A long time ago I read the diaries of Samuel Pepys, there is much in there to entertain, however one entry stuck in my mind.
In June 1667, the English were at war with Holland, The Dutch Admiral Michiel de Ruyter made an attack on Sheerness, the Medway and Chatham Dockyard.
A rowing boat containing nine dutch sailors boarded the English flagship The Royal Charles with the intent of burning her, however when they realized that the ship was empty of crewmen (normally 500 - 600 crew) they decided to steal her, the nine of them taking her down the River Medway when the tide was so low that no pilot would attempt it and managing to keel her over during her flight to reduce her draught.
Which was fairly embarrassing to put it mildly.
At the time I thought that there was a movie in there somewhere and now there is one...
[video=youtube;9Gz9M_lBURY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Gz9M_lBURY[/video]
...Charles Dance plays Charles II.
Excerpt from The Diary of Samuel Pepys:
" In the evening come Captain Hart and Haywood to me about the six merchant-ships now taken up for men-of-war; and in talk they told me about the taking of “The Royal Charles;” that nothing but carelessness lost the ship, for they might have saved her the very tide that the Dutch come up, if they would have but used means and had had but boats: and that the want of boats plainly lost all the other ships. That the Dutch did take her with a boat of nine men, who found not a man on board her, and her laying so near them was a main temptation to them to come on; and presently a man went up and struck her flag and jacke, and a trumpeter sounded upon her “Joan’s placket is torn,” that they did carry her down at a time, both for tides and wind, when the best pilot in Chatham would not have undertaken it, they heeling her on one side to make her draw little water: and so carried her away safe. "
Picture of The Royal Charles
The raid on the Medway
In June 1667, the English were at war with Holland, The Dutch Admiral Michiel de Ruyter made an attack on Sheerness, the Medway and Chatham Dockyard.
A rowing boat containing nine dutch sailors boarded the English flagship The Royal Charles with the intent of burning her, however when they realized that the ship was empty of crewmen (normally 500 - 600 crew) they decided to steal her, the nine of them taking her down the River Medway when the tide was so low that no pilot would attempt it and managing to keel her over during her flight to reduce her draught.
Which was fairly embarrassing to put it mildly.
At the time I thought that there was a movie in there somewhere and now there is one...
[video=youtube;9Gz9M_lBURY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Gz9M_lBURY[/video]
...Charles Dance plays Charles II.
Excerpt from The Diary of Samuel Pepys:
" In the evening come Captain Hart and Haywood to me about the six merchant-ships now taken up for men-of-war; and in talk they told me about the taking of “The Royal Charles;” that nothing but carelessness lost the ship, for they might have saved her the very tide that the Dutch come up, if they would have but used means and had had but boats: and that the want of boats plainly lost all the other ships. That the Dutch did take her with a boat of nine men, who found not a man on board her, and her laying so near them was a main temptation to them to come on; and presently a man went up and struck her flag and jacke, and a trumpeter sounded upon her “Joan’s placket is torn,” that they did carry her down at a time, both for tides and wind, when the best pilot in Chatham would not have undertaken it, they heeling her on one side to make her draw little water: and so carried her away safe. "
Picture of The Royal Charles
The raid on the Medway
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