John Cooke (Royal Navy officer)

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John Cook
Captain John Cook
Born	1763 London, England
Died	21 October 1805 Trafalgar
Occupation	Royal Navy Officer

Captain John Cooke R.N. (1763 - 21 October 1805) was a highly experienced and well-renowned officer in the Royal Navy during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars and the first years of the Napoleonic Wars. Cooke's distinguished career was brought to an abrupt end at the height of the battle of Trafalgar in 1805 when he was killed in action with the French L'Aigle.

Born to Francis, an Admiralty clerk, Cooke was fortunate to gain a position as a midshipman on the ship of the line HMS Eagle in 1776, when he was immediately embroiled in a landing on the coast of Rhode Island as the American Revolution broke out. Fighting in numerous actions on the Eastern Seaboard, Cooke was promoted to lieutenant ^[1] in 1779 and four years later won further renown in HMS Duke at the battle of the Saintes when the British fleet cut the French line. Cooke benefitted from the general promotions handed out in the appraoch to the French Revolutionary War, being made a commander ^[2] in 1792 and being given command of the fireship HMS Incendiary, from which he observed the battle of the Glorious First of June, but took no part as his ship was far too small to serve in such a large battle, merely needed to tow damaged larger ships and rescue survivors from the water. In the general promotion which followed, Cooke was made a Post Captain ^[3] and was given the HMS Nymphe in which he participated in the capture of the French frigates Resistance and Constance.

At the Nore mutiny in 1797, Cooke was unceremoniously dumped ashore by his crew which gave him a break from sea service before being appointed to the HMS Amethyst in 1798. In this he aided in the transport of the army to the Batavian Republic during the Anglo-Russian invasion of 1799 and later conducted raiding operations against the coast of Quiberon and the Spanish city of Ferrol. In 1801 he was even more successful, capturing a French frigate La Dédaigneuse and the Spanish General Brune, making a fortune in prize money and winning notoriety in England. Following the Peace of Amiens, Cooke was granted the large veteran ship of the line HMS Bellerophon. ^[4] In addition to his excellent military record, Cooke had a reputation as a very strict disciplinarian, but was highly respected by his crew which included the future explorer John Franklin, who said the Cooke was "very gentlemanly and active. I like his appearance very much". Ordered to join Nelson's blockade off Cadiz in June 1805, Cooke and the Bellerophon brought with them a fine reputation that led to their placement high in Admiral Collingwood's division at Trafalgar.

On the day of the battle, Captain Cooke apparently had a presentiment of his fate and so took his first lieutenant William Pryce Cumby and the ship's master Edward Overton into his confidence and passed on all orders relating to the ship, an unusual move which proved very useful in the aftermath of the action. Smashing into the melee as it reached its highest point, Bellerophon was almost surrounded and took a ferocious pounding whilst firing her guns continuously. The badly damaged ship was then rammed by the L'Aigle. As French sailors swarmed over the Bellerophon, Cumby urged Cooke to abandon his decorated uniform which marked him out to French snipers in L'Aigle's rigging. Cooke replied "It is too late to take them off. I see my situation, but I will die like a man" and then ordered Cumby below to direct the ship's gunnery before throwing himself at the French boarders, killing an enemy officer in hand to hand combat. As Cumby regained the deck, he met the dying Overton, who reported he had seen Cooke fire both pistols before being shot twice in the chest and falling to his knees, crying "Let me lie quietly a minute. Tell Lieutenant Cumby never to strike!".

Cooke was dead, but a surge from the crew of Bellerophon cleared their deck and boarded L'Aigle, which was now being attacked by other British ships. Eventually L'Aigle struck her colours instead, but was sunk in the chaotic storm which followed the battle. Bellerophon was herself lucky to survive given her ravaged state. Cumby ably took control of the battered ship which had lost an apalling 140 casualties, amongst the highest of any British ship, and was amply rewarded for his services. Cooke, along with hundreds of others was buried at sea following the battle, but has a memorial ^[5] in St Andrew's Church in Donhead St Andrew in Wiltshire near his home. Cooke's widow Louisa and his daughter were provided with a pension and numerous gifts from the government and the Patriotic Fund. Louisa Cooke never remarried and died at Cheltenham 48 years later in 1853.