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The ‘Billy Ruffian’ story – H.M.S. Bellerophon (1782-1836)
On the following pages there is a capsule collection of items related to the famous Trafalgar battleship H.M.S. Bellerophon, known to her sailors as ‘Billy Ruffian’ because they could not pronounce her classical Greek name. The following shortened excerpt from David Cordingly’s enthralling history ‘Billy Ruffian: The Bellerophon and the Downfall of Napoleon. The Biography of a Ship of the Line, 1782-1836’ (Introduction pp 1-2) outlines her exceptional career. ‘More than any other ship of her day the Bellerophon reflected the history of her times and in particular the long conflict between Britain and France which began in 1793 and ended at Waterloo. She was in at the beginning, she was in at the end, and she played a crucial role in the years in between. She was the first ship to engage the enemy in the opening moves of the Battle of the Glorious First of June, the first fleet action of the naval war against Revolutionary France. She was with the squadron commanded by Nelson which hunted down the French fleet in the Mediterranean and destroyed it at the
Battle of the Nile: In that action she was totally dismasted and suffered the highest casualties of any British ship when she engaged the huge French flagship L’Orient. At Trafalgar her captain was shot dead by a musket ball shortly before Nelson was fatally wounded. Her first lieutenant took over command, fought off four enemy ships and went on to capture a prize and tow her into Gibraltar. In the intervening years she baked in the tropical sun on the Jamaica station defending the West India colonies. She spent many months being battered by winter storms off Ushant, in the Bay of Biscay and escorting Atlantic convoys. She was a crucial link in the Wooden Walls of England, that extended line of British ships which finally put an end to Napoleon’s ambitious plans to invade England and march on London. But the most famous episode in the life of this extraordinary ship took place…early on the morning of 15th July 1815. [Captain] Maitland wrote in his log-book “At 7 received on board Napoleon Bonaparte late Emperor of France and his suite”.’
