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Admirals Hood [Bligh and the Bounty, Nelson and HMS Victory]

| The Bounty | Lord Samuel Hood | The Victory | Sir Samuel Hood | The Ships | Top | Admiral Alexander Hood | Captain Samuel Hood | Admiral Horace Hood |

These notes started to answer the question: "How many Hoods became Admirals? And what were their relationships if any with Bligh and HMS Bounty, and Nelson and HMS Victory?"

The HMS Bounty connection.

Charges of "Mutiny on the 28th of April, 1789, on board His Majesty's Ship BOUNTY, for running away with the ship and deserting His Majesty's Service" were brought against 10 officers and men (Coleman, Norman, McIntosh, Heywood, Morrison, Millward, Muspratt, Burkett, Ellison and Byrne). Only three were condemned to hanging (Ellison, Millward and Burkett). Sentence was executed 29 October, 1792, on board HMS Brunswick, Portsmouth Harbour. Detailed proceedings published May 1794.

Court-martial held on board HMS DUKE, Portsmouth Harbour, 12 August to 16 August 1792, sentencing 18 September, before 12 Captains, Presiding Officer, Vice-Admiral Lord Alexander Hood. Captain Albemarle Bertie was related to mutineer Peter Heywood. Sentence executed 29 October, 1792, on board HMS Brunswick, Portsmouth Harbour.

lord samuel hood

Portrait of Admiral Sir Samuel Hood, by Joshua Reynolds.

The Right Honourable Samuel Lord Hood

The Right Honourable Samuel Lord Hood (1st Viscount Hood of Whitley) (1724-1816) had known Bligh. He had already been C.-in-C. Portsmouth and given Bligh his sailing orders in 1787.

HMS Victory connections: Lord Hood had commanded HMS Victory (certainly in 1792 as he took "mutineer" Heywood aboard, after his pardon, as a Midshipman) and used her as his flagship as C.-in-C. Mediterranean Fleet May 93 - Oct 94. (Nelson, who anecdotally first met Admiral Lord Hood off Staten Island, N.Y. in 1782, commanded HMS VICTORY May 1803 to Trafalgar, 21 Oct 1805). Additionally it was Hood who was instrumental in giving Nelson his first command of a ship of the line (Jan 1793, Agamemnon, 64). Hood finally lost his temper (one too many times) with Spencer, First Lord of the Admiralty, and was stripped of command in 1795; the following year he was appointed Governor of the Greenwich Hospital for Seamen - a post he held for twenty or more years until his death at age 91. He was one of the two "Supporters" of the Chief Mourner at Nelson's State Funeral (8 Jan 1806) - reported as "Admiral Samuel Viscount Hood"; Bligh, by now Admiral, was also present although hardly noticed.

This Samuel Hood had a brother Alexander, also Admiral, who later became Lord Bridport; he was C.-in-C. of the Channel Fleet at the time of the Spithead/Nore mutiny of 1797 (Bligh, still a Captain was also sent to Yarmouth to investigate this event). Matters are complicated by the fact that these two brothers, Samuel and Alexander, had two cousins, Alexander and Samuel, who also both became Admirals.

Admiral Sir Samuel Hood

The next Samuel Hood is more contemporary with Nelson; cousin of Lord Hood (under whom he had served in the early 80s), Sir Samuel Hood (1762-1814). He commanded the ZEALOUS under Nelson's orders at Santa Cruz and at the Nile (Nelson left him in charge after the battle), later rejoining Nelson at the two Sicilies. He is perhaps best known as the "Hero of Diamond Rock" (a Caribbean victory over the French). He was not at Trafalgar - he had lost his arm off Rochefort 25 September 1805 in HMS CENTAUR.

Lord Bridport

Captain (promoted Vice-Admiral in 1787) Alexander Hood,
by Lemuel Francis Abbott.

There is yet another Samuel Hood who was, as a naval Captain, part of the Board at the enquiry of HMS SHANNON and the Indian Mutiny of 1857-58. I have not yet established whether he is related, although logic may so suggest.

The last of the famous line of Admirals Hood, was Rear Admiral the Honourable Horace Hood, who died tragically, but gloriously, on the battle cruiser HMS INVICIBLE at Jutland. Gerard Fiennes (I think) wrote the ballad which contains:

"Out flew the signal from the LION - 'Take station ahead'. No need
To break the order for battle to one of that seaman breed.
A Hood was Nelson's sea daddy; this Hood bears Nelson's name;
What Nelson did at Saint Vincent - trust him, he'll do the same"

The Ships:

| Top | The Bounty | Lord Samuel Hood | The Victory | Sir Samuel Hood | The Ships | Top | Admiral Alexander Hood | Captain Samuel Hood | Admiral Horace Hood |

 

 



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