I recently posted a comment in another thread, Ship's Nicknames, and mentioned the name Firehydrant in connection with a vessel moored between Dolphin and Vernon. Those on their way ashore and return from Dolphin passed it quite closely on the trip. It was always known as the Firehydrant by Jack but it was HMS Foudroyant of Nelson's days and I believed a French "prize" from one of the " Little Admiral's" many victories'
The legend ( dit ) was that Nelson's daughter Horatia was conceived on the ship and it seems this was not just a dit but a strong possibility according to the comment from a website below. The various web sites on this vessel reveal a fascinating part of RN history I was never aware of despite the many times I passed the " old girl ".
My question now , is the Foudroyant still on guard duty or has she gone the way of much of our history, to the wreckers?
The Foudroyant played a key role in Nelson’s dramatic personal and professional life in the period following his stunning victory over the French at the Battle of the Nile on August 1st, 1798. Embroiled, against orders, in Naples and Palermo in the preservation of the 'The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies', the wounded Nelson began his adulterous love affair with Emma Hamilton. Their daughter, Horatia, was probably conceived on board Foudroyant, on a cruise to Malta. The rebel Neapolitan naval commander, Commodore Prince Francesco Caracciolo, was court-martialled for treason and sentenced to death in Foudroyant’s wardroom, and her great cabin became the venue for the parties that were part of Nelson and Emma’s energetic social life. More dignified was Foudroyant’s role in the capture of the only two French battleships to escape from the Battle of the Nile[/color]
The legend ( dit ) was that Nelson's daughter Horatia was conceived on the ship and it seems this was not just a dit but a strong possibility according to the comment from a website below. The various web sites on this vessel reveal a fascinating part of RN history I was never aware of despite the many times I passed the " old girl ".
My question now , is the Foudroyant still on guard duty or has she gone the way of much of our history, to the wreckers?
The Foudroyant played a key role in Nelson’s dramatic personal and professional life in the period following his stunning victory over the French at the Battle of the Nile on August 1st, 1798. Embroiled, against orders, in Naples and Palermo in the preservation of the 'The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies', the wounded Nelson began his adulterous love affair with Emma Hamilton. Their daughter, Horatia, was probably conceived on board Foudroyant, on a cruise to Malta. The rebel Neapolitan naval commander, Commodore Prince Francesco Caracciolo, was court-martialled for treason and sentenced to death in Foudroyant’s wardroom, and her great cabin became the venue for the parties that were part of Nelson and Emma’s energetic social life. More dignified was Foudroyant’s role in the capture of the only two French battleships to escape from the Battle of the Nile[/color]