The tragedy of the seas; or, Sorrow on the ocean, lake, and river, from shipwreck, plague, fire and famine .. . US SITUATION AND PROCEEDINGS ON BOARD OF THE SHIP CENTAUR OF 74 GUNS, CAPTAIN HENRY WHITBY, A Hurricane, experienced by a Sqnadron under theCommand of Commodore De Courcy, in wliicli shesprung a-leak and was dismasted, and therebyprevented from joining Lord Nelsons Fleet, andtaking her Station in the Line of Trafalgar; July,1805, « Now darker grew the crowded atmosphere;There was no moon on high, and not a starPeeped through the sable canopy; the blastRang loud; and now the war, more
The tragedy of the seas; or, Sorrow on the ocean, lake, and river, from shipwreck, plague, fire and famine .. . US SITUATION AND PROCEEDINGS ON BOARD OF THE SHIP CENTAUR OF 74 GUNS, CAPTAIN HENRY WHITBY, A Hurricane, experienced by a Sqnadron under theCommand of Commodore De Courcy, in wliicli shesprung a-leak and was dismasted, and therebyprevented from joining Lord Nelsons Fleet, andtaking her Station in the Line of Trafalgar; July,1805, « Now darker grew the crowded atmosphere;There was no moon on high, and not a starPeeped through the sable canopy; the blastRang loud; and now the war, more terrible,Swept oer the foaming waves, [HE hurricane in which the Centaur suf-fered was considered the severest sincethat of 1782, when the old French shipof the same name, commanded by Cap-tain Inglefield, foundered.* The oldCentaurs storm was experienced in ^=^ 33 N. and long. 42° 20 W.; that of the new Centaur was in 26^ IT N. and 57° 42 W., to the northward of Barbadoes. * Captain Inglefields narrative is in the ?^first series of Shipwrecksand Disasters at Sea/ by Charles Ellms, See page 52,. 248 A SHIP OF THE LINE IN A HURRICANE. It is well known that in the early part of the year 1805,the French and Spanish fleets formed a junction, and pro-ceeded to the West Indies, more for tlie purpose of creatinga diversion, it is probable, than with any serious design ofcommitting depredation on our possessions there. AdmiralLord Nelson pursued them unsuccessfully; and on the 16thof April, Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane arrived at Jamaicawith six sail of the line and three frigates. It was a partof this squadron, on its return to windward, that encounteredthe hurricane. On the 19th of June, the Centaur quitted Port Royal,in company with the St. George, Eagle, Atlas, (of the line,)and Success and Blanche frigates, for the purpose of joiningLord Nelson at Barbadoes. We were obliged to anchor when nearly clear of theshoals, in consequence of the commodores ship, the ,
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1840, bookidtra, booksubjectshipwrecks
