John Cooke (Royal Navy officer)

Infobox Military Person
name= John Cooke
lived= 1763 – 21 October 1805
placeofbirth=
placeofdeath= HMS "Bellerophon", off Cape Trafalgar


caption= John Cooke
nickname=
allegiance= flagicon|United Kingdom United Kingdom
serviceyears= 1776 to 1805
rank= Royal Navy Captain
branch=
commands=
unit=
battles= American Revolutionary War • Battle of Rhode Island French Revolutionary Wars • Glorious First of June • Capture of "Résistance" & "Constance" • Capture of "Dédaigneuse" Napoleonic Wars • Battle of Trafalgar
awards=
laterwork=
Captain John Cooke (1763 – 21 October 1805) was an experienced and highly regarded officer of the British Royal Navy during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars and the first years of the Napoleonic Wars. Cooke is best known for his death in hand-to-hand combat with French forces during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. During the action, his ship HMS "Bellerophon" was badly damaged and boarded by sailors and marines from the French ship of the line "Aigle". Cooke was killed in the ensuing melee, but his crew successfully drove off their opponents and ultimately forced the surrender of "Aigle".

Aside from his death, remarkably little is known of Cooke's circumstances. Even his date of birth is unclear, and unlike many of his fellow officers, Cooke was never a notable society figure. Indeed, all that is now known of Cooke's family life comes from the memorial tablet placed in his local church, which remembers his wife Lousia and their eight year-old daughter. Despite his unremarkable family life, Cooke was well respected in his profession and following his death was the subject of tributes from officers who had served alongside him.

Early life

John Cooke was born in 1763 to Francis Cooke, an Admiralty clerk. Nothing is known of his youth or education, records only emerging when Cooke gained a position as a midshipman on the ship of the line HMS "Eagle" in 1776, aged only thirteen. Aboard "Eagle", Cooke served in the flagship of the North American Station during the next three years, seeing extensive action along the eastern seaboard. Notable among these actions were the naval operations around the Battle of Rhode Island in 1778, when "Eagle" was closely engaged with American units ashore. [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/6171?docPos=9 Cooke, John] , "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography", J. K. Laughton, Retrieved 18 February 2008] On 21 January 1779, Cooke was promoted to lieutenant and joined HMS "Superb" in the West Indies under Sir Edward Hughes, but was forced to take a leave of absence due to ill-health.

Cooke was back with the fleet in 1782, when he served aboard HMS "Duke" at the Battle of Dominica and the Battle of the Saintes, at both of which "Duke" was heavily engaged. Following the Peace of Versailles in 1783, Cooke retained his position under Alan Gardner, captain of "Duke" and then commodore at Jamaica. Gardner held this post for the next seven years. Over these years Cooke rose to become first lieutenant of HMS "Europa", Gardner's flagship, and in 1790 returned to Europe as first lieutenant of Alexander Hood's flagship HMS "London".

Frigate command

With the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars in 1793, Cooke transferred with Hood to HMS "Royal George", second flagship of the British Channel Fleet. On 21 February 1794, Cooke was promoted to commander and given his first independent command, the small fireship HMS "Incendiary". Three months later, "Incendiary" was a signal repeater for the Channel Fleet during the Atlantic campaign of May 1794, relaying Lord Howe's signals to the fleet and operating as a scout in the search for the French fleet under Villaret de Joyeuse. On 1 June 1794, Cooke was a witness to the battle of the Glorious First of June, although his tiny ship was far too small to engage in combat.James, Vol. 1, p. 126]

In the action's aftermath, Cooke was included in the general promotions issued to the fleet, becoming a post captain on 23 July 1794. For a year, Cooke was stationed off Newfoundland as flag captain to Sir James Wallace and spent sometime in the West Indies in command of HMS "Quebec".James, Vol. 1, p. 342] He subsequently returned to Britain in 1796 to take command of the frigate HMS "Nymphe". "Nymphe" was employed in the blockade of the French Atlantic ports over the next year, and on 9 March 1797 was in company with HMS "San Fiorenzo" when they encountered the returning ships of a short-lived French invasion attempt of Britain that had been defeated at Fishguard in Wales.James, Vol. 2, p. 80] The French ships attempted to escape into Brest, but were hunted down by the British, who forced the surrender of "Résistance" and "Constance" in turn after successive short engagements.Henderson, p. 45] Neither of the British ships suffered a single casualty in the combat, and both French ships were subsequently purchased into the Royal Navy, bringing prize money to Cooke and his crew. [LondonGazette|issue=14035|supp=|startpage=764|date=8 August 1797|accessdate=2008-02-18]

Despite this success, Cooke was unpopular with his men due to the strict discipline he enforced aboard his ship. This was graphically demonstrated just two months after the action off Brest, when "Nymphe" became embroiled in the Spithead mutiny. Cooke attempted to assist Admiral John Colpoys at the mutiny's outbreak, and was ordered ashore by his crew when he tried to return to his ship. Cooke was tactfully removed from command by the Admiralty following the mutiny, although he was returned to service two years later aboard the new frigate HMS "Amethyst" in preparation for the Anglo-Russian invasion of the Batavian Republic. During the invasion, "Amethyst" conveyed the Duke of York to the Netherlands and later participated in the evacuation of the force following the campaign's collapse.

Cooke was involved in operations in Quiberon Bay during the remainder of 1799, and in 1800 participated in an abortive invasion of Ferrol. During this time, "Amethyst" captured six French merchant ships and small privateers. [LondonGazette|issue=15301|supp=|startpage=1176|date=11 October 1800|accessdate=2008-02-18] During 1801, Cooke participated in the capture of the French frigate "Dédaigneuse" off Cape Finisterre, helping Samuel Hood Linzee and Richard King chase her down on 26 January. "Amethyst" was not heavily engaged with "Dédaigneuse" and received no damage, but aided in pursuing and trapping the French ship so that she could be seized. "Dédaigneuse" was later purchased into the Royal Navy.James, Vol. 3, p. 136] Shortly afterwards, Cooke captured the Spanish ship "Carlotta" and the French privateer "Général Brune" in the same area. [LondonGazette|issue=15412|supp=|startpage=1203|date=29 September 1801|accessdate=2008-02-18]

Trafalgar

With the Peace of Amiens, Cooke briefly retired on half-pay before being recalled to the fleet at the outbreak of the Napoleonic Wars in 1803. Cooke was requested as flag captain by Admiral Sir William Young at Plymouth, but Cooke tactfully refused, instead applying for active service. He received command of HMS "Bellerophon" in 1804. In October 1805, he was ordered to sail for Cadiz to join Nelson's fleet off the Spanish port. He was heard to say at this time that "To be in a general engagement with Nelson would crown all my military ambition". Nelson had trapped a large combined French and Spanish fleet, under Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, in Cadiz and was blockading the harbour awaiting their expected attempt to escape. "Bellerophon" was one of a number of ships sent from the Channel Fleet to reinforce Nelson at sea off Cape Trafalgar.

The Franco-Spanish fleet escaped Cadiz on 18 October 1805, but was soon chased down by Nelson and brought to battle on 21 October. Nelson formed his fleet into two divisions; the weather column would attack to the north under his direct command and the lee column would operate to the south under the command of Cuthbert Collingwood in HMS "Royal Sovereign". Cooke was stationed fifth in Collingwood's line, and so was one of the first ships engaged in action with the combined fleet. Cooke had reportedly been extremely concerned for his safety prior to the battle, and took the unusual step of informing his first lieutenant William Pryce Cumby and his master Edward Overton of Nelson's orders, in case he should be killed.White, p. 47]

"Bellerophon" was soon closely engaged with the French, breaking through the enemy line and closing with "Aigle". As with the other French ships in the fleet, "Aigle's" rigging and mastheads were occupied by musketeers and grenadiers, who kept up a steady fire on "Bellerophon" and took a heavy toll of sailors exposed on the British ship's deck. Much of the fire was directed at the quarterdeck, where Cooke, Cumby and Overton stood. Cumby noted with surprise that Cooke was still wearing his uniform coat, which sported epaulettes that marked him out as the ship's captain to French snipers. Cooke had forgotten to remove the epaulettes and recognised the danger they represented, but replied "It is too late to take them off. I see my situation, but I will die like a man".

As the action continued, the Captain Pierre-Paul Gourège of "Aigle" ordered his crew to board and seize "Bellerophon", hoping to use their superiority of numbers to overwhelm the British crew. Cooke sent Cumby below to make sure that the lower-deck guns continued to fire into the French ship as the battle continued overhead, and threw himself at the French sailors pouring onto "Bellerophon's" quarterdeck, shooting an enemy officer dead and engaging in hand-to-hand combat with the men behind him. Within minutes Cumby had returned to the deck with reinforcements from below, passing the mortally wounded Overton on the ladder. The badly wounded ship's quartermaster was also present, and he informed Cumby that Cooke had fallen in the melee.James, Vol. 4, p. 52] Cumby's charge cleared the French from the deck of "Bellerophon", and he found Cooke dead on the quarterdeck, two musket balls lodged in his chest. Cooke's last words had been "Let me lie quietly a minute. Tell Lieutenant Cumby never to strike."White, p. 48]

Cumby took charge of the battered "Bellerophon", directing her fire into "Aigle" and ultimately forcing the French ship's surrender after the arrival of other British vessels. "Bellerophon" had suffered grievously, losing 27 dead and 127 wounded. Although "Aigle" was lost in the chaotic storm which followed the battle, "Bellerophon" survived, primarily due to Cumby's leadership. He was later promoted to post captain for his services in the action.White, p. 52] Cooke's body was buried at sea the day after the battle with the other fatal casualties from "Bellerophon".

Legacy

Cooke's death, as with those of George Duff and Admiral Nelson himself, was widely mourned in Britain. Cooke's widow Louisa and their eight-year old daughter were given numerous awards and presents, including the gold medal minted for the captains who had fought at the action, and a large silver vase presented by Lloyd's Patriotic Fund. At least some of the money the family received was spent on a large wall plaque mounted in St Andrew's Church in Donhead St Andrew in Wiltshire, close to the family home.White, p. 49] The plaque commemorates Cooke's life and death and provides the very little information known about his wife, who died in 1853 aged 96. Tributes from fellow officers were also forthcoming, including from the future explorer John Franklin, who had served on "Bellerophon" at Trafalgar and had said of Cooke that he was "very gentlemanly and active. I like his appearance very much." A number of letters that Cooke wrote to his brother prior to Trafalgar are held by the National Maritime Museum. [NRA|P6428, Retrieved on 19 September 2008]

Notes

References

*cite book
last = Henderson
first = James
authorlink =
year = 1994
origyear = 1970
chapter =
title = The Frigates
publisher = Leo Cooper
location =
isbn = 0-8505-2432-6
*cite book
last = James
first = William
authorlink = William James (naval historian)
year = 2002
origyear = 1827
chapter =
title = The Naval History of Great Britain, Volumes 1-6, 1793-1827
publisher = Conway Maritime Press
location =
isbn = 0-85177-905-0
*cite book
last = White and the 1805 Club
first = Colin
authorlink =
year = 2004
origyear =
chapter =
title = The Trafalgar Captains
publisher = Chatham Publishing
location =
isbn = 1-86176-247-X
* cite web
title = Cooke, John
work = Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, J. K. Laughton
url = http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/6171?docPos=9
accessdate = 2008-02-18

Persondata
NAME=Cooke, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= John Cook
SHORT DESCRIPTION= British Royal Navy officer
DATE OF BIRTH=1763
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=21 October 1805
PLACE OF DEATH=HMS "Bellerophon", off Cape Trafalgar