Henry William Bayntun

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Henry William Bayntun
Born	July 29, 1763 Algiers , North Africa
Died	16 December 1840 Bath, England
Occupation	Royal Navy Admiral

Admiral Sir Henry William Bayntun, GCB (1766 - 16 December 1840) was a senior officer in the Royal Navy, whose distinguished career in the the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars was a catalogue of the highest and lowest points of the Navy during the conflict. His record includes extensive operations the West Indies followed by shipwreck, the battle of Trafalgar and the disastrous expedition to Buenos Aires in 1807.

Born in Algiers in 1766 where his father was consul general, Bayntun joined the navy very young, and received his lieutenancy at just seventeen in 1783.^[1] At the outbreak of war in 1793, Bayntun took over the sloop HMS Avenger following its captain's death,^[2] and proceeded to participate in the capture of the French frigate Bienvenue along with other sipping off Martinique. He was also prominent in the capture of both that island and Guadeloupe under the command of Admiral Sir John Jervis. Given the HMS Reunion, Bayntun unfortunately wrecked her, but was absolved of the loss and given the HMS Quebec before graduating to ships of the line, including HMS Thunderer and HMS Cumberland with which he won acclaim with a successful blockade of the French Caribbean islands following their return to France in the Peace of Amiens. In 1803 he captured the French frigate Creole, along with her convoy and hundreds of troops aboard returning to France.

In 1804 Bayntun returned to England after ten years in the West Indies, and was given command of the fast third rate HMS Leviathan and joined Nelson's force off Brest which subsequently traversed to the West Indies again before coming to reat in Cadiz. Bayntun was in this way unusual amongst Trafalgar captains, many of whom had only just arrived on blackade station off Cadiz, following the recall of several after the Cape Finisterre action following which many officers returned home to testify in the official court martial.

At the battle of Trafalgar on the 21 October, Bayntun in Leviathan was third in Nelson's northern line, and engaged with the enemy rapidly following the HMS Victory, HMS Temeraire and HMS Neptune. Leviathan raked the Bucentaure and battled the Neptune before engaging with the massive Santissima Trinidad. Seeing the distant approach of Admiral Dumanoir's squadron from the north, Captain Thomas Hardy ordered Leviathan and other ships to close the enemy. Levaithan managed to catch the Spanish San Augustin and easily capture it, but the remainder of the squaran fled, terminating the battle.

The Leviathan had 26 casualties of the battle, and was in a fit state to return to Gibraltar unaided in the growing storm. She did however lose her prize, the San Augustin being burnt as she foundered some days after the action. Bayntun was honoured after the battle with gifts from the Patriotic Fund and the guideon bearer at Nelson's state funeral. In 1807 he participated in the naval aspects of the failed invasion of Argentina but escaped the condemnation other officers involved received and continued in service, commanding the Royal Yacht HMY Royal Sovereign in 1811. Bayntun continued in the Navy as a semi-retired officer until his death in 1840 slowly gaining promotions ^[3] ^[4] whilst living his private life until in 1837 he was made a Full Admiral ^[5] and a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath^[6]. Henry William Bayntun died in Bath and is buried there ^[7] with several family members to this day.