William Prowse: Difference between revisions

{{Use dmy dates|date=AprilNovember 20122021}}

The ''Albion'' was paid off on 21 December 1781 and having passed his examination for lieutenancy on 17 January 1782 and by 6 December 1782 he had received his commission and was on 22 December 1782 appointed to the 90-gun [[second rate]] {{HMS|Atlas|1782|6}} under Captain [[George Vandeput]].<ref name="Heathcote138"/> Prowse was moved again on 14 April to join the 28-gun [[sixth rate]] {{HMS|Cyclops|1779|6}} under Captain Brabazon Christian. Prowse continued to serve off North America until March 1784.<ref name="Heathcote138"/> Prowse then disappears from naval records, and may have spent several years on merchant ships.<ref name="Tracy300"/> He briefly reappears in 1787, when tensions with the [[Netherlands]] led to his return to service under his old patron Captain Bowyer, now serving on the 74-gun {{HMS|Bellona|1760|6}}, but again left the service when the crisis had passed.<ref name="Tracy300"/><ref name="Heathcote138"/> The [[Nootka Sound]] crisis in 1790 led to another mobilisation of the fleet and Prowse returned to the navy, initially serving aboard the 98-gun {{HMS|Barfleur|1768|6}} and then aboard the 64-gun {{HMS|Stately|1784|6}} under Captain [[Robert Calder]].<ref name="Tracy300"/><ref name="Heathcote138"/> The last few years of peace for Prowse were spent aboard [[Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood|Lord Hood's]] [[flagship]] at [[Portsmouth]], the 90-gun {{HMS|Duke|1777|6}}, from August 1791 until January 1793.<ref name="Tracy300"/><ref name="Heathcote138"/>

He was invalided ashore, but recovered quickly and returned to service aboard Robert Calder's 74-gun {{HMS|Theseus|1786|6}} as his first lieutenant.<ref name="Tracy300"/> Calder and the ''Theseus'' sailed to the [[West Indies]] and after carrying out several minor engagements with French shore batteries, returned to Britain as a convoy escort in July 1795.<ref name="Heathcote139"/><ref name="Tracy301">{{cite book |last=Tracy |title=Who's who in Nelson's Navy |page=301}}</ref> Calder and Prowse transferred aboard the 32-gun [[fifth rate]] {{HMS|Lively|1794|6}} and sailed to the Mediterranean to join [[John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent|Sir John Jervis]] aboard his flagship {{HMS|Victory}}.<ref name="Heathcote139"/><ref name="Tracy301"/> Jervis appointed Prowse to his first independent command, the 14-gun [[sloop-of-war|sloop]] {{HMS|Raven|1796|6}} on 20 October 1796.<ref name="Tracy301"/> ''Raven'' was with Jervis's fleet at the [[Battle of Cape St Vincent (1797)|Battle of Cape St Vincent]] on 14 February 1797, and was used to repeat signals.<ref name="Tracy301"/> She also, in company with four frigates and another sloop, gave chase to the Spanish four-decker [[Spanish ship Nuestra Señora de la Santísima Trinidad (1769)|''Santísima Trinidad'']] but they eventually lost her.<ref name="Heathcote139"/> For his services Jervis promoted Prowse to [[post-captain]] on 6 March 1797 and appointed him to command the captured Spanish prize [[Spanish ship Salvador del Mundo (1787)|''Salvador del Mundo'']].<ref name="Heathcote139"/> Prowse took his ship home for paying-off in November but since no ship could be found for him, went on half-pay.<ref name="Tracy301"/>

Villeneuve led the rest of his fleet into [[CadizCádiz]] on 21 August 1805, and the ''Sirius'' was sent to form part of the British fleet blockading them there.<ref name="Heathcote140"/> With [[Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson|Nelson's]] arrival to take command of the fleet, the main body was moved out to sea, with a chain of four frigates and four ships of the line established to observe the fleet in Cadiz and transmit signals about their movements to the British fleet.<ref name="Heathcote140"/> ''Sirius'' was the closest to the port and at first light on 19 October it was observed that the enemy were preparing to put to sea.<ref name="Heathcote140"/> ''Sirius'' immediately signalled the next frigate in the line, [[Henry Blackwood]]'s {{HMS|Euryalus|1803|6}}, 'Enemy have their topsails hoisted'.<ref name="Heathcote141">{{cite book |last=Heathcote |title=Nelson's Trafalgar Captains |page=141}}</ref> Thus Prowse began the process that would lead to the interception of the combined fleet two days later.<ref name="Adkin472">{{cite book |last=Adkin |title=The Trafalgar Companion |page=472}}</ref> An hour later at 7 a.m. ''Sirius'' ran up three flags to signal code number 370, 'Enemy ships are coming out of port or getting under sail'. The signal was repeated down the line, reaching Nelson 48 miles away aboard HMS ''Victory'' at 9.30 a.m.<ref name="Heathcote141"/>

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*{{cite book|last=Adkin|first=Mark|title=The Trafalgar Companion: A Guide to History's Most Famous Sea Battle and the Life of Admiral Lord Nelson|location=London|publisher=Aurum Press|year=2007|isbn=978-1-84513-018-93|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/trafalgarcompani0000adki}}