The victory of Lord Nelson at Trafalgar in 1805 has gone down in history as one of the greatest sea-battles of all time, but it was not his only victory, and Nelson was not the only hero of the age. Bonaventure portray a small part of the crew of HMS Antelope, which was commanded, first as Captain and later as Commodore, by Sir Sidney Smith, one of the most eccentric characters of the age. Lieutenant Hanchett of the Antelope also gained fame during the first years of the 19th century and later as a Captain during the War of 1812 - the only war fought between an independent United States and Great Britain. The Antelope herself was a 50 gun ship, launched at Sheerness in 1802. She served in the English Channel and then in the Americas and West Indies until 1819. From 1820 she was used as a troop ship at Chatham until she was broken up in 1845.
The Captain. Sir Sidney Smith was a brilliant, eccentric, but often unpopular officer. He was knighted by the King Gustavus II of Sweden for his part in the battle of Viborg, and it was perhaps the death of a number of Royal Navy officers serving in the Russian fleet which led to his unpopularity. At the siege of Acre in 1799 Smith became the first person to defeat Napoleon on land, and following the end of the Napoleonic Wars Smith devoted himself to the abolition of Slavery.
The Lieutenant, John Hanchett, promenading with the victualler's daughter.
...and demonstrating the seamanship and skill at commanding small boats which made his name at the Texel.
Mr Midshipman Snotty by one of the great guns.
The Master's Mate below deck.
The Bonaventure boat crew in No. 1 Basin, Portsmouth Dockyard. Nelson's flagship, HMS Victory, and the dispatch vessel HMS Pickle can be seen in the background.
Three seamen and a 32lber.
Antelopes, with friends from C.H.E.S.
