page_title: John Bligh (Royal Navy officer)
section_title: French Revolutionary Wars
hierarchical_section_title: John Bligh (Royal Navy officer) / French Revolutionary Wars
caption_attribution_description: English: The Battle of Cape St Vincent, 14 February 1797 This painting is one of a pair with BHC0485, showing the Battle of St Vincent, 14 February 1797. It was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1801. The pair clearly relate to a pair of watercolours exhibited at the RA in 1798 and now in a private collection. The end of 1796 found the British forced to abandon the Mediterranean as Admiral Sir John Jervis's fleet was outnumbered in ships of the line by 38 to 13. Early in 1797, however, the French and Spanish fleets were separated without having followed up their advantage. On 1 February Admiral Don José de Cordova left Cartagena for Cadiz with 27 of the line. Jervis, whose fleet had been reduced to ten of the line, determined to intercept him but before that happened he was reinforced by Rear-Admiral William Parker with five of the line. In the event, the performance of the British ships more than made up for the disparity in numbers and four of the Spaniards, including two first-rates, were taken. This painting shows the close of the action. In the right foreground in starboard-bow view, is the captured 'Salvador del Mundo', 112 guns, her mizzen mast and her main and fore-topmasts gone. Beyond and to the right of her is a British two-decker, starboard-quarter view, with a boat putting out from her stern. Beyond her, in starboard-quarter view, is the captured 'San Ysidro', 74 guns, with a British frigate, starboard-quarter view, in the extreme right background. Astern of the 'Salvador del Mundo', in the centre of the picture, are three ships locked together, port-quarter view; the left-hand ship is the captured 'San Josef', 112 guns, and to her right is the captured 'San Nicolas', 80 guns, while the right-hand ship is the British captain', 74 guns, under the command of Commodore Nelson who had taken both these Spanish vessels. In the left foreground and middle distance are several spars and sails floating in the sea, while across the background are the sterns of the rest of the fleet in pursuit. The artist was the son of John Clevely the Elder and the twin brother of John Clevely the Younger. Both brothers became painters having worked in Deptford Royal Dockyard. He was appointed Draughtsman to Prince William Duke (later George IV) of Clarence, later William IV, and then became Marine Painter to George the Prince Regent. He specialized in battle scenes such as this and exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1780 to 1803. The Museum holds more than 30 of his drawings. (Note: the Spanish 'San José', captured at Cape St Vincent, is generally if wrongly known in English as 'San Josef', the name under which she was taken into the Navy.) The Battle of Cape St Vincent, 14 February 1797 Español: Batalla del Cabo de San Vicente (1797)
context_page_description: John Bligh CB was an officer in the Royal Navy who served during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
  Bligh was born into a naval family and served on a variety of ships from a young age, moving up through the ranks to lieutenant prior to the outbreak of the wars with France. He was in the East Indies when war broke out, but returning to Britain he saw action in the Mediterranean during the early attacks on Corsica, the Siege of Toulon and the Battle of Cape St Vincent. Promoted to his own commands in 1797, he was the victim of a mutiny on his ship, when his crew joined the larger mutinies at Spithead, and was sent ashore. He returned after it had ended and went on to serve at Newfoundland, before beginning a long period of distinguished service in the Caribbean. He was active in the Blockade of Saint-Domingue after the outbreak of the Napoleonic Wars, and arranged the surrender and evacuation of several French-held positions. He then took charge of an expedition to Curaçao, but withdrew his forces in the face of heavy opposition. His final actions there involved several successes against enemy privateers and merchant shipping.
context_section_description: With the outbreak of war with Revolutionary France in February 1793, Bligh joined the 74-gun HMS Courageux under Captain William Waldegrave.  Waldegrave took her out to the Mediterranean and Bligh served aboard her during operations there under Commodore Robert Linzee against the Corsican town of St Fiorenzo. From there Courageux returned to Toulon and underwent repairs, during which time Bligh served ashore in the batteries defending the town during its siege by Republican forces. He continued to serve under Waldegrave after his promotion to rear-admiral, and joined his new flagship, the 90-gun HMS Barfleur as her first-lieutenant. Bligh was present in this post at the Battle of Cape St Vincent on 14 February 1797, and having acquitted himself well in action, was promoted to commander on 8 March 1797 and given the sloop HMS Kingfisher for service on the Portuguese coast. He was only briefly in command, but while cruising off Oporto was able to capture the 14-gun French privateer Général on 29 March.
  Bligh was ordered to leave his ship shortly after his arrival at Lisbon, and took passage with Vice-Admiral Waldegrave back to Britain aboard the frigate HMS Flora. He was promptly advanced to post-captain on his arrival on 25 April and appointed to the 38-gun HMS Latona. Latona was at Spithead when mutinies broke out there aboard the ships anchored in the roads, and Bligh's was one of the ships affected. He was sent ashore by his crew on 12 May, but was able to return when the mutiny had ended. His distant relation, William Bligh, who had already suffered a mutiny on his ship when he commanded HMS Bounty, was also involved in the widespread unrest, the crew of his ship HMS Director mutinied at the Nore shortly afterwards. Latona then went out to Newfoundland as Waldegrave's flagship after his appointment as Commodore Governor there.  Waldegrave shifted his flag to the 50-gun HMS Romney after his arrival at Newfoundland in July, retaining Bligh as his flag captain for the new command. Bligh then took command of Waldegrave's new flagship, the 64-gun HMS Agincourt, in January 1798 and commanded her until the expiration of Waldegrave's tenure at Newfoundland, in 1800.
  He commissioned the 74-gun HMS Theseus in May 1801, and in December Vice-Admiral Waldegrave hoisted his flag aboard her with orders to go out the East Indies. Waldegrave struck his flag on 28 December however, and was promoted to full admiral and created Baron Radstock. Bligh instead received orders to go out to the West Indies in February 1802 and join the fleet at Jamaica under Admiral Sir George Campbell.  He remained in the West Indies during the Peace of Amiens, and on the resumption of the wars with France in 1803, was assigned to support the blockade of Saint-Domingue.
caption: The Battle of Cape St Vincent, 14 February 1797, by Robert Cleveley. Bligh served as first-lieutenant of the 90-gun HMS Barfleur during the battle.
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