next day’s fi ghting.
2 GUNNERY At Trafalgar, Bellerophon’s rigging became
Henry d’Esterre Darby’s complement of 550 2 entangled with a French seventy-four, L’Aigle,
crewmen numbered roughly half of L’Orient’s When tubs of paint caught fi re on L’Orient’s and Captain Cooke was killed by musket fi re.
1,079, but their superior discipline and gunnery upper deck, Bellerophon’s gunners aimed for the On the lower decks, gun crews fought with
allowed Bellerophon to strike a fatal blow against inferno. Several hours later, L’Orient exploded so grenades and melee weapons. After an hour,
the larger L’Orient. violently that every ship in the battle, shocked by L’Aigle withdrew.
the destruction, stopped firing.
FIREPOWER Pronouncing the ship’s name proved
diffi cult for some sailors, leading to
2 TOTAL the nickname ‘Billy Ruffi an’
A ‘seventy-four’, Bellerophon was lightly armed
compared to L’Orient. It had 28 32-p
cannons on the lower gun deck, 28 18-
on the upper gun deck, 14 nine-poun 2 2
the quarterdeck and four nine-pounde
forecastle, 74 in all.

When Napoleon fi nally
surrendered, he did so
aboard the Bellerophon

Images: Alamy, Corbis

Admiral Henry d’Esterre
Darby, captain of HMS
Bellerophon

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