View source for HMS Bellerophon (1786)

{{short description|74-gun Royal Navy ship of the line}}
{{redirect|Billy Ruffian|the English indie rock band|Billy Ruffian (band)}}
{{other ships|HMS Bellerophon}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2015}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[File:HMS Bellerophon Lying at Anchor by Thomas Luny.jpg|300px|alt=Oil painting of a three-masted sailing ship seen from rear against a background of cliffs, with many small boats filled with people in the foreground.]]
|Ship caption=An 1827 painting of HMS ''Bellerophon'' by [[Thomas Luny]]
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=[[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]]
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Kingdom of Great Britain|naval}}
|Ship name=''Bellerophon''
|Ship ordered=11 January 1782
|Ship builder=Edward Greaves and Co., [[Frindsbury]]
|Ship laid down=May 1782
|Ship launched=6 October 1786
|Ship acquired=
|Ship completed=By March 1787
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship reclassified=[[Prison ship]] from 1815
|Ship renamed=''Captivity'' on 5 October 1824
|Ship nickname=Billy Ruffian
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship fate=Broken up in 1836
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=<ref name="Winfield51" />
|Ship class={{sclass|Arrogant|ship of the line}}
|Ship tons burthen=1,612 {{small|{{frac|78|94}}}} ([[Builder's Old Measurement|bm]])
|Ship length=
* {{convert|168|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} ([[gundeck]])
* {{convert|138|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} ([[keel]])
|Ship beam={{convert|46|ft|10+1/2|in|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught=
|Ship hold depth={{convert|19|ft|9|in|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship sail plan=[[Full-rigged ship]]
|Ship complement=590 (Oct 1805 - 566 borne)
|Ship armament=
* Lower gundeck: 28 × 32-pounder guns
* Upper gundeck: 28 × 18-pounder guns
* [[Quarterdeck]]: 14 × 9-pounder guns
* [[Forecastle]]: 4 × 9-pounder guns
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''HMS ''Bellerophon''''', known to sailors as the "Billy Ruffian", was a [[ship of the line]] of the [[Royal Navy]]. A [[third-rate]] of [[Seventy-four (ship)|74 guns]], she was launched in 1786. ''Bellerophon'' served during the [[French Revolutionary Wars|French Revolutionary]] and [[Napoleonic Wars]], mostly on blockades or convoy escort duties. She fought in three [[fleet action]]s: the [[Glorious First of June]] (1794), the [[Battle of the Nile]] (1798) and the [[Battle of Trafalgar]] (1805). While the ship was on blockade duty in 1815, [[Napoleon]] boarded ''Bellerophon'' so he could surrender to the ship's captain, ending 22 years of almost continuous war between Britain and France.

Built at [[Frindsbury]], near [[Rochester, Kent|Rochester]] in [[Kent]], ''Bellerophon'' was initially laid up [[in ordinary]], briefly being commissioned during the [[Spanish Armament|Spanish]] and [[Russian Armament]]s. She entered service with the Channel Fleet on the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars in 1792, and took part in the Glorious First of June in 1794, the first major fleet action of the wars. ''Bellerophon'' narrowly escaped being captured by the French in 1795, when her squadron was nearly overrun by a more powerful French fleet at the [[First Battle of Groix]], but the bold actions of the squadron's commander, Vice-Admiral [[Sir William Cornwallis]], caused the French to retreat. She played a minor role in efforts to intercept a [[Expédition d'Irlande|French invasion force bound for Ireland]] in 1797, and then joined the [[Mediterranean Fleet]] under [[John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent|Sir John Jervis]]. Detached to reinforce Rear-Admiral [[Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson|Sir Horatio Nelson's]] fleet in 1798, she took part in the decisive defeat of a French fleet at the Battle of the Nile, where she suffered severe damage and lost several officers while engaging the much larger French flagship [[French ship Orient (1791)|''Orient'']]. She returned to England before being sent to the [[West Indies]], where she spent the [[Peace of Amiens]] (1802–03) on cruises and convoy escort duty between the Caribbean and North America.

''Bellerophon'' returned to European waters with the resumption of the wars with France, joining a fleet under Vice-Admiral [[Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood|Cuthbert Collingwood]] blockading [[Cadiz]]. The reinforced fleet, by then commanded by Horatio Nelson, engaged the combined Franco-Spanish fleet when it emerged from port. At the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October ''Bellerophon'' fought a bitter engagement against Spanish and French ships, sustaining heavy casualties including the death of her captain, [[John Cooke (Royal Navy officer)|John Cooke]]. Following the battle, she escorted Nelson's body back to England. After repairs, ''Bellerophon'' was employed blockading the enemy fleets in the [[English Channel|Channel]] and the [[North Sea]]. She plied the waters of the [[Baltic Sea]] in 1809, making attacks on Russian shipping, and by 1810 was off the French coast again, blockading their ports. She went out to North America as a convoy escort between 1813 and 1814, and in 1815 was assigned to blockade the French Atlantic port of [[Rochefort, Charente-Maritime|Rochefort]]. In July 1815, defeated at [[Battle of Waterloo|Waterloo]] and finding escape to North America barred by the blockading ''Bellerophon'', Napoleon came aboard "the ship that had dogged his steps for twenty years" (according to maritime historian [[David Cordingly]]) to finally surrender to the British. It was ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s last seagoing service. She was [[ship decommissioning|paid off]] and converted to a [[prison ship]] in 1815, and was renamed ''Captivity'' in 1824 to free the name for [[HMS Waterloo (1818)|another ship]]. Moved to [[Plymouth]] in 1826, she continued in service until 1834, when the last convicts left. The Admiralty ordered her to be sold in 1836; she was subsequently broken up for scrap.

''Bellerophon''{{'}}s long and distinguished career has been recorded in literature and [[Folk music of England|folk songs]].

==Construction and commissioning==
''Bellerophon'' was ordered from the commercial shipbuilder Edward Greaves and Company, of [[Frindsbury]] in Kent, on 11 January 1782 to a modified design originally developed by [[Surveyor of the Navy]] [[Thomas Slade|Sir Thomas Slade]].<ref name="Winfield51">{{cite book |last=Winfield |title=British Warships in the Age of Sail 1714–1792|page=51}}</ref><ref name="Goodwin66">{{cite book |last=Goodwin |title=The Ships of Trafalgar|page=66}}</ref><ref name="Lavery">{{cite book |last=Lavery |title=The Ship of the Line|page=180}}</ref> She was one of ten ships built to the modified {{sclass|Arrogant|ship of the line|0}} design, originally developed by Slade in 1758 and used to build two ships, {{HMS|Arrogant|1761|6}} and {{HMS|Cornwall|1761|6}}.<ref name="Winfield51" />{{Ref_label|A|a|none}} The design was resurrected and slightly altered in 1774, and approved by the [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]] on 25 August that year.<ref name="Winfield49">{{cite book |last=Winfield |title=British Warships in the Age of Sail 1714–1792|page=49}}</ref>  The [[keel laying|keel was laid down]] at Frindsbury in May 1782.{{Ref_label|B|b|none}} Measuring {{convert|168|ft|m|abbr=on}} on the [[gundeck]] and {{convert|138|ft|m|abbr=on}} on the [[keel]], she had a [[Beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|46|ft|10.5|in|m|abbr=on}}, measured 1,612 <small>{{fraction|78|94}}</small> [[Builder's Old Measurement|tons burthen]] and mounted 74 guns. This armament consisted of twenty-eight 32-pounder guns on her lower gundeck, twenty-eight 18-pounder guns on the upper gundeck, fourteen 9-pounder guns on the [[quarterdeck]] and four 9-pounder guns on the [[forecastle]].<ref name="Winfield51" />

The ship was named ''Bellerophon'', a decision that had been arrived at by at least April 1782, when it was entered into the [[minutes]] of the Surveyor's Office.<ref name="Cordingly17" /> The [[First Lord of the Admiralty]] at the time, [[John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich]], had apparently selected the name from [[John Lemprière|Lemprière]]'s [[Lemprière's Bibliotheca Classica|Classical Dictionary]], which he kept on his desk. The recently ordered 74-gun ship was thereafter to be named after the Greek warrior [[Bellerophon]] who rode the winged horse [[Pegasus]] and slew the monster [[Chimera (mythology)|Chimera]].<ref name="Cordingly17-18">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|pages=17–8}}</ref> The pronunciation proved difficult for the ordinary sailors of the period, and she was widely known by variants, most commonly "Billy Ruffian" or "Billy Ruff'n", although "Belly Ruff One" appears in a satirical 1810 print by [[Thomas Rowlandson]], and "Bellyruffron" in the novel ''[[Poor Jack]]'' by [[Frederick Marryat]].<ref name="Cordingly18">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=18}}</ref><ref name="Adkinsxxxiv">{{cite book |last=Adkins & Adkins|title=Jack Tar|page=xxxiv}}</ref> She was decorated with a [[figurehead (object)|figurehead]] of Bellerophon.<ref name="Goodwin66" />
[[File:HMS Bellerophon Frindsbury.jpg|thumb|alt=Drawing of a river with a rowing boat in the foreground and the hull of a sailing ship flying flags on the far bank. Small houses and buildings visible in the background.|Anonymous drawing, c. 1786, of ''Bellerophon'' on the stocks at [[Frindsbury]], prior to being launched]]
By the time ''Bellerophon'' was launched, there was no pressing need for new warships. The signing of the [[Treaty of Paris (1783)|Treaty of Paris]] in 1783 brought the [[American War of Independence]] to an end while ''Bellerophon'' was still under construction. Though Greaves had been contracted to have her ready for launching by April 1784, she spent another two years on the [[slipway]], probably because the Navy Board ordered construction work to be delayed to allow her timber to be [[Wood drying|seasoned]], a luxury available now that there were no pressing military needs.<ref name="Cordingly24">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=24}}</ref> When the launch came, it was delayed several times, finally taking place during a period of heavy autumn storms in October 1786. She was launched with little ceremony on 7 October 1786, by Commissioner Charles Proby, of [[Chatham Dockyard]].<ref name="Winfield51" /><ref name="Colledge">{{cite book |last=Colledge & Warlow|title=Ships of the Royal Navy|page=36}}</ref><ref name="Cordingly30">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=30}}</ref> She was then towed across the [[River Medway]] and anchored off Chatham Dockyard. She was taken into the [[dry dock]] there on 7 March 1787, where her hull was fitted with [[copper sheathing]], and she was fitted for [[In ordinary|the Ordinary]].<ref name="Goodwin66" /> Her final costs came to £30,232.14.4d paid to Greaves for building her, and a further £8,376.15.2d spent on fitting her for service.<ref name="Winfield51" /><ref name="Goodwin66" />{{Ref_label|C|c|none}}

Laid up at Chatham during the years of peace, ''Bellerophon'' was not commissioned until July 1790, when the crisis known as the [[Spanish Armament]] broke out. As war with Spain threatened, warships lying in ordinary began to be commissioned and fitted for sea. ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s first commander, Captain [[Sir Thomas Pasley, 1st Baronet|Thomas Pasley]], arrived on 19 July and began the process of preparing her for service.<ref name="Goodwin66" /><ref name="Cordingly47">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=47}}</ref> After a month spent fitting out the ship with guns, masts, stores and rigging, and recruiting a crew, Pasley gave the orders for his crew to slip the moorings on 16 August, and ''Bellerophon'' made her way down the Medway to the fleet anchorage at the [[Nore]].<ref name="Cordingly51-2">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|pages=51–2}}</ref>

[[File:Lemuel Francis Abbott - Thomas Pasley.jpg|thumb|alt=Half-length portrait of a grey-haired man in a navy blue jacket with gold buttons and braid, wearing a medal.|[[Sir Thomas Pasley, 1st Baronet|Sir Thomas Pasley]], depicted as a rear-admiral in a 1795 portrait by [[Lemuel Francis Abbott]]. ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s first commander, he is shown wearing the [[Naval Gold Medal]] he won while commanding her.]]
From the Nore, ''Bellerophon'' proceeded to [[The Downs (ship anchorage)|the Downs]] and joined the fleet stationed there. She spent three weeks in the [[roadstead]], exercising her guns, before moving to [[Spithead]].<ref name="Cordingly53-4">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|pages=53–4}}</ref> The diplomatic crisis with Spain had largely abated by October 1790, and ''Bellerophon'' was sent to [[Sheerness]] in late November.<ref name="Cordingly55">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=55}}</ref> She remained in commission, still under Pasley, during the [[Russian Armament]] in 1791, but when this period of tension also passed without breaking into open war, ''Bellerophon'' was sent back to Chatham and paid off there on 9 September 1791.<ref name="Winfield51" /><ref name="Goodwin66" />

==French Revolutionary Wars==
With the outbreak of the [[French Revolutionary Wars]], ''Bellerophon'' was [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] in March 1793, under her former captain, Thomas Pasley. Pasley fitted her for sea and sailed to join the [[Channel Fleet]] under Admiral [[Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe|Lord Howe]].<ref name="Cordingly59">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=59}}</ref> The Channel Fleet sailed on 14 July, with orders to patrol off [[Brest, France|Brest]] in the hope of intercepting and destroying the French fleet based there. While south-west of the [[Scilly Isles]] on 18 July, ''Bellerophon'' collided with {{HMS|Majestic|1785|6}} in gale-force winds.<ref name="Goodwin66" /> ''Bellerophon'' lost her [[bowsprit]], [[foremast]] and [[main topmast]], and had her figurehead and [[cutwater]] smashed, which necessitated putting into [[Plymouth]] for repairs.<ref name="Goodwin66" /><ref name="Cordingly59" />

After being repaired, ''Bellerophon'' rejoined the Channel Fleet, which by now was patrolling the [[Western Approaches]]. She developed a reputation for speed during these duties, and was given the nickname of "The Flying Bellerophon".<ref name="Cordingly63">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=63}}</ref> In September 1793 Howe assigned her to a flying squadron made up of the fastest ships of the line, and gave Pasley command of the squadron, with the temporary rank of [[commodore (Royal Navy)|commodore]].

On 27 November 1793, the ships of Pasley's squadron captured the French corvette [[French corvette Blonde (1781)|''Blonde'']]. At the time of her capture ''Blonde'' was armed with 28 guns and had a crew of 210 men under the command of Citizen Gueria.<ref>{{London Gazette|date=7 December 1793|issue=13601|page=1100}}</ref> A subsequent prize money notice listed the vessels that shared in the proceeds as ''Bellerophon'', {{HMS|Vanguard|1787|2}}, {{HMS|Phoenix|1783|2}}, {{HMS|Latona|1781|2}}, and {{HMS|Phaeton|1782|2}}.<ref>{{London Gazette|date=16 September 1794|issue=13704|page=946}}</ref>

With Pasley now responsible for a squadron, ''Bellerophon'' received a new commander in January 1794, Captain [[William Johnstone Hope]], with Commodore Pasley continuing to fly his [[broad pennant]] aboard her.<ref name="Goodwin66" /> For the next five months the Channel Fleet patrolled off [[Ushant]] and the [[Brittany]] coast.<ref name="Cordingly65">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=65}}</ref>

===Glorious First of June===
{{main|Glorious First of June}}
The Channel Fleet played an important role in the closing stages of the [[Atlantic campaign of May 1794]], when Howe moved out into the Atlantic in the hope of intercepting an approaching French convoy under Admiral [[Pierre Jean Van Stabel]]. The main French battlefleet was also known to be at sea, under Admiral [[Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse]]. Howe sent Pasley, recently promoted to [[Rear admiral (Royal Navy)|rear-admiral]], and his flying squadron, consisting of ''Bellerophon'' and the 74-gun ships {{HMS|Russell|1764|6}}, {{HMS|Thunderer|1783|6}} and {{HMS|Marlborough|1767|6}}, ahead to scout for French forces.<ref name="Cordingly68">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=68}}</ref> At 6 am on 28 May the attached frigate {{HMS|Phaeton|1782|6}} signalled ''Bellerophon'' to report a sighting of a strange fleet. Pasley took the squadron south-east to investigate, coming in sight of a large fleet at 9 am, and counting thirty-three ships, of which at least twenty-three appeared to be ships of the line.<ref name="Cordingly69">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=69}}</ref> They were confirmed as French by noon, and Pasley signalled this news back to Howe.<ref name="Cordingly72">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=72}}</ref> Howe ordered a pursuit, and by evening the leading British ships, with Pasley's flying squadron forming the van, came in contact with the rear-most French. ''Bellerophon'' was the first ship to come into action, when the 110-gun [[French ship Bretagne (1766)|''Révolutionnaire'']] dropped back to block her approach. Pasley [[Tacking (sailing)|tacked]] to close the French ship and began exchanging [[Broadside (naval)|broadside]]s.<ref name="Goodwin66" /><ref name="Cordingly74">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=74}}</ref>  The heavy fire of the larger French ship caused considerable damage, particularly to ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s main topmast, and she fought alone until the remainder of the flying squadron and two ships from the main fleet, {{HMS|Audacious|1785|6}} and {{HMS|Leviathan|1790|6}}, arrived to assist her.<ref name="Cordingly75">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=75}}</ref><ref name="Goodwin67">{{cite book |last=Goodwin |title=The Ships of Trafalgar|page=67}}</ref> The damaged ''Bellerophon'' then drifted clear of the action, and as night fell Howe signalled for the fleet to reform in line ahead and wait for morning before resuming the engagement.<ref name="Cordingly75" />
[[File:Howe engaging the French 1st June.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Black and white print of a large sailing warship in the centre in a cloud of smoke, a second ship visible in the background, other ships vaguely visible through the smoke.|''Lord Howe engaging the French Fleet under Adm Villaret on the 29th May'', a 1799 [[aquatint]] after [[Nicholas Pocock]], showing Howe's flagship, ''Queen Charlotte'' cutting the French line. Emerging through the smoke behind her and following the commander in chief through the line is ''Bellerophon''.]]
The action resumed the following morning, with Howe closing on the French and then cutting through their line. ''Bellerophon'' followed Howe's [[flagship]], the 100-gun {{HMS|Queen Charlotte|1790|6}}, and sustained some damage from French fire.<ref name="LUW138">{{cite book |last=Mostert|title=The Line Upon A Wind|page=138}}</ref> Howe isolated several French ships in the rear and pounded them with broadsides, but Villaret de Joyeuse was able to bring his van about to rescue them, and the two fleets parted again at night to reform their battle lines and repair damage.<ref name="Cordingly77">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=77}}</ref> Poor weather on 30 May and 31 May prevented the fleets from making contact, but the following day, 1 June, Howe was able to bring about a decisive action, later known as the Glorious First of June. The British approached in line abreast, with ''Bellerophon'' at the end of the line. As they approached, the ships were heavily cannonaded by the French. Pasley was hit in the leg by a cannonball as he stood on the quarterdeck, with Midshipman [[Matthew Flinders]] reporting that "our brave admiral lost his leg by an 18-pounder shot which came in through the barricadoes of the quarter-deck&nbsp;– it was in the heat of the action."<ref>Matthew Flinders. [[National Maritime Museum]], [[Greenwich]]. FLI 8b. As cited in Cordingly. ''Billy Ruffian''. p. 81. and Goodwin. ''The Ships of Trafalgar''. p. 67.</ref> When two seamen expressed their sorrow, Pasley replied "Thank you, but never mind my leg: take care of my flag."<ref name="Cordingly81">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=81}}</ref> He was taken below where the shattered leg was amputated.<ref name="Cordingly81" /> Captain Hope kept the ship in the engagement, pounding the 74-gun [[French ship Éole (1789)|''Éole'']] until the French ship was forced out of the line.<ref name="Cordingly82">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=82}}</ref> ''Bellerophon'' had by then lost all three topmasts, and her [[mainsail]] and lower [[Shroud (sailing)|shrouds]] had been cut to pieces.<ref name="Goodwin67" /> Hope then signalled the frigate {{HMS|Latona|1781|6}} to tow ''Bellerophon'' clear of the action.<ref name="Cordingly82" /><ref name="Mackenzie198">{{cite book |last=Mackenzie|title=The Trafalgar Roll|page=1980}}</ref> Despite being under heavy fire during the battle, ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s casualties were comparatively light, amounting to four men killed and between twenty-seven and thirty wounded.<ref name="Goodwin67" />{{Ref_label|D|d|none}}

''Bellerophon'' returned with the fleet to England after the battle, where the wounded Pasley left the ship. ''Bellerophon'' was taken into [[HMNB Portsmouth|Portsmouth Dockyard]] for repairs, and then resumed her patrols in the Western Approaches with the Channel Fleet.<ref name="Cordingly92">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=92}}</ref> Captain Hope was superseded in late November, and on 1 December 1794 ''Bellerophon'' received a new commander, Captain [[James Cranstoun, 8th Lord Cranstoun]].<ref name="Winfield51" /><ref name="Goodwin66" />

===Cornwallis's Retreat===
{{main|Cornwallis's Retreat}}
[[File:First Battle of Groix PU5491.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Black and white print of a number of sailing ships on a choppy sea and under a cloudy sky.|''Admiral Cornwallis's Retreat from the French Fleet'', an 1802 engraving of a work by [[William Anderson (artist)|William Anderson]], depicting [[Cornwallis's Retreat]]]]
''Bellerophon'' returned to sea in May 1795 after three months anchored in the [[Solent]]. She had been at Spithead on 1 May, when the 98-gun {{HMS|Boyne|1790|6}} caught fire and blew up, with ''Bellerophon'' rescuing twelve men.<ref name="Mackenzie198" /> Still with the Channel Fleet, she joined a squadron commanded by Vice-Admiral [[William Cornwallis|Sir William Cornwallis]] which was patrolling off Ushant. The squadron had arrived on station on 7 June, and the following day captured a convoy of eight French merchants off [[Belle Île]].<ref name="Cordingly97" /> The squadron remained in the area until 16 June, when a lookout on ''Bellerophon'' spotted a large fleet to the east-south-east. This was the Brest fleet, consisting of thirteen ships of the line, two frigates, two [[brig]]s and a [[cutter (boat)|cutter]], under Admiral Villaret de Joyeuse.<ref name="Goodwin67" /> Heavily outnumbered, Cornwallis ordered a retreat, but ''Bellerophon'' and {{HMS|Brunswick|1790|6}} sailed unusually slowly and he found himself being steadily overhauled by the French.<ref name="Lavery121">{{cite book |last=Lavery |title=The Ship of the Line|page=121}}</ref> Keeping his ships together, Cornwallis ordered ''Bellerophon'' to take up position at the head of his line, later explaining that "The Bellerophon I was glad to keep in some measure as a reserve, having reason at first to suppose there would be full occasion for the utmost exertions of us all&nbsp;... I considered that ship a treasure in store, having heard of her former accomplishments, and observing the spirit manifested by all on board when she passed me, joined to the zeal and activity shewed by Lord Cranstoun during the whole cruize."<ref>William Cornwallis. Despatch printed in ''[[The Times]]'' (29 June 1795). Cited in Cordingly. ''Billy Ruffian''. p. 99.</ref>

After a full day of pursuit, the leading French ships made an attempt to cut off {{HMS|Mars|1794|6}}, trailing in the British rear. Cornwallis dropped back to support ''Mars'', while Captain [[Robert Stopford (Royal Navy officer)|Robert Stopford]] of HMS ''Phaeton'' began making signals implying a British fleet was in sight. When French lookouts spotted distant topsails, Villaret de Joyeuse decided that Cornwallis's actions meant that a British fleet was approaching to support him, and called off the pursuit. There was no British fleet in the vicinity; the topsails were those of a convoy of British merchantmen.<ref name="Cordingly100">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=100}}</ref>

===Irish waters===
''Bellerophon'' returned to England in June, before departing to patrol the Western Approaches until September. She entered Portsmouth Dockyard again in October and underwent a refit costing £8,103.<ref name="Winfield51" /><ref name="Cordingly101">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=101}}</ref> She resumed patrol and blockade duty in the Western Approaches in January 1796, at first under Cranstoun, but from April effectively under the acting-captaincy of Lieutenant [[John Loring (d. 1808)|John Loring]].<ref name="Winfield51" /><ref name="Cordingly105">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=105}}</ref> Cranstoun's replacement, Captain [[Henry D'Esterre Darby]], arrived to take command in September. Blockade duty continued until early January 1797, when news reached the fleet that [[Expédition d'Irlande|a French expedition had appeared off Ireland]]. Caught off guard, the Admiralty ordered ''Bellerophon'' and a number of other ships to patrol off [[Bantry Bay]]. By then the French expedition had been dispersed by bad weather, and after three weeks on patrol, ''Bellerophon'' put into [[Cobh|Cork]] where she rendezvoused with the Irish squadron under Admiral [[Sir Robert Kingsmill, 1st Baronet|Robert Kingsmill]].<ref name="Goodwin67" /><ref name="Cordingly108">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=108}}</ref> Shortly after her return to Spithead in early March, ''Bellerophon'' was given new orders by the Admiralty. She sailed on 17 March, bound for [[Cadiz]] to join [[John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent|Sir John Jervis's]] [[Mediterranean Fleet]] blockading the port.<ref name="Goodwin67" />

===Mediterranean duties===
[[File:Cadiz June 1797. The inshore blockading squadron coming to an anchor.jpg|thumb|alt=Print of Five sailing ships, four seen stern on, and the fifth from the side. A town and coastline in the background, with a line of distant ships in front of it.|''Cadiz June 1797. The inshore blockading squadron coming to an anchor'', by [[Thomas Buttersworth]], 1797. From left to right, ''Bellerophon'', {{HMS|Orion|1787|2}} (in port view), {{HMS|Theseus|1786|2}}, {{HMS|Colossus|1787|2}} and {{HMS|Irresistible|1782|2}}.]]
''Bellerophon'' rendezvoused with Jervis's fleet in the [[Bay of Cádiz|Bay of Cadiz]] on 30 May 1797.<ref name="Goodwin67" /> Three days later she was visited for the only time by [[Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson|Horatio Nelson]], then a rear-admiral and in command of the inshore squadron of the blockading fleet.<ref name="Cordingly109">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=109}}</ref> ''Bellerophon'' was with the fleet in the Bay of Cadiz until October, when Jervis took it to sea to patrol between [[Cape Trafalgar]] and [[Cape St. Vincent]]. These duties lasted until late May 1798, when ''Bellerophon'' was assigned to a detached squadron under Captain [[Sir Thomas Troubridge, 1st Baronet|Thomas Troubridge]] and ordered to rendezvous with and reinforce Nelson's squadron. Nelson was in the Mediterranean hunting for a large French fleet which had sailed from [[Toulon]] carrying troops.<ref name="Cordingly118">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=118}}</ref>

The French had embarked on [[Mediterranean campaign of 1798|a complex land and naval campaign]] in the Mediterranean, with the ultimate aim of launching an [[French campaign in Egypt and Syria|invasion and occupation of Egypt]]. The British were aware that the French had amassed a large army, led by General [[Napoleon|Napoleon Bonaparte]], but their destination was unknown. Rendezvousing with Troubridge's squadron on 7 June, Nelson now had a sufficient force to engage the French, and began to comb the Mediterranean.<ref name="Cordingly129-30">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|pages=129–30}}</ref> The search lasted nearly two months, with the British force tracking westwards, and then back east, sometimes missing the French force by days. The French force, after invading and capturing [[Malta]], arrived off [[Alexandria]] on 1 July and began landing troops. It was not until 25 July that news reached Nelson, by then at anchor off [[Sicily]], that the French fleet had appeared off Egypt. He took his fleet to sea, and arrived off Alexandria on 1 August, but found the harbour empty. Heading east, he discovered the French fleet, consisting of thirteen ships of the line, four frigates and a number of gunboats, at anchor in [[Abu Qir Bay]].<ref name="Cordingly136-8">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|pages=136–8}}</ref>

===Battle of the Nile===
{{main|Battle of the Nile}}
It was late on 1 August when the British fleet appeared in the bay, and the French were at anchor in a strong defensive position.<ref name="LUW261">{{cite book |last=Mostert|title=The Line Upon A Wind|page=261}}</ref> The French commander, Vice-Admiral [[François-Paul Brueys d'Aigalliers]], did not expect a night attack, but Nelson ordered his ships to form up and attack the head of the French van, taking advantage of a favourable wind which allowed his ships to drift down the line, while preventing the French rear from reinforcing the van and centre.<ref name="Cordingly139">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=139}}</ref> ''Bellerophon'' was the eighth ship in the British line, and as the battle began, Darby turned her towards the French centre, eventually coming to anchor at 7 pm. Possibly due to some error on the part of the crew or because the anchor had dragged, ''Bellerophon'' came to rest alongside the French flagship, the 120-gun [[French ship Orient (1791)|''Orient'']].<ref name="Cordingly145">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=145}}</ref>{{Ref_label|E|e|none}}
[[File:Thomas Whitcombe - The Battle of the Nile 1798.jpg|thumb|alt=Coloured print of a naval battle between sailing ships. A single ship seen bow on in the centre, a cluster of ships in the left background, and a large ship on fire in the centre background. Two ships to the right, one without masts seen side on, and one seen stern on, are visible, with a column of smoke rising from the burning ship to the top of the picture.|A 1799 depiction of the Battle of the Nile by [[Thomas Whitcombe]]. ''Orient'' is on fire, and visible under her stern, and drifting clear of the burning ship, is the dismasted ''Bellerophon''.]]
''Bellerophon'' now found herself in a desperate position. The much more powerful three-decked ''Orient'' fired several broadsides into ''Bellerophon'', smashing her boats, dismounting guns and cutting rigging.<ref name="Goodwin67" /><ref name="Cordingly147">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=147}}</ref> [[Troupes de marine|French marines]] on the higher decks poured volleys of [[musket|musket fire]] onto ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s exposed upper decks. Between 60 and 70 of her crew were killed or wounded in the first stages of the engagement, including Darby, who was rendered unconscious by a head wound.<ref name="Adkin290" /> Command then devolved to the [[First lieutenant#Royal Navy|first lieutenant]], Lieutenant Daniel. Daniel and the second lieutenant, Lieutenant Lander, were both wounded, but were able to direct the fighting until a shot took away Daniel's left leg. As he was carried below he was hit by grapeshot and killed outright.<ref name="Adkin291">{{cite book |last=Adkin |title=The Trafalgar Companion|page=291}}</ref> The fourth lieutenant, John Hadaway, was wounded and was taken below to the surgeon, while the fifth lieutenant, George Joliffe, was killed on the deck.<ref name="Cordingly147" /> After an hour fighting ''Orient'' alone, ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s [[mizzenmast]] collapsed, followed shortly afterwards by the mainmast. Lieutenant Lander was among those killed in the fall of the mainmast, and command devolved to the third lieutenant, the uninjured Lieutenant Robert Cathcart.<ref name="Goodwin68">{{cite book |last=Goodwin |title=The Ships of Trafalgar|page=68}}</ref> Several fires had broken out on both ''Bellerophon'' and ''Orient''.  According to ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s logbook, at 9pm, when a further fire broke out on ''Orient'', Cathcart was down below on duty, and the 13 year old Midshipman [[John Hindmarsh]] was briefly the senior officer on deck.<ref>''From Powder Monkey to Governor.  The Life of Rear Admiral Sir John Hindmarsh'', Access Press, Australia, 1995 ({{ISBN|0949795887}})</ref>  He ordered the anchor cable cut and the [[spritsail]] was hoisted, but put too great a strain on the foremast, which collapsed.<ref name="NN196">{{cite book |last=Lavery |title=Nelson and the Nile|page=196}}</ref> Now totally dismasted, ''Bellerophon'' began to drift away from the action, her crew fighting fires.<ref name="Cordingly148">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=148}}</ref> As she moved out of the line she received some long range shots from the French [[HMS Tonnant (1798)|''Tonnant'']].<ref name="NN202">{{cite book |last=Lavery |title=Nelson and the Nile|page=202}}</ref><ref name="LUW268">{{cite book |last=Mostert|title=The Line Upon A Wind|page=268}}</ref>

As ''Bellerophon'' slowly drifted away, she was sighted by the 74-gun {{HMS|Swiftsure|1787|6}}, approaching the centre. It was by now about 9 pm; in the darkness ''Swiftsure''{{'}}s captain, [[Benjamin Hallowell Carew|Benjamin Hallowell]], was unable to identify the dismasted ship and presumed that she was a damaged French ship attempting to escape. He debated firing into her, but decided to hold fire and press on to the French centre, where he eventually came to anchor astern of ''Orient'', close to ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s original position.<ref name="Cordingly149-50">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|pages=149–50}}</ref> Darby had by this time recovered sufficiently to resume command, and at his order the battered ''Bellerophon'' came to anchor at the east end of the bay, and her crew began making repairs.<ref name="NN205">{{cite book |last=Lavery |title=Nelson and the Nile|page=205}}</ref> The battle raged throughout the night, and eventually ended in a decisive victory for the British.<ref name="Cordingly152-3">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|pages=152–3}}</ref> The next five days were spent repairing the ship and burying the dead. 49 men were killed and 148 wounded on ''Bellerophon''.<ref name="Goodwin68" /> Eight more died of their wounds in the following week.<ref name="Cordingly154">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=154}}</ref>{{Ref_label|F|f|none}}

{|class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" style="width:100%"
|-valign=top
!colspan=7|Officers of ''Bellerophon'' at the Battle of the Nile.<ref name=WoodenWalls>[https://books.google.com/books?id=dQEcAQAAIAAJ&dq=John+Hindmarsh+bellerophon+boatswain&pg=PA467 United Service Magazine], ''England's Wooden Walls, XI, Bellerophon'', by Joseph Allen, 1840, p467-8.</ref>
|-valign=top
!width=138| Position
!width=190| Name
!width=90| Fate
!rowspan="18" width="2"|
!width=138| Position
!width=190| Name
!width=90| Fate
|-valign=top
|| Captain  || [[Henry D'Esterre Darby]]  || wounded
|rowspan="3"| Master's Mates  || Thomas Ellison  || killed
|-valign=top
|| 1st Lieutenant  || Robert Savage Daniel  || killed  ||   James Vose  ||
|-valign=top
|| 2nd Lieutenant  || Philip Watson Launder  || killed  ||   John Barton  ||
|-valign=top
|| 3rd Lieutenant  || Robert Cathcart  || 
|rowspan="11"| Midshipmen  || Ralph Hall  ||
|-valign=top
|| 4th Lieutenant  || John Hadaway  ||   ||   Alexander Sheppard  ||
|-valign=top
|| 5th Lieutenant  || George Joliffe  || killed  ||   John Sadler  ||
|-valign=top
|| Master  || Edward Kirby  || wounded  ||   James Maitland  ||
|-valign=top
|| Surgeon  || George Bellamy  ||   ||   James Walker Baker  ||
|-valign=top
|| Purser  || James Heath  ||   ||   [[John Hindmarsh]]  ||
|-valign=top
|| Chaplain  || John Fresselique  ||   ||   Leslie Boulderson  ||
|-valign=top
|| Surgeon's 1st Mate  || John Jones  ||   ||   Benjamin Hulke<br /><small>(promoted to be lieutenant of the [[HMS Spartiate (1798)|'' Spartiate'']])</small> ||
|-valign=top
|| Surgeon's 3rd Mate  || John Ryall  ||   ||   Michael Smith  ||
|-valign=top
|| Marine Captain  || John Hopkins   || died of wounds  ||   Stephen W Maybury  ||
|-valign=top
|| Marine 2nd Lieutenant  || John Wright  ||   ||   Nicholas Bettison  || wounded
|-valign=top
|| Gunner  || John Hindmarsh<br /><small>(father of midshipman John Hindmarsh)</small><ref name=NelsonLetters>[https://books.google.com/books?id=srMgAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA128 ''The Letters of Lord Nelson to Lady Hamilton, Vol. I. ''], Letter 33, 1 August 1803, says: "I have this day made... Mr. Hindmarsh, gunner's son, of the Bellerophon, who behaved so well this day five year, a Lieutenant."</ref>  ||   || Volunteer  || James Mathews  ||
|-valign=top
|| Boatswain  || James Chapman  || wounded  || Clerk  || Harry Farmer  ||
|-valign=top
|| Carpenter  || Copernicus Thomas  || 
|colspan=3|
|-
|}

===Britain and West Indies service===
After carrying out temporary repairs in Abu Qir Bay, ''Bellerophon'' hoisted [[jury mast]]s and, towing the captured [[HMS Spartiate (1798)|''Spartiate'']] with HMS ''Majestic'', sailed to [[Gibraltar]] for a refit.<ref name="NN244">{{cite book |last=Lavery |title=Nelson and the Nile|page=244}}</ref> When this was completed she returned to Britain, arriving at Spithead on 2 April 1800, where she paid off and entered the dockyard for a more substantial refit in September.<ref name="Goodwin68" /> These works amounted to £32,608 and lasted until August 1801. She recommissioned on 25 June 1801 under the command of Captain [[George Stewart, 8th Earl of Galloway|Lord Garlies]] and sailed in August to rejoin the Channel Fleet, which was blockading Brest.<ref name="Winfield51" /> Lord Garlies was superseded by Captain John Loring on 25 November, and ''Bellerophon'' continued on the blockade.<ref name="Goodwin68" />

In 1802, ''Bellerophon'' was among five ships ordered to join Admiral [[Sir John Duckworth, 1st Baronet|John Duckworth's]] squadron in the West Indies. After taking on supplies, she sailed from [[Torbay]] on 2 March 1802.<ref name="Goodwin68" /><ref name="Cordingly159">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=159}}</ref> By the time of her arrival on 27 March, the [[Treaty of Amiens]] had been signed, so Britain and France were at peace. For the next eighteen months ''Bellerophon'' cruised in the [[Jamaica Channel|Jamaica Passage]] and escorted merchant convoys between Jamaica and [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]].<ref name="Cordingly163">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=163}}</ref>

==Napoleonic Wars==

===West Indies and return to Britain===
''Bellerophon'' was in the West Indies when the [[Napoleonic Wars]] broke out in May 1803. Her captain, John Loring, was appointed commodore of the British squadron, which quickly went on the offensive against French shipping in the [[Blockade of Saint-Domingue]]. In mid-1803, the squadron under Captain [[Henry William Bayntun]], consisting of HMS ''Bellerophon'', {{HMS|Cumberland|1774|2}}, {{HMS|Hercule|1798|2}}, {{HMS|Elephant|1786|2}}, and {{HMS|Vanguard|1787|2}} captured the French privateers [[HMS Flying Fish (1803)|''Poisson Volant'']] and {{HMS|Superieure|1803|2}}.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=15620|page=1228|date=13 September 1803}}</ref> The Royal Navy took both into service.  The [[corvette]] [[French corvette Mignonne (1797)|''Mignonne'']] and a brig were captured in late June, after which the British patrolled off [[Cap-Haïtien|Cap-François]].<ref name="Goodwin68" /> On 24 July the squadron, made up of ''Bellerophon'' and the 74-gun ships HMS ''Elephant'', {{HMS|Theseus|1786|6}} and HMS ''Vanguard'', came across two French 74-gun ships, [[French ship Duquesne (1788)|''Duquesne'']] and [[HMS Implacable (1805)|''Duguay-Trouin'']], and the frigate [[HMS Guerriere (1806)|''Guerrière'']], attempting to escape from Cap-François.<ref name="Cordingly165">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=165}}</ref> The squadron gave chase, and on 25 July overhauled and captured ''Duquesne'' after a few shots were fired, while ''Duguay-Trouin'' and ''Guerrière'' managed to evade their pursuers and escape to France.<ref name="Goodwin68" /> One man was killed aboard ''Bellerophon'' during the pursuit.<ref name="Cordingly165" />  She remained blockading Cap-François until November, when the French commander of the garrison there, General [[Donatien-Marie-Joseph de Vimeur, vicomte de Rochambeau|Rochambeau]], approached Loring and requested to be allowed to evacuate his men, which were being besieged by a native Haitian force led by [[Jean-Jacques Dessalines]]. To prevent Rochambeau escaping, Loring sent launches from ''Bellerophon'' and ''Elephant'' into the Caracol Passage where they cut out the French schooner [[French schooner Découverte (1800)|''Découverte'']] on 22–23 November. The French formally surrendered on 30 November and were allowed to evacuate on three frigates, [[French frigate Surveillante (1802)|''Surveillante'']], [[French frigate Clorinde (1801)|''Clorinde'']], and [[French frigate Vertu (1794)|''Vertu'']], and a number of smaller ships, and were escorted to Jamaica by the squadron.<ref name="Winfield51" /><ref name="Goodwin68" />

[[File:Captain John Cooke, 1763-1805.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Half-length portrait of a man facing to the right, in a gold buttoned and braided navy blue coat|Captain [[John Cooke (Royal Navy officer)|John Cooke]], {{nowrap|''Bellerophon''{{'}}s}} captain at the Battle of Trafalgar, painted c. 1797–1803 by [[Lemuel Francis Abbott]].]]

A particularly severe outbreak of [[malaria]] struck the ship in early February 1804; 212 members of ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s crew fell ill. 17 died aboard the ship, while 100 had to be transferred to a shore-based hospital, where a further 40 died.<ref name="Goodwin68" /><ref name="Cordingly166">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=166}}</ref> She was ordered back to Britain in June, escorting a large convoy, and arrived in the Downs on 11 August. She briefly paid off and was taken into Portsmouth Dockyard for a refit. On 27 September four shipwrights working in the magazine by candle light set off some loose powder. The explosion killed all four.<ref>Grocott (1797), p. 179.</ref>

''Bellerophon'' rejoined the Channel Fleet, still off Brest, and under the command of Admiral Sir William Cornwallis.<ref name="Cordingly169">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=169}}</ref> These duties lasted until early 1805, with Loring being superseded by Captain [[John Cooke (Royal Navy officer)|John Cooke]] on 24 April.<ref name="Goodwin68" /><ref name="Cordingly178">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=178}}</ref>

===Approach to Trafalgar===
In May 1805 a large French fleet under the command of Vice-Admiral [[Pierre-Charles Villeneuve]] escaped from Toulon. ''Bellerophon'' was dispatched with a squadron under Vice-Admiral [[Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood|Cuthbert Collingwood]] to patrol the [[Straits of Gibraltar]]. Before they could arrive, Villeneuve had collected Spanish reinforcements under Admiral [[Federico Carlos Gravina y Nápoli|Federico Gravina]], and had sailed into the Atlantic, pursued by Nelson's Mediterranean Fleet.<ref name="Cordingly179">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=179}}</ref> While Nelson chased Villeneuve around the West Indies without making contact, Collingwood mounted a blockade of Cadiz. His squadron was still there in mid-August when Villeneuve appeared off the port with his fleet. Possessing too few ships to intercept the combined fleet, Collingwood allowed them to enter Cadiz, and then remounted the blockade. He was reinforced with a number of ships over the next few months, with Nelson taking over command on 28 September.<ref name="Cordingly180">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=180}}</ref>

===Battle of Trafalgar===
{{main|Battle of Trafalgar}}
Nelson mounted a loose blockade of the combined fleet, keeping most of his fleet out of sight, but with a line of frigates and larger ships stationed at intervals between himself and Cadiz.<ref name="Cordingly183">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=183}}</ref> On 19 October the combined fleet was observed to be putting to sea, and the signal was passed down the line of ships. [[William Pryce Cumby]], ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s first lieutenant, was first in the main fleet to spot the signal, flying from the last ship in the communication link, HMS ''Mars''.<ref name="Adkin433">{{cite book |last=Adkin |title=The Trafalgar Companion|page=433}}</ref><ref name="Cordingly184">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=184}}</ref> The British began to pursue the combined fleet as it made its way towards the Straits of Gibraltar, and came in sight of it on the morning of 21 October. The officers and sailors of ''Bellerophon'' prepared for battle, some of the gun crews chalking the words "Victory or Death" on their gun barrels.<ref name="Mackenzie200">{{cite book |last=Mackenzie|title=The Trafalgar Roll|page=200}}</ref><ref name="Cordingly188">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=188}}</ref> At 11 am ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s signal midshipman, [[John Franklin]], noted that Nelson had hoisted the signal "[[England expects that every man will do his duty]]", and an hour and a half later ''Bellerophon'' entered the battle as the fifth ship in Collingwood's lee column. She was astern of the 80-gun HMS ''Tonnant'' and ahead of the 74-gun {{HMS|Achille|1798|6}}, with the 74-gun {{HMS|Colossus|1803|6}} close by her [[port and starboard|port]] side.<ref name="Goodwin69">{{cite book |last=Goodwin |title=The Ships of Trafalgar|page=69}}</ref><ref name="Cordingly193">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=193}}</ref>
[[File:Situation of the Bellerophon at the moment of the death of her gallant commander Captn. Cooke.jpg|thumb|alt=Coloured print of a naval battle between sailing ships. Four ships seen stern on in the right of the picture, obscured by clouds of smoke, a fifth ship seen bow on in the left.|''Situation of the Bellerophon at the moment of the death of her gallant commander Captn. Cooke'', early-nineteenth century aquatint by [[Thomas Whitcombe]], showing ''Bellerophon'' surrounded by enemy ships at the moment of Cooke's death]]
At 12:30 pm, ''Bellerophon'' cut through the enemy line, slipping under the stern of the Spanish 74-gun [[Spanish ship Monarca (1794)|''Monarca'']] and firing two broadsides into her. Moving past the Spanish ship, ''Bellerophon'' collided with the French 74-gun [[French ship Aigle (1800)|''Aigle'']], hitting ''Aigle''{{'}}s port quarter with her starboard bow, and entangling the two ships' [[yard (sailing)|yards]].<ref name="Cordingly193" /> Locked together, they exchanged broadsides at close range, with soldiers aboard ''Aigle'' sweeping ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s decks with musket fire and [[grenade]]s. Cumby noticed that the officers were being targeted, and that Cooke's distinctive [[epaulette]]s marked him out. Cumby urged him to take them off, only for Cooke to reply "It is too late now to take them off. I see my situation but I will die like a man."<ref name="Cordingly194">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=194}}</ref> ''Bellerophon'' was now sustaining fire from ''Aigle'' and three other ships, the Spanish [[Spanish ship San Juan Nepomuceno|''San Juan Nepomuceno'']] and [[Spanish ship Bahama (1784)|''Bahama'']], and the French ''Swiftsure''. ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s main and mizzenmasts were shot away at 1 pm, and at 1:11 pm, Captain Cooke was hit and killed.<ref name="Cordingly195">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=195}}</ref> An eyewitness recorded that <blockquote>He had discharged his pistols very frequently at the enemy, who as often attempted to board, and he had killed a French officer on his own quarterdeck. He was in the act of reloading his pistols&nbsp;... when he received two musket-balls in the breast. He immediately fell, and upon the quartermaster going up and asking him if he should take him down below, his answer was "No, let me lie quietly one minute. Tell Lieutenant Cumby never to strike."<ref>Letter of an officer of ''Bellerophon''. (2 December 1805). Printed in "a Portsmouth newspaper", as cited in Cordingly. ''Billy Ruffian''. p. 195.</ref></blockquote>

With Cooke dead, Cumby assumed command. ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s decks had largely been cleared by French fire, and boarding parties began to make their way onto the ship. Several French sailors climbed out onto ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s spritsail yard, but a ''Bellerophon'' crewman released the brace holding the yard, causing them to fall into the sea. French sailors holding onto ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s rails had their hands beaten until they were forced to let go. ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s [[Ensign (flag)|ensign]] had been shot away three times, so infuriating her yeoman of signals, Christopher Beaty, that he took the largest [[Union Jack]] he could find and climbed up into the mizzen rigging and hoisted it across the shrouds. The French riflemen on ''Aigle'' reportedly held their fire as he did this, in admiration of his bravery.<ref name="LUW494-5">{{cite book |last=Mostert|title=The Line Upon A Wind|pages=494–5}}</ref><ref name="Cordingly196">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=196}}</ref> The two ships were so close together that gun crews on their lower decks were fighting hand to hand at the [[gunport]]s, while grenades lobbed through the ports caused heavy casualties. One grenade thrown into ''Bellerophon'' exploded in the gunner's storeroom, blowing open the door but fortunately blowing closed the door of the [[Magazine (artillery)|magazine]]. The resulting fire was quickly extinguished, preventing a catastrophic explosion.<ref name="C&C192">{{cite book |last=Clayton & Craig |title=Trafalgar|page=192}}</ref><ref name="Cordingly197">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=197}}</ref>

By 1:40 pm, having been under heavy fire for over an hour, ''Aigle''{{'}}s crew lowered her gunports and slowly moved away.<ref name="Adkins172">{{cite book |last=Adkins|title=Trafalgar|page=172}}</ref>  When the smoke cleared, Cumby noticed that the Spanish ''Monarca'', which ''Bellerophon'' had first engaged, had [[striking the colours|struck her colours]]. Cumby sent an officer in a boat to take possession of her.<ref name="Cordingly198">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=198}}</ref> ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s crew now worked to make repairs and clear away wreckage. She briefly fired her guns again when the van of the combined fleet, led by Rear-Admiral [[Pierre Dumanoir le Pelley]], made a belated attempt to come to the assistance of the centre and rear.<ref name="C&C243">{{cite book |last=Clayton & Craig |title=Trafalgar|page=243}}</ref>  The attack was beaten off, and at 5 pm, ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s guns ceased firing.<ref name="Cordingly199">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=199}}</ref> At 5:30 pm Cumby sent a boat to take possession of ''Bahama'', which had also struck her colours. By the end of the battle ''Bellerophon'' had sustained casualties of 27 men killed and 123 wounded. Among the dead were her captain, the [[Master (naval)|master]], John Overton, and midshipman John Simmons.<ref name="Goodwin69" /><ref name="Cordingly202">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=202}}</ref>

===Storm and return===
For the next seven days, ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s crew were occupied in repairing damage, rigging jury masts, and trying to ride out the storm that struck the area immediately after the battle. She put into Gibraltar on 28 October 1805, and underwent emergency repairs to allow her to return to England as an escort for {{HMS|Victory}}, together with {{HMS|Belleisle|1795|6}}.<ref name="Mackenzie200" /> Both ''Belleisle'' and ''Bellerophon'' required urgent attention, but it was deemed appropriate that they should have the honour of accompanying Nelson's body back to Britain aboard ''Victory''.<ref name="Cordingly207">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=207}}</ref> Cumby was superseded on 3 November, the day before beginning the voyage home, by Captain [[Richard Darton Thomas|Richard Thomas]].{{Ref_label|G|g|none}} Thomas was himself superseded the next day by Captain [[Edward Rotheram]], who had commanded Collingwood's flagship, {{HMS|Royal Sovereign|1786|6}}, during the battle.<ref name="Goodwin69" />

The three ships sailed together as far as [[Start Point, Cornwall|Start Point]], where on 2 December ''Victory'' separated to head to Portsmouth, while ''Bellerophon'' and ''Belleisle'' put into [[Cawsand Bay]]. ''Bellerophon'' was then taken into Plymouth Dockyard to be repaired, returning to active duty on 26 February, still under Rotheram's command.<ref name="Goodwin69" /><ref name="Cordingly208">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=208}}</ref> Joining the Channel Fleet once more, ''Bellerophon'' resumed her usual duties, blockading and patrolling off Ushant and Brest.<ref name="Cordingly208" /><ref name="Goodwin70">{{cite book |last=Goodwin |title=The Ships of Trafalgar|page=70}}</ref>

===Baltic Sea===
Rotheram's command lasted for two and half years, until he was superseded on 8 June 1808 by Captain [[Samuel Warren (Royal Navy officer)|Samuel Warren]]. Warren was ordered to take ''Bellerophon'' and join the fleet in the [[North Sea]], blockading the Dutch ports. She formed part of Rear-Admiral [[Alan Gardner, 2nd Baron Gardner|Alan Gardner]]'s squadron.<ref name="Goodwin70" /> By 1809 the strategic situation in the Baltic had deteriorated after [[Russian Empire|Russia]] signed the [[Treaties of Tilsit]] and began to support France. ''Bellerophon'' was ordered to join the fleet stationed in the Baltic under Admiral [[James Saumarez, 1st Baron de Saumarez|Sir James Saumarez]].<ref name="Goodwin70" /> Saumarez dispatched ''Bellerophon'' and {{HMS|Minotaur|1793|6}} north to the [[Gulf of Finland]] in June, and on 19 June the two ships came across three suspicious looking [[lugger]]s, anchored off [[Hanko, Finland|Hango]].<ref name="Woodman126">{{cite book |last=Woodman |title=The Victory of Seapower|page=126}}</ref> The water was too shallow to allow them to approach the luggers, so a boat party was dispatched under ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s Lieutenant Robert Pilch. The British boarded the luggers, but found themselves in a trap, when numerous Russian shore batteries and several gunboats opened fire on them.<ref name="Cordingly221">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=221}}</ref> Pilch promptly ordered the luggers to be burnt, reboarded his men and landed them next to the nearest Russian shore battery. The battery, defended by 100 sailors, was stormed and carried; the British spiked the guns and destroyed the magazine before returning to the ships with only five men wounded.<ref name="Goodwin70" /><ref name="Woodman126" /><ref name="Cordingly221" />

By July ''Bellerophon'' was part of a squadron commanded by Captain [[Thomas Byam Martin]] of HMS ''Implacable''.<ref name="Woodman126" /> They were off Percola Point on 7 July when a flotilla of eight Russian gunboats was sighted. A boat party led by Lieutenant Hawkey of ''Implacable'' made an attempt to cut-out the vessels that evening.<ref name="Goodwin70" /> Hawkey was killed in the attempt, but ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s Lieutenant Charles Allen took over command, and six of the gunboats were captured, and a seventh destroyed, with 12 craft containing stores for the Russian Army also being taken.<ref name="Cordingly222">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=222}}</ref> ''Bellerophon'' made several cruises during the rest of the year, visiting [[Åland]] and [[Karlskrona]], before returning to Britain with a convoy in November 1809.<ref name="Cordingly223">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=223}}</ref>

===Blockade duty===
[[File:Captain Frederick Lewis Maitland.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Half-length oval portrait engraving of a man in a gold buttoned coat and epaulettes, with tousled hair and sideburns.|Frederick Lewis Maitland, ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s last captain, and the man who received Napoleon's surrender. An 1826 engraving of a portrait by [[Samuel Woodforde]].]]
''Bellerophon'' was briefly refitted in January 1810, after which she was anchored at [[Nore#Royal Navy|the Nore]]. She then resumed her blockade duties in the North Sea, serving under a succession of commanders. Warren was succeeded by Captain [[John Halsted]] on 23 August, and he by Captain [[Augustus Brine]] on 5 November.<ref name="Winfield51" /> Brine's command lasted until February 1813, during which time ''Bellerophon'' remained with the North Sea blockading squadron. Captain [[Edward Hawker]] took over command on 11 February 1813. On 7 April the flag was flown for the convoy to North America to assemble. Shortly thereafter, ''Bellerophon'' was joined by Vice-Admiral [[Richard Goodwin Keats|Sir Richard Goodwin Keats]], the newly appointed [[List of lieutenant governors of Newfoundland and Labrador#Commodore-Governors of Newfoundland, 1729-1825|Governor of Newfoundland]] and the convoy departed. After picking up a smaller convoy at Torbay the fleet comprised eighty-four vessels, all arriving safely at St. John's, Newfoundland on 31 May.<ref name="Hannah">{{cite book |last1=Hannah |first1=P. |title=A Treasure to the Service - Admiral Keats |date=2021 |publisher=Green Hill |location=Adelaide |isbn=978-1-922629-73-9|page=238}}</ref><ref name="Goodwin70" />

With the [[War of 1812]] underway in North America, ''Bellerophon'' then sailed south to [[Bermuda]] as a convoy escort. Returning to St. John's in the summer, she captured several American ships, including the 16-gun [[privateer]] ''Genie''.<ref name="Winfield51" /><ref name="Cordingly227">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=227}}</ref> She spent the rest of the year patrolling off [[Cape Race]]. In need of further work in the docks she accompanied Sir [[Richard Goodwin Keats]] on his return to Britain with a convoy in November 1813.<ref name="Goodwin70" /><ref name="Hannah" /> The year 1814 was spent on similar duties: ''Bellerophon'' carried Governor Keats back to Newfoundland while escorting a convoy to St. John's between April and June, and then patrolled off Cape Race until December. She then moved to the Nore, and on 9 April 1815 Hawker was replaced by Captain [[Frederick Lewis Maitland (Royal Navy officer)|Frederick Lewis Maitland]].<ref name="Cordingly227" />

==Napoleon's surrender==
[[File:The surrender of Buonaparte on board the Bellerophon.jpg|thumb|upright|left|alt=Bordered engraving of a man in uniform on the deck of a sailing ship presenting a second man in uniform with a sword, as two men and a woman in formal clothes watch.|''The surrender of Buonaparte on board the Bellerophon'', a 1816 print by G. M. Brighty]]

In May ''Bellerophon'' sailed to Plymouth, where she joined a squadron under Rear-Admiral [[Henry Hotham|Sir Henry Hotham]] with orders to blockade French Atlantic ports. Hotham, flying his flag in {{HMS|Superb|1798|6}}, sent Maitland in ''Bellerophon'' to watch [[Rochefort, Charente-Maritime|Rochefort]], where two French frigates, a brig and a corvette were lying in the harbour.<ref name="Cordingly232">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=232}}</ref> ''Bellerophon'' spent over a month on this station, patrolling the approaches to the port and intercepting coastal vessels. Meanwhile, Napoleon had been defeated at the [[Battle of Waterloo]] on 18 June; on 2 July he arrived in Rochefort.<ref name="Cordingly230">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=230}}</ref> Following the defeat of his armies, and expecting the imminent [[Bourbon Restoration in France|restoration of the Bourbon monarchy]], Napoleon hoped to sail to [[exile]] in the United States.<ref name="CO574">{{cite book |last=Rodger|title=The Command of the Ocean|page=574}}</ref> The British had no intention of allowing this.{{citation needed|date=September 2022|reason= this blunt statement should have an explicit reference.}} News reached Maitland in early July that Napoleon was in Rochefort. Two 20-gun ships, {{HMS|Myrmidon|1813|6}} and {{HMS|Slaney|1813|6}}, were sent to reinforce ''Bellerophon'' and patrol the other entrances to the port.<ref name="LUW703">{{cite book |last=Mostert|title=The Line Upon A Wind|page=703}}</ref><ref name="Cordingly233-4">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|pages=233–4}}</ref>

Napoleon was being pressured to leave French soil by the interim French government in Paris. If he delayed, he risked becoming a prisoner of the Bourbons, Prussians or Austrians. The alternative was to surrender to the British and request political asylum. On 10 July Napoleon sent two emissaries, General [[Anne Jean Marie René Savary]] and the [[Emmanuel, comte de Las Cases|Comte de Las Cases]], out to ''Bellerophon'' to meet Maitland and discuss the possibility of allowing Napoleon to travel to the United States.<ref name="LUW703" /><ref name="Cordingly235">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=235}}</ref><ref name="Giles5">{{cite book |last=Giles|title=Napoleon Bonaparte|page=5}}</ref> Maitland was under orders to prevent this, and instead offered to take Napoleon on board his ship and transport him and his retinue to Britain.<ref name="Cordingly238">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=238}}</ref> Further discussions and negotiations took place over the next few days, but with his options running out, Napoleon had decided by 13 July to surrender to the British.<ref name="Cordingly242">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=242}}</ref>{{Ref_label|H|h|none}} On 14 July Maitland was given a letter informing him that Napoleon would come out to ''Bellerophon'' the following morning to surrender.<ref name="Cordingly244">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=244}}</ref>

Napoleon embarked aboard the brig ''Épervier'' early in the morning of 15 July, and made his way out to ''Bellerophon''. As he approached, the 74-gun ''Superb'', flying Vice-Admiral Hotham's flag, was sighted approaching. Concerned that the brig might not reach ''Bellerophon'' before ''Superb'' arrived, and that consequently Hotham would take over and receive Napoleon himself, Maitland sent ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s barge to collect the former Emperor and transfer him to the ship.<ref name="Cordingly245">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=245}}</ref> At some point between 6 and 7 a.m., the barge pulled alongside ''Bellerophon'' and General [[Henri Gatien Bertrand]] climbed aboard, followed by Napoleon. The ship's [[Royal Marines|marines]] came to attention, and Napoleon walked to the quarterdeck, took his hat off to Maitland and in French announced "I am come to throw myself on the protection of your [[George IV|Prince]] and your laws." Maitland bowed in response.<ref name="Giles7">{{cite book |last=Giles|title=Napoleon Bonaparte|page=7}}</ref><ref name="Cordingly249">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=249}}</ref> With the former emperor in custody aboard a British warship, the Napoleonic Wars were finally over.<ref name="Roberts228">{{cite book |last=Roberts |title=Napoleon & Wellington|page=228}}</ref> To maritime historian [[David Cordingly]], this moment was ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s "crowning glory [when] six weeks after the battle of Waterloo,&nbsp;... Napoleon, trapped in Rochefort, surrendered to the captain of the ship that had dogged his steps for more than twenty years."<ref name="CordinglyBC">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=Back cover}}</ref>

===Napoleon on ''Bellerophon''===
[[File:Napoleon on Board the Bellerophon - Sir William Quiller Orchardson.jpg|thumb|right|alt=A group of men in military uniform and formal clothes stand to the left, looking towards a single man in a greatcoat and bicorne hat stood by the rail of a ship looking out to sea|''Napoleon on Board the Bellerophon'', exhibited in 1880 by [[William Quiller Orchardson|Sir William Quiller Orchardson]]. Orchardson depicts the morning of 23 July, as Napoleon watches the French shoreline recede. His retinue, from left to right [[Nicolas-Louis Planat de la Faye|Planat]], [[Charles Tristan, marquis de Montholon|Montholon]], {{ill|Louis-Pierre Maingault|fr|lt=Maingault}}, [[Emmanuel, comte de Las Cases|Las Cases]], [[Anne Jean Marie René Savary|Savary]], [[Charles Lallemand|Lallemand]] and [[Henri Gatien Bertrand|Bertrand]], look on. In the background, Las Cases's son leans over the rail.]]
Maitland showed Napoleon the [[Cabin (ship)|great cabin]], which he had placed at his disposal, and gave him a tour of his ship.<ref name="NN321">{{cite book |last=Lavery |title=Nelson's Navy|page=321}}</ref> At 10:30&nbsp;a.m., ''Superb'' anchored in the roadstead and Maitland went to make his report. Hotham approved of his arrangements, and agreed that Napoleon should be transported to England aboard ''Bellerophon''. He came aboard himself to meet the former Emperor, and a grand dinner was held in the great cabin, attended by Napoleon's retinue and British officers.<ref name="Cordingly251">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=251}}</ref> The following day Napoleon visited Hotham on ''Superb'', and after his return, Maitland began the voyage to England in company with HMS ''Myrmidon''.<ref name="Cordingly252-3">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|pages=252–3}}</ref> A routine was soon developed, with Napoleon usually taking a walk on deck around 5 p.m., followed by a formal dinner at 6 p.m. The sailors and officers removed their hats and kept their distance when Napoleon came on deck, talking with him only if he invited them to.<ref name="Cordingly254-5">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|pages=254–5}}</ref> The routine was broken slightly early in the morning of 23 July, when Napoleon appeared at dawn, as ''Bellerophon'' came in sight of [[Ushant]], the last piece of French land visible for the remainder of the journey. He climbed up to the [[poop deck]], attended by a midshipman, and spent the morning watching the coastline slowly recede from view. He was joined by members of his retinue, though he did not speak to any of them.<ref name="Cordingly256-7">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|pages=256–7}}</ref>
[[File:HMS Bellerophon and Napoleon.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Oil painting of a three three-masted sailing ships seen from side against a background of cliffs, with many small boats filled with people in the foreground, and a larger single-masted boat in the right foreground.|''Scene in Plymouth Sound in August 1815'', an 1817 painting by [[John James Chalon]]. ''Bellerophon'' is at the centre of the picture, surrounded by crowds of people in small boats who have come to see [[Napoleon]].]]
''Bellerophon'' anchored off [[Brixham]] on the morning of 24 July, and there Maitland received orders from Admiral [[George Keith Elphinstone, 1st Viscount Keith|Lord Keith]] to "prevent every person whatever from coming on board the ship you command, except the officers and men who compose her crew."<ref name="Cordingly259">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=259}}</ref> Despite turning away the shore boats which approached the anchored warship bringing fresh bread and fruit to sell, word eventually leaked out that Napoleon was aboard the ship.<ref name="Cordingly262">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=262}}</ref> The news created a sensation, and large numbers of boats filled with sightseers soon surrounded the ship. Occasionally Napoleon would come out to look at them, but despite entreaties from some people to be allowed on board, Maitland refused to allow any contact between ship and shore.<ref name="LUW708">{{cite book |last=Mostert|title=The Line Upon A Wind|page=708}}</ref> On 26 July ''Bellerophon'' received orders to proceed to Plymouth harbour where Lord Keith was anchored aboard his flagship {{HMS|Ville de Paris}}. Napoleon remained on board ''Bellerophon'' and the ship was kept isolated from the throngs of curious sightseers by two [[guardship]]s, {{HMS|Liffey|1813|6}} and {{HMS|Eurotas|1813|6}}, anchored close at hand.<ref name="Cordingly264-5">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|pages=264–5}}</ref>

''Bellerophon'' spent two weeks in Plymouth harbour while the authorities came to a decision about what to do with Napoleon. On 31 July they communicated their decision to the former emperor. Napoleon was to be exiled to the remote island of [[Saint Helena]]. He would be allowed to take three officers, his surgeon, and twelve servants.<ref name="Cordingly270">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=270}}</ref> Napoleon, who had hoped to be allowed to settle quietly in Britain, was bitterly disappointed by the news.<ref name="Cordingly270" /><ref name="LUW709">{{cite book |last=Mostert|title=The Line Upon A Wind|page=709}}</ref> ''Bellerophon'' was not to take him into exile. The Admiralty was concerned that the ageing ship was unsuitable for the long voyage to the South Atlantic, and the 74-gun {{HMS|Northumberland|1798|6}} was selected for the task.<ref name="Cordingly273">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=273}}</ref> On 4 August, Lord Keith ordered ''Bellerophon'' to go to sea and await the arrival of HMS ''Northumberland''. On 7 August Napoleon thanked Maitland and his crew for their kindness and hospitality, and left ''Bellerophon,'' where he had spent over three weeks without ever landing in England.<ref name="Giles34">{{cite book |last=Giles|title=Napoleon Bonaparte|page=34}}</ref> He boarded ''Northumberland,'' which then sailed for Saint Helena.<ref name="War469-70">{{cite book |last=Adkins & Adkins|title=The War for All the Oceans|pages=469–70}}</ref><ref name="Cordingly278">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=278}}</ref>

Captain Maitland's account of the time Napoleon spent on board his ship was published in 1826.<ref>{{cite book|last=Maitland|first=F.L.|publisher=Henry Colburn|location=London|year=1826|url=https://archive.org/details/narrativesurren02maitgoog|title=Narrative of the surrender of Buonaparte and of his residence on board H.M.S. Bellerophon}}</ref>

==Prison hulk and disposal==
Having discharged Napoleon, ''Bellerophon'' sailed to Sheerness, and anchored there on 2 September. There she was paid off for the last time, and stripped of her guns and masts.<ref name="Cordingly279">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=279}}</ref> With no further need for many ships following the end of the Napoleonic Wars, ''Bellerophon'' joined a number of ships laid up in this manner. A report on 16 October 1815 advised moving a number of convicts previously housed aboard the former {{HMS|Portland|1770|6}} into more suitable accommodation. The report suggested that "The class of ship, which I take the liberty of observing as most suitable for this service, would be a [[Seventy-four (ship)|seventy-four]], of about the same dimensions as ''Bellerophon'' in the river Medway, being of easy draft of water and lofty between decks."<ref>John Capper. Report to Lord Sidmouth (16 October 1815). as cited in Cordingly. ''Billy Ruffian''. p. 287.</ref> The report was approved and the suggestion acted upon. ''Bellerophon'' was taken into [[Sheerness Dockyard]] in December 1815 and spent nine months fitting out as a [[prison ship]].<ref name="Winfield51" /><ref name="Cordingly288">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=288}}</ref>
[[File:HMS York (1807) as a prison ship.jpg|thumb|A prison hulk, similar to how ''Bellerophon'' would have appeared. This 1829 drawing by [[Edward William Cooke]] depicts the former 74-gun {{HMS|York|1807|6}}, moored in [[Portsmouth Harbour]].|alt=Drawing of the hull of sailing ship without masts, with barred windows, washing strung between poles, a raised superstructure and a barge alongside filled with people.]]
The work was completed at a cost of £12,081 and the prisoners were transferred in January 1817.<ref name="Cordingly291">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=291}}</ref> ''Bellerophon'' generally held around 435 prisoners during her time in this role, although in 1823 changes in legislation resulted in the adult prisoners being transferred out of ''Bellerophon'' and the ship instead being used to house boy prisoners, with 320 arriving in early 1824.<ref name="Goodwin71-2">{{cite book |last=Goodwin |title=The Ships of Trafalgar|pages=71–2}}</ref><ref name="Cordingly296">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=296}}</ref> In 1824 the decision was taken to rename {{HMS|Waterloo|1818|6}}, an 80-gun ship launched in 1818, HMS ''Bellerophon''.<ref name="Goodwin72">{{cite book |last=Goodwin |title=The Ships of Trafalgar|page=72}}</ref><ref name="Colledge2">{{cite book |last=Colledge & Warlow|title=Ships of the Royal Navy|page=383}}</ref> To free the name, the former HMS ''Bellerophon'' was renamed ''Captivity'' on 5 October 1824.<ref name="Colledge" /><ref name="Goodwin72" /> On 23 November 1824 she was driven ashore in a storm at Portsmouth.<ref name=Times261124>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=THE LATE GALES |date=26 November 1824 |page=3, 4 |issue=12508 |column=E, A }}</ref> She continued as a prison ship for boys until early 1826, when it was decided that the arrangement of the internal spaces made her unsuitable for workshops. The boys were transferred to another hulk, the former {{HMS|Euryalus|1803|6}}, and it was decided to move ''Captivity'' to Plymouth.<ref name="Cordingly299">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=299}}</ref> The ship was taken into Sheerness Dockyard in April 1826, and was fitted out for the journey to Plymouth.<ref name="Goodwin72" /> She arrived there in June and spent the last eight years of her working existence as a convict hulk in Plymouth. By 1834 the rate of [[penal transportation]] had been drastically increased to clear out the old hulks. When the last convicts had left ''Captivity'', she was handed back to the [[Navy Board|Navy Department]], who put her up for sale.<ref name="Cordingly300">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=300}}</ref>

The [[Board of Admiralty]] announced that ''Captivity'' would be offered for sale on 21 January 1836; she was described as being 1613 tons and lying at Plymouth.<ref>{{London Gazette|date=1 January 1836|issue=19343|page=10}}</ref> The hulk was sold on that day for £4,030<ref name="Winfield51" /><ref name="Goodwin72" /> ({{inflation|UK|4030|1836|r=-3|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}).{{inflation-fn|UK}} She was [[broken up]] for [[scrap]], and her timber was sold by auction in September 1836.<ref name="Cordingly300" />

==Legacy==
Some of ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s timber was bought at auction by George Bellamy, who had been ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s [[Ship's doctor|surgeon]] at the Nile. Bellamy incorporated them into a cottage he was building at [[Plymstock]].<ref name="Cordingly301">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=301}}</ref> It is now a [[Grade II listed building]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1130041|title=Burrow Lodge|publisher=Historic England|access-date=12 July 2021}}</ref> Captain Maitland bought part of her figurehead and some of her stern ornaments, later depositing them in the collections of what eventually became the [[Royal Naval Museum]]. The [[National Maritime Museum]] holds several relics relating to ''Bellerophon'' and the people connected with her, including Captain John Cooke's [[dirk]], sword and pistol, and a trophy presented to Admiral Pasley by [[Lloyd's of London]]. Their collections also contain artefacts relating to her connection with Napoleon, including the couch from Maitland's cabin, and the skull of a goat which supplied milk for Napoleon and his suite.<ref name="Cordingly307">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=307}}</ref>

===''Bellerophon'' in art, music and literature===
[[File:Eastlake - Napoleon on the Bellerophon.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Oil painting of a man in a green uniform, white breeches and black bicorne hat leaning his right arm against a wooden partition draped with a flag.|''Napoleon on ''Bellerophon'' at Plymouth'', by [[Charles Lock Eastlake|Sir Charles Lock Eastlake]], 1815. Eastlake was rowed out to ''Bellerophon'' to make sketches, from which he later painted this portrait.]]
The ship and her crew feature, or are mentioned, in several historical novels set during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, including several of the [[Aubrey–Maturin series]] of novels by [[Patrick O'Brian]],<ref name="POB60">{{cite book |last=Brown & White |title=The Patrick O'Brian Muster Book|page=60}}</ref> and the novel ''[[Sharpe's Trafalgar]]'' by [[Bernard Cornwell]].

''Bellerophon'' appears in a number of artworks, including several depicting the ship's role in Napoleon's surrender. [[William Quiller Orchardson|Sir William Quiller Orchardson]] painted ''Napoleon on the Bellerophon'', depicting the former emperor standing on the poop deck, watching the French coastline recede as his retinue look on.<ref name="Cordingly257">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=257}}</ref> [[Charles Lock Eastlake|Sir Charles Lock Eastlake]] painted a portrait of Napoleon in uniform, standing on ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s deck, while [[John James Chalon]] produced ''Scene in Plymouth Sound in August 1815'', a [[seascape]], with ''Bellerophon'' surrounded by crowds of people in small boats.<ref name="Cordinglyxiv">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=xiv}}</ref><ref name="Giles21">{{cite book |last=Giles|title=Napoleon Bonaparte|page=21}}</ref> [[Thomas Luny]] painted a similar scene, showing ''Bellerophon'' putting into Torbay to rendezvous with HMS ''Northumberland''.<ref name="Cordinglyxv">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=xv}}</ref> Numerous popular prints and engravings were also produced, depicting moments from Napoleon's arrival on ''Bellerophon'' to surrender, to his final transfer to ''Northumberland'' for his voyage into exile.  The ship also appears in prints and paintings of the battles she had fought in. She is depicted on the Cadiz blockade with the rest of the inshore squadron in a work by [[Thomas Buttersworth]], and is visible at the Glorious First of June in works by [[Nicholas Pocock]], Cornwallis's Retreat by [[William Anderson (artist)|William Anderson]], and the Battles of the Nile and Trafalgar by [[Thomas Whitcombe]].<ref name="Cordinglyxv" />

''Bellerophon'' is mentioned in several verses in a song commemorating Cornwallis's Retreat in 1795, which celebrate both Cornwallis (referred to by sailors' popular nickname for him, "Billy Blue"), and ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s fighting record at the Glorious First of June.<ref name="Cordingly97">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=97}}</ref>{{Ref_label|I|i|none}} The folk song "Boney was a Warrior", about the life of Napoleon, includes a verse celebrating the ship's links with his ultimate surrender:<ref name="Cordingly316">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=316}}</ref><blockquote>Boney went a-cruisin'<br />''Way-aye-yah!''<br />Aboard the Billy Ruffian<br />''Johnny Franswor!''</blockquote>

==Notes==
{{refbegin}}
'''a.''' {{Note_label|A|a|none}} This revived design is sometimes referred to as the ''Edgar'' class.<ref name="Winfield51" />

'''b.''' {{Note_label|B|b|none}} Greaves had originally approached the Navy Board in December 1781 with a proposal to build a 64-gun ship at his yard at [[Limehouse]], and a 74-gun ship and a frigate at Frindsbury. The Board turned him down, feeling that the Limehouse yard was unsuitable for building anything larger than a 44-gun ship, and that the Frindsbury yard was too close to the Navy's own shipbuilding facilities at Chatham.<ref name="Cordingly16">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=16}}</ref> Commercial yards paid higher wages than the Navy's yards and the Board was concerned skilled workmen would be poached from Chatham. Greaves promised not to employ men from the Chatham yard, and the Board decided to offer him the contract for a 74-gun ship on 8 January 1782. Greaves signed the contract on 19 February 1782.<ref name="Cordingly17">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=17}}</ref>

'''c.''' {{Note_label|C|c|none}} To build and fit ''Bellerophon'' for service required 2,000 trees (amounting to 50 acres), 100 tons of iron bolts, 30 tons of copper bolts, 30,000 [[treenail]]s, 4,000 copper sheets, 12 tons of tar, 400 gallons of [[linseed oil]], 5 tons of paint, 10,000 square yards of canvas, 80 tons of shot, 20 tons of gunpowder, 200 tons of provisions and 260 tons of fresh water.<ref name="Adkin79">{{cite book |last=Adkin |title=The Trafalgar Companion|page=79}}</ref>

'''d.''' {{Note_label|D|d|none}} Sources agree that four men were killed, but while Winfield and Goodwin report twenty-seven wounded, Cordingly has the slightly higher figure of thirty wounded.<ref name="Winfield51" /><ref name="Goodwin67" /><ref name="Cordingly83">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=83}}</ref>

'''e.''' {{Note_label|E|e|none}} Darby may have intended to anchor alongside the 80-gun [[HMS Canopus (1798)|''Franklin'']], the ship immediately ahead of ''Orient'', or to have tacked alongside the gap between ''Franklin'' and ''Orient'', so as to be able to rake ''Orient''{{'}}s bows. Cordingly considers that the reason for the ultimate positioning was never explained.<ref name="Cordingly145" /> Adkin prefers the explanation that Darby intended to rake ''Orient''{{'}}s bows, but the anchor had dragged.<ref name="Adkin290">{{cite book |last=Adkin |title=The Trafalgar Companion|page=290}}</ref>

'''f.''' {{Note_label|F|f|none}} This was among the highest casualty figures of any of the British ships. Only the 50 dead and 143 wounded of HMS ''Majestic'' was comparable.<ref name="Cordingly154" /> ''Bellerophon''{{'}}s total casualty list of 197 was slightly higher than ''Majestic''{{'}}s 193, and amounted to nearly a quarter of the total British casualties in the battle.<ref name="Adkin294">{{cite book |last=Adkin |title=The Trafalgar Companion|page=294}}</ref><ref name="NN195">{{cite book |last=Lavery |title=Nelson and the Nile|page=195}}</ref> Robert Cathcart, as the senior surviving lieutenant, was recommended for promotion by Earl St Vincent, a recommendation the Admiralty accepted, advancing him to commander.<ref name="Marshall">{{cite book |last=Marshall |title=Royal Naval Biography|page=376}}</ref>

'''g.''' {{Note_label|G|g|none}} Cumby shared in the rewards after Trafalgar. He was promoted twice in rapid succession, to commander on 24 December 1805, and to [[post-captain]] on 1 January 1806.<ref name="Cordingly337">{{cite book |last=Cordingly |title=Billy Ruffian|page=337}}</ref>

'''h.''' {{Note_label|H|h|none}} Napoleon wrote a letter in the evening of 13 July, addressed to the [[George IV of the United Kingdom|Prince of Wales]], [[prince regent]] during the illness of his father, [[George III of the United Kingdom|King George III]], <blockquote>Your Royal Highness,<br />A victim to the factions which distract my country, and to the enmity of the greatest powers of Europe, I have terminated my political career, and I come, like [[Themistocles]], to throw myself upon the hospitality of the British people. I put myself under the protection of their laws; which I claim from your Royal Highness, as the most powerful, the most constant, and the most generous of my enemies.<br />Rochefort 13 July 1815<br />Napoleon<ref>Napoleon Bonaparte (13 July 1815). Letter to HRH The Prince of Wales. [[Royal Library, Windsor]], as cited in Cordingly. ''Billy Ruffian''. p. 242.</ref></blockquote>

'''i.''' {{Note_label|I|i|none}} A partial excerpt is
<blockquote>We'd the ''Triumph'' and the ''Mars'',<br />And the ''Sov'ren''&nbsp;– pride of tars,<br />''Billy Ruff'n'', and the ''Brunswick'', known to fame<br />...<br /> No I don't care a rap,<br />For any Frenchy chap,<br />When they come they'll get the dressing they deserve;<br />I've the best four in the fleet,<br />That the French well could meet,<br />With the Fightin' Billy Ruff'n in reserve.<br />Billy Blue&nbsp;–<br />Here's to you, Billy Blue, here's to you!<br /><br />As she broke the line with Howe,<br />So she's game to do it now,<br />And repeat her 'First o' June' here in these seas;<br />With their name for dauntless pluck,<br />and the Billy Ruff'n's luck,<br />I will fight as many Frenchmen as you please!<br />Billy Blue&nbsp;–<br />Here's to you, Billy Blue, here's to you!<ref name="Cordingly97" /></blockquote>

{{refend}}

==Citations==
{{Reflist|20em}}

==References==
{{refbegin}}
* {{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=978-1-84513-018-3|url=https://archive.org/details/trafalgarcompani0000adki}}
* {{cite book |last =Adkins|first= Roy|title=Trafalgar: The Biography of a Battle|publisher=Abacus|year=2005|location=London|isbn=0-349-11632-6}}
* {{cite book |last1 =Adkins|first1= Roy|last2=Adkins|first2=Lesley|title=Jack Tar: The Extraordinary Lives of Ordinary Seamen in Nelson's Navy|publisher=Abacus|location=London|year=2008|isbn=978-0-349-12034-8}}
* {{cite book |last1 =Adkins|first1= Roy|last2=Adkins|first2=Lesley|title=The War for All the Oceans: From Nelson at Trafalgar to Napoleon at Waterloo|publisher=Abacus|year=2007|location=London|isbn=978-0-349-11916-8}}
* {{cite book| last= Brown|first=Anthony Gary|author2=White, Colin |author-link2=Colin White (historian) |year=2006|title=The Patrick O'Brian Muster Book: Persons, Animals, Ships and Cannon in the Aubrey-Maturin Sea Novels|publisher=McFarland|location=[[Jefferson City, Missouri|Jefferson]]|edition=2|isbn=978-0-7864-2482-5}}
* {{cite book |last= Clayton |first=Tim |author2=Craig, Phil | title=Trafalgar: The Men, the Battle, the Storm |url= https://archive.org/details/trafalgarmenbatt0000clay |url-access= registration | publisher=Hodder & Stoughton |location=London|year=2005|isbn=0-340-83028-X}}
* {{Cite Colledge2006}}
* {{cite book|last=Cordingly|first=David|author-link=David Cordingly|year=2004|title=Billy Ruffian: The Bellerophon and the Downfall of Napoleon: The Biography of A Ship of the Line, 1782–1836|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|location=London|isbn=0-7475-6544-9|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/billyruffianbell0000cord_k4c8}}
* {{cite book|last=Giles|first=Frank|author-link=Frank Giles|title=Napoleon Bonaparte: England's Prisoner|publisher=Constable|location=London|year=2002|isbn=978-1-84119-599-5|url=https://archive.org/details/napoleonbonapart00gile}}
* {{cite book |last= Goodwin|first=Peter|author-link=Peter Goodwin (maritime author)|year=2005|title=The Ships of Trafalgar: The British, French and Spanish Fleets October 1805|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=London|isbn= 1-84486-015-9}}
* {{cite book |last=Grocott| first=Terence| title=Shipwrecks of the Revolutionary & Napoleonic Eras|publisher=Chatham|location=London|year=1997|isbn=1861760302}}
* {{cite book |last=Lavery|first=Brian|title=Nelson and the Nile: The Naval War against Bonaparte 1798|location=London|publisher=Caxton Editions|year=2003|isbn=1-84067-522-5}}
* {{cite book| last=Lavery|first=Brian|year=1989|title=Nelson's Navy: The Ships, Men and Organisation 1793–1815|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=London|isbn=0-85177-521-7}}
* {{cite book| last=Lavery|first=Brian|author-link=Brian Lavery|year=2003|title=The Ship of the Line&nbsp;– Volume 1: The Development of the Battlefleet 1650–1850|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=London|isbn=0-85177-252-8}}
* {{cite book |first=Colonel Robert Holden|last=Mackenzie|title=The Trafalgar Roll: The Ships and the Officers|publisher=Chatham Publishing|location=London|year=2004|isbn=1-86176-228-3}}
* {{cite book |last= Marshall |first=John| title=Royal Naval Biography; Or, Memoirs of the Services of All the Flag-officers, Superannuated Rear-admirals, Retired-captains, Post-captains, and Commanders, Whose Names Appeared on the Admiralty List of Sea Officers at the Commencement of the Present Year, Or who Have Since Been Promoted; Illustrated by a Series of Historical and Explanatory Notes. With Copious Addenda: Supplement|url= https://archive.org/details/royalnavalbiosupp01marsuoft | publisher=Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green |location=London|year=1827}}
* {{cite book |last =Mostert|first= Noel|title=The Line Upon A Wind: The Greatest War Fought at Sea Under Sail, 1793–1815|publisher=[[Vintage Books]]|location=London|year=2008|isbn=978-0-7126-0927-2}}
* {{cite book |last= Roberts|first=Andrew|author-link=Andrew Roberts (historian)|year=2002|title=Napoleon & Wellington|publisher=Phoenix Press|location=London|isbn= 1-84212-740-3}}
* {{cite book|first=Nicholas|last=Rodger|author-link=Nicholas Rodger|title=The Command of the Ocean: A Naval History of Britain 1649–1815|publisher=[[Penguin Books]]|location=London|year=2005|isbn=978-0-14-028896-4}}
* {{cite book |first=Rif|last=Winfield|title=British Warships in the Age of Sail 1714–1792: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates|publisher=Seaforth|location=London|year=2007|isbn=978-1-84415-700-6}}
* {{cite book |first=Richard|last=Woodman|title=The Victory of Seapower: Winning the Napoleonic War 1806–1814|publisher=Mercury Books|location=London|year=2005|isbn=1-84560-012-6}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|HMS Bellerophon (ship, 1786)}}
* [https://www.prisonhistory.org/prison/bellerophon/ Bellerophon Prison Hulk entry on PrisonHistory.org]

{{Arrogant class ship of the line}}
{{1824 shipwrecks}}
{{featured article}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bellerophon (1786)}}
[[Category:1786 ships]]
[[Category:Arrogant-class ships of the line]]
[[Category:Ships built on the River Medway]]
[[Category:Ships of the line of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in November 1824]]