HMS "Thunderer" at Trafalgar

[John Mayers]

Can someone please confirm that Acting Captain John Stockham brought hms "Thunderer" into Gibraltar on 28 October 1805 towing San Juan Nepomuceno - the first British ship back. I have only read this in one book . "Victory" arrived the next day. It would be expensive travelling to Gibralter to look throught the files of the Gibralter Times to check!

[PMarione]

From the Logs of Great Sea Fights, NRS:

October 26th.
A.M.-The prize bearing north. At noon, got the prize in tow.
P.M.-Made sail to the south. At 8, squally. Carried away the tow rope. Shortened sail and endeavoured to take the prize in tow.

October 27th.
A.M.-Hove to. At noon, got the prize.

October 28th.
Made sail, prize in tow. At 9, bore up and set studding sails: ranged the cables.
At 11, shortened sail and anchored with the best bower off the Mole [Gibraltar].

@+P

[John Mayers]

Thanks for log details but did "Thunderer" bring the first prize back to a British port?

It seems 40 year- old First Lieutenant John Stockham from Devon had been overlooked for promotion (character flaw or no sponsor?)

Before Battle he replaced William Lechmere as Captain, who returned to London to give evidence in court marshall.

Stockham had unsuccesfully written to Nelson asking to serve on "Victory".

Just before Trafalgar Battle, Nelson had to adjudicate in the case of "Thunderer" bosun (Keefe) accused of embezzling stores and deserting ship at Plymouth. (Why couldn't Stockham have sorted this out himself?

After Battle, suggestion made that Stockham took Spanish ship in tow without telling Collingwood, who did not mention it in dispatch back to London.

Was Stockham out to finally get some recognition and was he successful?

[PMarione]

Stockham was directly promoted to Post Captain on Christmas 1805 without passing trough the Commander rank.

Such a promotion was very scarce and only for conduct like commanding a ship after the Captain death.

As he was only Acting Captain, it seems normal to me that he couldn't take the responsability of judging the case of Keefe.

Stocham received a Captain's Gold Medal and a Captain's Sword from the Patriotic Fund.

[John Mayers]

Thank you very much. I believe there are some artifacts at Greenwich on Stockham.

But was the "Thunderer"(comparatively unscathed) the first British ship of the line to get to Gibralter?

My interest started recently when I saw a list in Wells (Somerset) Town Hall of local men and ships that were at Trafalgar. One was a ten-year old boy and I have started digging!

[John Mayers]

I'm sorry but I have another query.
At Greenwich there is a tea caddy made of wood from "Santissma Trinidad" - the largest ship in the world. The caddy has a cutglass bowl in the centre and an engraving that says Captain Stockham commamded "Thunderer" on that day.
But why was Stockham honoured on the caddy when I have not found any record that "Thunderer" engaged "S Trinidad"? The ship sunk so where had the wood for the caddy come from?

Should the engraving have said that the wood came from "San Juan Nepomuceno" Stockham's prize ?