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The
GUARDIAN
was
built by Robert Batson in March 1784 at Limehouse ship
building docks, London. Wrecked 1790 off coast of South
Africa ) She was (Clipper) a fifth-rate of 879 tons 44 guns
an armed en flute 140 feet overall,commanded by 26 year old
Lt.(N) Edward Riou.
The
Guardian was laden with stores for the new settlement at
Port Jackson. (now Sydney, Australia) ONE OF THE SHIP IN
THE
FIRST FLEET
(last
to sail alone) 0n 24 December 1789, at lat. 44deg. S., long.
41deg. 30min. E.,
click for
LOCATION
MAP
the weather being extremely foggy, an island of ice was seen
about 3 miles away. Lieut. Riou approached to collect ice
for water to supply the large number of cattle they had on
board. The boats brought off several lumps while the ship
lay to, then sail was made to stand off. The bow of the ship
struck on an invisible, underwater part of the ice and her
stern swung round, knocking off the rudder and badly
damaging the stern frame, the ship becoming embedded under
the terrific bulk of ice.
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THIS
EVENT WAS AT THAT TIME,
EQUAL
IN SCOPE TO THE TITANIC!
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When at
last the sails filled she began to forge off but struck
again and continued crashing on the ice underneath her until
she at last got clear. While they were congratulating
themselves on escaping with little more than the loss of the
rudder, the carpenter reported two feet of water in the hold
and that it was increasing fast. Some time was spent getting
the chain pumps working, mean while the cattle were cleared
off the deck and a few hands between decks managed to get up
and heave overboard most of the bags of flour, peas, wheat,
barley, etc. that had been taken on in the Cape of Good
Hope.All the officers and men had been employed on clearing
and pumping so Lieut. Riou, realizing that they would soon
be exhausted, divided them into two watches and sent one
half for refreshments. At daylight on the 25th it was
blowing a gale but they managed, with great difficulty, to
get one of the lower studding sails filled with oakum under
the ship's bottom. They were able to pump the water down to
only 19 inches but the gale increased and the fore and
maintop sails were blown to pieces leaving them at the mercy
of the waves. When the starboard pump broke down the water
reached to the orlop deck and was gaining a foot every half
an hour. Many of the people were now so despondent that they
left the pumps to secrete themselves and waited to perish
with the ship.
The
ship began to settle aft and water poured in through the
rudder case so Lieut. Riou ordered the boats to be hoisted
out and allowed those who wished, to leave in them. The
launch, with only 8 men on board, was swept clear but rowed
back and received some provisions. A small quantity of
biscuit and an 18-gallon cask of water was lowered into the
small cutter and Mr. Wadman, Mr. Tremlett and the purser
jumped down into her. Mr. Somerville and John Spearman, a
seaman, jumped into the water and swam to the launch which
also took Messrs. Clements, Wadman, Tremlett, the purser,
the Rev. Mr. Crowther, and two more of the men, out of the
cutter, with two bags of biscuit and some water. Mr. Brady,
midshipman, Mr. Fletcher, captain's clerk, and five seamen
remained in the cutter but they could not be prevailed upon
to return to the ship to take on more people and supplies.
Mr. Clements handed over a spare compass and quadrant to the
jolly boat, which had no water or
provisions.
Meanwhile
Lt. Riou and the remainder of the crew continued in the ship
which, though waterlogged, still floated. The ballast had
been washed out of a large hole in her bows and the casks in
the hold provided buoyancy. Indeed, in moderate weather, she
was able to make 4 knots and Lieut. Riou could keep her head
on the course he wished to steer. His chief preoccupation
was with his dispirited crew. Who frequently threatened
mutiny and at one time completed a raft on which they
determined to take their chance, rather than remain on the
ship. He persuaded them that the plan would lead to certain
death. At length, on 21 February 1790, after nearly two
months, land was sighted, and the GUARDIAN was towed into
Table Bay by whaleboats belonging to a British
ship.
When
he was frustrated in his attempts to get the ship round to
Saldanha Bay, Lieut. Riou was forced to beach her
in
Table Bay.(CapeTown SA}
Those
saved in the GUARDIAN were: The Hon. Thomas Pitt (who became
Lord Camelford); Messrs. John Gore and David Gilmor,
midshipmen; John Williams, boatswain; Murray Sampson,
carpenter; John Fairclough, surgeon's mate, thirty seamen
and boys; twenty-one convicts and three of their
superintendants and one female.
The
people in the launch had already been rescued by a French
merchantman on the 4 January and taken into Table Bay (Cape
Town SA) on the 18th. Nothing is known of the fate of the
remainder.
As
months had passed, the ship and crew all presumed loss, the
news in England was received with jubilance and the London
Times heralded Edward as a hero. Edward appealed for the
convict pardons for their aid and assistance in safely
returning the ship to Table Bay.
Lieut.
Riou was eventually made a post captain and was killed at
the
Battle
of Copenhagen
on 2 April 1801 while commanding the
H.M.S
Amazon frigate
(38) (The Bomb Vessel) , The Amazon was launched in
1799.Captain Edward Riou was in charge of the six frigates (
the Blanche, Alcmene, Dart, Arrow, Zephyr and Otter), to
attack of the ships at the harbour's mouth and crown battery
) at the Battle of Copenhagen. SEE
MAP BELOW
Riou took his squadron of ships north to attack the Danes,
closer to where Admiral Sir Hyde Parker was
stationed.
When the battle
began, inconsequence of three of the English ships having
got on shore, the Crown battery was left unopposed. Riou,
with the frigates, endeavoured to fill the void, but their
feeble armament was no match for the battery's heavy guns,
and they suffered great loss all her senior officers were
killed. On
seeing the 'cease action' signal given by Parker, Riou
retreated saying, "What will Nelson think of us?" Riou, now
exposed to enemy
fire,he was severely
wounded in the head by a splinter, but was sitting on a
gun-carriage encouraging his men when he was killed by a
cannon ball that cut him in two leaving John
Quilliam in
command.
Mr.
Gilmor became a commander in September 1799 he died on 17
September 1829, aged 54
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Tributes
& Honours
Nelson,
who had no acquaintance with him before 31 March,
was much struck by the discipline of the Amazon,
and conceived an immediate affection for
him.
"
in poor dear Riou,' he wrote, "the country has
sustained an irreparable loss" Lord Nelson
OFFICIAL
DISPATCH
Parliament
voted that a monument of Edward be built at St.
Paul's Cathedral by sculptor
J.C.F.Rossi.
Monument
to Captains Edward Riou & James Mosse, by John
Charles Felix Rossi, in St Paul's
Cathedral.
Includes
sculptures of two angels holding profile medallion
portraits of the men.
NOTE:
If anyone could provide a photo of this monument
for this site it would be much appreciated.
RB
In literature
his name will live on as "The Gallant Good Riou" of
Campbell's
ballad.
Honoured
in Art
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Later
Honours
Second
world war British Destroyer Escort named after him
H.M.S.
RIOU
K-557
built
by USN lend lease to Britain December 14
1943.
WW2
ship named HMS GUARDIAN, British Pacific
Fleet
I
have found that Edward was of exceptional character
he
embodied what a good officer should be! His good
judgement,
his
compassion, his sense of duty and heroism was above
reproach. Sir
Robert Burns
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NOTE:
sale of Benson's collection of Riou material
1968
The
Riou papers, Riou's original logbook and narrative
of the voyage of H.M.S. Guardian, together with
other manuscripts and the ship's
pennant
which
was specially commissioned for the voyage to Port
Jackson, New South Wales, 1789-1790
The
collection came up for auction at Sotheby's
in 1968.
It
seems that much of the material, including the
original logbook kept by Riou , is now held by the
National Maritime Museum
(UK)
The
material from the National Maritime Museum,
including the logbook of the Guardian, is on
microfilm.
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THERE WILL BE MORE
ON EDWARD'S LIFE & FAMILY-
SISTER AND MUM
TO BE POSTED SOON! R.B.
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Me
