![]() After moving to dry land in 1870, the Dreadnought became a permanent feature, playing an important role not only in the life of seafarers but also in the wider community. Like the Dreadnought itself, the need for a hospital ship to treat the country's seafarers originated in the Napoleonic Wars of 1795-1815įrom its inception in 1821, the Society continued to support the provision of hospital services for seafarers. ![]() In 1831, this noble warhorse was decommissioned and refitted as a hospital ship moored off Greenwich and run by the Seamen's Hospital Society And so, in 1821, a new charity, the Seamen's Hospital Society, was set up to administer a hospital for seafarers on the Thames. If its work was to become permanent, the committee needed to formalise its own arrangements. They were given HMS Grampus, a 50-gun vessel which had been used as a store ship in Chatham. The committee agreed, and asked the Admiralty for a larger ship. Word spread, three ships became six and what was supposed to be a temporary measure stretched from months into years.Ĭaring for those who were sick or dying was clearly a long-term problem, and the surgeon responsible for their care, Dr Bob Blake, argued the need for a permanent base. The cause was taken up by anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce MP, who became chairman of the committee and within weeks had persuaded the Admiralty to loan three ships as floating hostels and equip them with iron beds, mattresses, linen and clothes. By the end of 1817 the situation was so bad that the elders of Trinity House established a committee for the relief of distressed seamen and agreed to engage a ship as an asylum for sailors on the Thames. Penniless, homeless and confused, many with sickness brought on by insanitary conditions at sea, these increasingly desperate men roamed the streets of London and haunted the ports of Britain. In 1815, with peacetime Britain in a trade depression, 125,000 merchant seafarers were laid off, with no unemployment pay, no pension and little chance of finding work. All except the tens of thousands of seafarers who had risked their lives at sea, only to be laid off on their return to shore. Like the Dreadnought itself, the need for a hospital ship to treat the country's seafarers originated in the Napoleonic Wars (1795-1815) when, after twelve hard years of war Napoleon was defeated and Britons began to rebuild their lives and businesses. In 1870 the service moved to dry land at the Royal Hospital in Greenwich, and, retaining the name of its famous ancestor, became the Dreadnought Seamen's Hospital. The Dreadnought was the second of the Society’s hospital ships, following on from the famous Grampus and succeeded in 1857 by the Caledonia, renamed the Dreadnought as it had become so well-known. The vessel went on to challenge the Principe de Asturias, causing the death of the captain, the Spanish commander-in-chief, and so became legendary.Īlmost 30 years later, in 1831, this noble warhorse was decommissioned and refitted as a hospital ship moored off Greenwich and run by the Seamen’s Hospital Society – now Seafarers Hospital Society. From 1803-1805 it fought against the French, helping blockade enemy ports.ĭreadnought rose to fame in Nelson's fleet at Trafalgar, where the crew captured the Spanish ship San Juan Nepomuceno in only 15 minutes. ![]() It weighed 2,111 tons, was 185ft long and carried 99 guns. The original Dreadnought was a three-decker battleship, launched at Plymouth in June 1801 and the sixth ship to take that name. Almost everyone in the UK maritime sector will have heard of the Dreadnought, but how much do we really know about this famous hospital ship? Peter Coulson, secretary of the Seafarers Hospital Society, uncovers the history of this iconic vessel
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |