The 1805 Club

09/06/2026

We all love an "On This Day" post (right??), but some anniversaries have a habit of overshadowing everything else — looking at you, Glorious First of June.

As a result, smaller actions that happened on the same day are often overlooked. One such episode took place on 1 June 1796, when Nelson, commanding HMS Agamemnon, led a cutting-out operation against French vessels at Port Maurice on the Ligurian coast.

This lesser-known action was captured in 1810 by the great marine artist Nicholas Pocock. In the foreground, Agamemnon dominates the scene as British boats move against a group of French vessels sheltered in the bay. The action depicts Nelson's successful capture of a French bomb vessel, a brig and three ketches, preventing supplies and siege equipment from reaching French forces.

Pocock included the incident in a series of drawings illustrating lesser-known moments from Nelson's career. Thumbs up for daring small-scale operations! 👍

06/06/2026

The Glorious First of June at the House of Lords ✨

This year's commemoration of the Glorious First of June was rather different from our usual tradition of sprinkling champagne on Lord Howe's tomb at Langar Hall. As 2026 marks the 300th anniversary of Howe's birth, the 1805 Club joined the current Earl Howe and guests at the House of Lords for a special presentation on the Admiral's life and legacy.

Delivered by our very own French naval historian Natacha Abriat, the talk explored Howe "from the French quarterdeck", examining how he was viewed by friend and foe alike. From the War of the Austrian Succession and Quiberon Bay to the American War of Independence, the relief of Gibraltar and the Glorious First of June itself, Howe emerged as a brave, honourable, and highly respected opponent in French eyes.

The presentation was warmly received, with Earl Howe remarking afterwards that he had learned several new things about his distinguished ancestor. A fitting tribute to one of Britain's greatest admirals on the tercentenary of his birth. And, with no visit to the grave required, leaving rather more champagne for the guests than usual. 🥂

02/06/2026

⚓️The 1805 Club is now on LinkedIn!

More social media. More naval history. More opportunities to discuss leadership lessons from men who solved workplace disagreements with broadsides.

To mark this important milestone in our growth journey, we've taken inspiration from one of Britain's earliest masters of personal branding: Admiral Lord Nelson.

Follow us here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-1805-club/?viewAsMember=true

01/06/2026

The Glorious First of June ✨

Today marks the anniversary of the Battle of the Glorious First of June (1794), fought under the command of Richard Howe.

An unusual battle in that both sides claimed victory: the British won the tactical contest at sea, while the French successfully protected a vital grain convoy. Everyone gets to celebrate, yay!

However, for the British side this year is especially significant as we mark the 300th anniversary of Howe's birth.

Traditionally, members of the 1805 Club commemorate the day by sprinkling Lord Howe's grave with champagne (yes, really). Except this year we are celebrating his tricentenary in rather grander fashion at the House of Lords.

Stay tuned for more! 🥂

25/05/2026

⚓ “More ferocious-looking objects could scarcely be imagined.”

On 6 May 1801, Commander Thomas Cochrane and just 54 men aboard HMS Speedy attacked the Spanish frigate El Gamo off Barcelona.

The odds were... absurd.

El Gamo carried 32 guns and more than 300 men. Speedy was a tiny brig armed with little 4-pounder guns that Cochrane himself mocked as “little larger than a blunderbuss.”

Instead of fleeing, Cochrane closed in so tightly that the Spanish guns could barely fire at him. Then came the boarding action.
Before charging aboard, Cochrane ordered his men to blacken their faces with grease and gunpowder. Through the smoke of battle, the British boarders appeared, in his words, like “diabolical-looking figures.”

Against all expectation, the Spaniards surrendered.
The action became one of the most celebrated single-ship engagements of the Napoleonic Wars and helped cement Cochrane’s reputation as the real-life inspiration for Patrick O’Brian’s Jack Aubrey.

Today, Cochrane rests in Westminster Abbey, where the Chilean Navy still pays annual tribute to the man who later helped secure Chilean independence at sea.

Find the full article from the U.S. Naval Institute in the comments!

22/05/2026

On this day in 1798: Nelson received a sharp reminder that Britannia did not, in fact, rule the waves quite as effortlessly as patriotic songs suggested.

At the very beginning of what would become the Nile Campaign, Nelson's fleet was caught in a dreadful storm in the Gulf of Lions. His flagship, HMS Vanguard, carried too much canvas and paid for it dearly: the ship was dismasted, the fleet scattered, and the flagship left drifting dangerously towards a lee shore off Sardinia.

Reflecting afterwards on the incident, Nelson admitted:

“The accidents which have happened to the Vanguard were a just punishment for my consummate vanity; I most humbly acknowledge, and I kiss the rod which chastised me.”

Salvation came from Captain Alexander Ball in HMS Alexander, who took the crippled Vanguard in tow during the storm. According to later accounts, Nelson urged Ball to cut the towline before both ships were lost, but Ball refused to abandon the flagship and managed to pull her clear.

The episode proved to be a turning point in Nelson and Ball’s relationship. Despite having disliked Ball for years beforehand, Nelson never forgot the coolness and determination he displayed in the storm and the two men would go on to become close friends.

20/05/2026

📣 Call for Papers: Trafalgar Chronicle 2027

The editors of the Trafalgar Chronicle, the flagship publication of The 1805 Club, invite proposals for the 2027 edition (New Series 11).

Theme: Freedom of the Seas during the Georgian Era, 1775–1848

We welcome carefully researched articles exploring how the principle of freedom of the seas was developed, challenged, enforced, and interpreted during the Age of Sail. We also encourage submissions on broader topics in Georgian maritime and naval history, including biographies, naval battles, maritime economics, exploration, diplomacy, and technological innovation.

📌 Abstract deadline: 1 September 2026
📌 Article deadline: 1 February 2027
📌 Length: 3,000–5,000 words

Please send a 500-word abstract and short biographical note to [email protected].

Contributors receive a complimentary copy of the volume and, for non-members, interim membership of The 1805 Club.

We welcome submissions from historians, students, journalists, and all enthusiasts of the Georgian maritime era.

16/05/2026

On this day in 1808: The Battle of Alvøen

This lesser-known action was fought off Bergen between HMS Tartar and five Norwegian gunboats during the Gunboat War.

After the loss of most of their fleet in the 1807 Battle of Copenhagen, Denmark-Norway had little choice but to rely on small gunboats for coastal defence. When Tartar was spotted near Bergen, the entire local naval force (five gunboats) rowed out to engage the British frigate.

Caught becalmed in thick fog, Tartar endured an hour of determined fire. Among the British dead was Captain George Edmund Byron Bettesworth.

For a moment, it appeared the frigate might strike her colours, but a timely breeze allowed her to escape. As the Norwegian commander Johan Jostock Biele later remarked, had the wind not risen, the frigate might well have been theirs!

A small action, but a significant boost to Norwegian morale, and proof that in naval warfare, superior firepower did not always guarantee victory.

15/05/2026

From five years ago, and I've just stood down as Secretary of The 1805 Club -- but it might still be of interest (if I'm lucky)

A retrospective of Lord Nelson's early years as noted British naval historian Stephen Howarth, who co-authored NELSON: THE IMMORTAL MEMORY with his father, p...

14/05/2026

Throwback to a very special moment in March 2025, when the historic Fig Tree Register returned home to Nevis.

This remarkable 18th-century parish register, which includes the 1787 marriage record of Horatio Nelson and Frances Nisbet, was carefully conserved and digitised by the team at the Borthwick Institute for Archives in partnership with The 1805 Club.

A huge thank you to Gary Brannan and everyone at the Borthwick Institute for their skill, dedication and years of hard work!

History preserved, and safely back where it belongs ⚓📖

Watch the behind-the-scenes story here:

In partnership with The 1805 Club, the Borthwick Institute for Archives has completed the conservation of an 18th-century register from Nevis, covering bapti...