Henry Digby

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sir Henry Digby
Born	20 January 1770 Bath, England
Died	19 August 1842 Sheerness, Kent, England
Occupation	Royal Navy Officer

Admiral of the Blue Sir Henry Digby, GCB (20 January 1770 - 19 August 1842) was a senior British naval officer, who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars in the Royal Navy. He commanded the HMS Africa at the Battle of Trafalgar, manouvering her into the French and Spanish fleet against orders, having been instructed by Nelson to avoid battle, fearing Digby's small ship of the line would be overwhelmed.

Born in Bath to the Hon. Rev. William Digby, Dean of Durham and Chaplain Ordinary to King George III, he joined the 50 gun HMS Europa at 13 in 1783 and sailed for the West Indies, making lieutenant in 1790^[1] and transferring to frigates. In 1795 promoted commander ^[2] and he received a commendation for saving hundreds of lives when the first-rate HMS Boyne caught fire and exploded in Spithead. Digby took a small boat of his frigate HMS Pallas close into the blazing ship to rescue men struggling in the water despite the risk of instant annihilation should the ammunition store catch alight, as happened later that day. In 1796 Digby made Post Captain, ^[3] and then enjoyed a series of enormously lucky years, being present at the capture of Minorca in HMS Leviathan and in 1799 being given a lucrative independent cruise in the frigate HMS Alcmene during which he captured dozens of small merchant ships and had a hand in seizing the Spanish treasure frigate Santa Brigada with $1,400,000 on board. In 1801 he took the French privateer Elizabeth in his new frigate HMS Resistance, the last capture before the Peace of Amiens.

Unlike most officers, Digby remained on active service during the peace, making a great dent in the smuggling trade of the English Channel, but in 1803 he was given the HMS Africa, an old, small battleship which possessed just 64 guns and was considered by many as much too small to serve in the line of battle in a major fleet engagement. The Africa was also a poor sailor, and on the morning of the 21 October 1805, Diby found his ship had been blown far off station to the north and was thus very isolated. Nelson saw the predicament and sent a signal instructing Digby to "Make all sail", intending him to pull back from the enemy rather than risk being overwhelmed as there were ten enemy ships between Africa and the British fleet, all larger than Africa in size.

Digby indignatly received the order and then deliberately misinterpreted it as an instruction to close with the British fleet to the south, and so weaved between the advancing enemy, engaging each in turn with both broadsides before reaching the melee surrounding the enormous Spanish flagship, the 130 gun Santissima Trinidad. Believing that she had surrendered, Digby dispatched his first lieutenant, John Smith, on board to take the surrender. Smith and his party actually reached the Spanish quarterdeck unmolested before realising that the ship was still fighting. Fortunately in that chivalrous age the Spanish admiral allowed Smith's party to return to their boat unharmed. Sailing south from the battle, Africa encountered the Intrépide and fought her continuously for 40 minutes until HMS Orion arrived and the French ship surrendered as she was outnumbered. In this fight Africa was very badly damaged and lost 62 men killed or wounded, including most of her officers.

Digby continued in the Royal Navy for many years, making Rear Admiral^[4] in 1819 and receiving the Order of the Bath in 1815. ^[5] Retiring with his family to Minterne Magna in Dorset, where his vast prize money successes in the 1790s paid for a large manor and a very comfortable life. Advancing by seniority through the ranks, ^[6] . Digby died in 1842 after a brief period as the Commander in Chief at Sheerness and was buried in the local churchyard with many of his family, where his tombstone can still be seen. At the time of his death he was a full Admiral of the Blue ^[7]and had become a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath ^[8]