HMS Agamemnon ( 1781 ) HMS " Agamemnon " was a 64 - gun third - rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy . She saw service in the American Revolutionary , French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , and fought in many of the major naval battles of those conflicts . She is remembered as being Nelson ' s favourite ship , and was named after the mythical ancient Greek king Agamemnon , being the first ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name . The future Lord Nelson served as " Agamemnon " s captain from January 1793 for 3 years and 3 months , during which time she saw considerable service in the Mediterranean . After Nelson ' s departure , she was involved in the infamous 1797 mutinies at Spithead and the Nore , and in 1801 was present at the first Battle of Copenhagen , but ran aground before being able to enter the action . Despite Nelson ' s fondness for the ship , she was frequently in need of repair and refitting , and would likely have been hulked or scrapped in 1802 had war with France not recommenced . She fought at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805 , as part of Nelson ' s weather column , where she forced the surrender of the Spanish four - decker " Santísima Trinidad " . " Agamemnon " s later career was served in South American waters off Brazil . Her oft worn - out and poor condition contributed to her being wrecked when in June 1809 she grounded on an uncharted shoal in the mouth of the River Plate , whilst seeking shelter with the rest of her squadron from a storm . All hands and most of the ship ' s stores were saved , but the condition of the ship ' s timbers made it impossible to free the ship ; her captain was cleared of responsibility for the ship ' s loss thanks to documents detailing her defects . Recently , the wreck of " Agamemnon " has been located , and several artefacts have been recovered , including one of her cannons . Construction . " Agamemnon " was ordered from the commercial shipbuilder Henry Adams at his Bucklers Hard shipyard on the Beaulieu River on 5 February 1777 , to be built to the lines of the , as designed by Sir Thomas Slade . Her keel was laid down in May . She was constructed using timber sourced from the surrounding New Forest . The total cost of her construction was £38 , 303 15s 4d . She was commissioned on 28 March 1781 under Captain Benjamin Caldwell — a full 13 days before her launch on 10 April . A painting of the launch of " Agamemnon " by Harold Wyllie depicts blue skies and scores of spectators , despite the " Hampshire Chronicle " describing the day as being windy with heavy rain , and with few spectators in attendance . She was named after King Agamemnon , a prominent figure in ancient Greek mythology who participated in the Siege of Troy , and was the first Royal Navy vessel to bear the name . Lord Nelson regarded her as his favourite ship , and to her crew she was known by the affectionate nickname ' Eggs – and – Bacon ' . According to an article in " The Gentleman ' s Magazine " , her crew renamed her as they did not like the classical names that were in vogue at the Admiralty during this period ( the crews of and also ' renamed ' their ships , to ' Billy Ruffian ' and ' Polly Infamous ' respectively , for the same reason ) . American Revolutionary War . In November 1781 , the Admiralty had received intelligence that a large convoy was preparing to sail from Brest under Admiral de Guichen . The convoy was composed of transports carrying naval supplies for the West Indies and the French fleet in the East Indies . " Agamemnon " was part of Admiral Richard Kempenfelt ' s squadron of 18 ships ( 11 of which mounted 64 or more guns ) , which he commanded from . Kempenfelt was ordered to intercept the convoy , which he did in the afternoon of 12 December in the Bay of Biscay , approximately south - west of Ushant . With the French naval escort to leeward of the convoy , Kempenfelt attacked immediately , capturing 15 of the transports before nightfall . The rest of the convoy scattered , most returning to Brest ; only five transports reached the West Indies . Early in 1782 , she sailed to the West Indies as part of Admiral Sir George Rodney ' s squadron , with Rear - Admiral Sir Samuel Hood as his second in command . On 9 April , the Battle of the Saintes began with an indecisive skirmish , in which the ships of the vanguard division , under Hood ' s command , were badly damaged and forced to withdraw to make repairs . On 12 April , " Agamemnon " took part in the second action , which proved much more decisive . Over the course of the battle , " Agamemnon " had 2 lieutenants and 14 crewmen killed , and 22 others were wounded . After the signing of the Treaties of Versailles brought an end to the American Revolutionary War , " Agamemnon " returned from the West Indies to Chatham , where she was paid off and docked on 29 October 1783 for repairs and to have her copper sheathing replaced . She came out of dock on 4 June 1784 , and was subsequently laid up in ordinary . French Revolutionary War . Under Nelson . In anticipation of the start of Britain ' s involvement in the French Revolutionary War after the execution of King Louis XVI , " Agamemnon " was recommissioned on 31 January 1793 . She was placed under the command of Captain Horatio Nelson , and after provisioning joined the fleet lying at anchor at the Nore . She subsequently sailed to join the Mediterranean fleet under Vice - Admiral Hood , which was blockading the French port of Toulon . On 27 August the town of Toulon declared its allegiance to the Royalist Bourbon cause , and Hood ' s fleet moved in to take control of the naval dockyard and the 30 French ships of the line that were in the harbour . After capturing 19 of the ships , " Agamemnon " was sent to Naples to ask King Ferdinand IV for reinforcements with which to secure the town ; he agreed to provide 4 , 000 men . When the revolutionary army , commanded by Napoleon Buonaparte , launched its assault against Toulon , the troops proved insufficient to hold it , and they were forced to abandon the town . In April and May 1794 , seamen from " Agamemnon " , led by Nelson , helped capture the Corsican town of Bastia . The French surrendered on 21 May , after a 40 - day siege . After this action , " Agamemnon " was forced to sail to Gibraltar to undergo urgent repairs , the ship having become very worn out after just 16 months at sea , despite having undergone a fairly extensive refit just prior to being recommissioned . Upon completion of her repairs , " Agamemnon " returned to Corsica , anchoring south of Calvi on 18 June . After Hood arrived with additional ships , " Agamemnon " contributed guns and men to the 51 - day siege of Calvi , during which time Nelson lost the sight in his right eye when a French shot kicked sand and grit into his face . The town surrendered on 10 August , " Agamemnon " having lost six men in the engagement . Shortly thereafter the inhabitants of Corsica declared themselves to be subjects of His Majesty King George III . " Agamemnon " , still with the Mediterranean fleet — now under Vice - Admiral William Hotham , who had superseded Hood in December 1794 — participated in the Battle of Genoa when a French fleet , comprising 15 ships of the line , was sighted on 10 March 1795 . Three days later , the French having shown no signs that they were willing to give battle , Admiral Hotham ordered a general chase . The French ship " Ça Ira " lost her fore and main topmasts when she ran into one of the other ships of the French fleet , " Victoire " , allowing to catch up with and engage her . " Agamemnon " and came up to assist soon after , and continued firing into the 80 - gun French ship until the arrival of more French ships led to Admiral Hotham signalling for the British ships to retreat . " Ça Ira " was captured the following day , along with " Censeur " , which was towing her , by " Captain " and . On 7 July 1795 , whilst in company with a small squadron of frigate s , " Agamemnon " was chased by a French fleet of 22 ships of the line and 6 frigates . Due to adverse winds , Admiral Hotham was unable to come to her aid until the following day , and the French fleet was sighted again on 13 July , off the Hyères Islands . Hotham signalled for his 23 ships of the line to give chase , and in the ensuing Battle of the Hyères Islands , " Agamemnon " was one of the few Royal Navy ships to engage the enemy fleet . The French ship " Alcide " struck her colours during the battle , only to catch fire and sink . Many of the other French ships were in a similar condition ; " Agamemnon " and were manoeuvring to attack a French 80 - gun ship when Admiral Hotham signalled his fleet to retreat , allowing the French to escape into the Gulf of Fréjus . Admiral Hotham was later greatly criticised for calling off the battle , and was relieved as Commander - in - Chief in the Mediterranean by Admiral Sir John Jervis at the end of the year . Nelson was promoted to Commodore on 11 March , and on 10 June 1796 transferred his pennant to , Captain John Samuel Smith replacing him as " Agamemnon " s commander . Having been deemed in great need of repair , the ship then returned to England . Mutiny and the Baltic . In May 1797 , whilst under the command of Captain Robert Fancourt , " Agamemnon " was involved in the Nore mutiny . On 29 May , the North Sea squadron lying in the Yarmouth Roads was ordered to sea . Only three ships , , " Agamemnon " and , obeyed the signal , but " Agamemnon " s crew later mutinied , and sailed the ship back to Yarmouth Roads . The ship was then taken to join the main mutiny at the Nore anchorage , along with , and , arriving on 7 June . After a blockade of London was formed by the mutineers , several ships began to desert the wider mutiny , in many cases being fired upon by the remaining ships . Order was eventually restored aboard " Agamemnon " when the loyal seamen and marines forcibly ejected the hard - line mutineers from the ship . Captain Fancourt was able to secure a pardon for the remaining ship ' s company . On 18 March 1800 , " Agamemnon " was damaged when she ran onto the Penmarks Rocks . She came into Falmouth on 25 March 1800 . On her way to port she had encountered , which assisted her and accompanied her into port . With the assistance of the crews from two sloops , the guardship , and troops from Pendennis Castle at the pumps , the crew managed to stop the water level in the hold rising any further . " Agamemnon " made for Plymouth for repairs . Movement caused the leak to gain on the men at the pumps once more , and when she was off Penlee Point , " Agamemnon " fired a gun for assistance . When she reached Plymouth she was lashed to a sheer hulk to prevent her sinking . " Naval Chronicle " , Vol . 3 , p . 327 . < / ref > In response to developments in the Baltic in 1801 that threatened to deprive Britain of much - needed naval supplies , " Agamemnon " was sent as part of a fleet under Admiral Sir Hyde Parker and Vice - Admiral Lord Nelson to attack the Danish at Copenhagen . On 2 April , " Agamemnon " was part of Nelson ' s division that fought the Battle of Copenhagen . " Agamemnon " was positioned second in the line after , and after passing down the Outer Channel , she grounded whilst attempting to round the southern tip of the Middle Ground shoal . While the battle raged around her " Agamemnon " , along with and , both of which had also run aground , flew signals of distress . The three stranded ships were eventually pulled off the Middle Ground in the night of 3 April . After the Treaty of Amiens concluded the Revolutionary War , " Agamemnon " was laid up at Chatham in 1802 . Napoleonic Wars . " Agamemnon " s general condition in 1802 was so poor that , had hostilities with France not recommenced , she would likely have been hulked or broken up . Instead , after Britain ' s entry into the Napoleonic Wars , she was brought out of ordinary in 1804 , recommissioned under Captain John Harvey on 31 July , and went to join the Channel fleet under Admiral William Cornwallis . " Agamemnon " was part of Vice - Admiral Robert Calder ' s fleet cruising off Cape Finisterre on 22 July 1805 , when the combined Franco - Spanish fleet from the West Indies was sighted to windward . The British ships formed into line of battle , with " Agamemnon " fifth in the line , and engaged Admiral Villeneuve ' s fleet in hazy conditions with light winds . " Agamemnon " had three men wounded in the Battle of Cape Finisterre , and lost her mizzen topmast and the foresail yard . By nightfall , Calder ' s fleet had become scattered , and he signalled for the action to be discontinued . Battle of Trafalgar . On 17 September 1805 , after completing a small refit of his ship in Portsmouth , Captain Harvey was superseded in command of " Agamemnon " by Captain Sir Edward Berry , who had previously commanded Nelson ' s flagship , , at the Battle of the Nile . On 3 October she departed Spithead to join Vice - Admiral Nelson ' s fleet blockading Villeneuve ' s combined fleet in Cádiz . En route , " Agamemnon " fell in with a French squadron , consisting of six ships of the line and several smaller vessels , which gave chase . Succeeding in evading the French , " Agamemnon " joined the blockading squadron on 13 October , and when Nelson laid eyes on the approaching ship he reportedly exclaimed : " Here comes that damned fool Berry ! Now we shall have a battle ! " In misty conditions on 20 October , " Agamemnon " captured a large American merchant brig , which she then took in tow . Not long after , signalled to " Agamemnon " that she was sailing straight towards an enemy fleet of 30 ships — Villeneuve ' s fleet had left port . On 21 October 1805 " Agamemnon " fought in the Battle of Trafalgar . " Agamemnon " was positioned eighth in Nelson ' s weather column , with ahead and astern . Once engaged , she was firing both batteries , eventually pounding the great Spanish four - decker " Santísima Trinidad " until that ship was dismasted and , with 216 of her complement dead , struck her colours . Before Berry could take possession of the prize , the enemy van division began bearing down on the British line , having previously been cut off from the battle by Nelson ' s line - breaking tactics . With Nelson already dying below decks on " Victory " , Captain of the Fleet Thomas Hardy ordered " Agamemnon " and several other ships to intercept them . Three of the enemy ships broke off and ran for Cádiz ; after briefly engaging " Intrépide " the British ships moved to try to cut off the fleeing ships . Over the course of the battle , " Agamemnon " suffered just two fatalities , and eight men were wounded . Following the battle , " Agamemnon " , despite taking on three feet of water in her hold each hour , took under tow to Gibraltar . After carrying out repairs , the ship rejoined Vice - Admiral Collingwood ' s squadron , which had resumed the blockade of Cádiz . Later career . At the beginning of 1806 , " Agamemnon " was with Vice - Admiral Duckworth ' s squadron in the West Indies , pursuing a French fleet carrying troops to Santo Domingo . On 6 February 1806 , the two squadrons clashed in the Battle of San Domingo ; " Agamemnon " assisted Duckworth ' s flagship in driving the French Vice - Admiral Leissègues ' flagship " Impérial " onto the shore where she was wrecked . In October , " Agamemnon " escorted a convoy on her return to Britain . In 1807 " Agamemnon " was part of Admiral James Gambier ' s fleet sent to take control of the Danish fleet before it could fall into French hands . She participated in the second Battle of Copenhagen , and as in the first in 1801 , ran aground . After she had come free , " Agamemnon " landed guns and shot in Kjörge Bay to form part of a battery being established there to command the city . Firing commenced on 2 September , and lasted until the Danes surrendered on 7 September . In November , " Agamemnon " joined the blockading squadron off Lisbon . Loss . In February 1808 , " Agamemnon " sailed with Rear - Admiral Sir Sidney Smith ' s flagship to Brazil , where they joined another squadron . At Rio de Janeiro it was discovered that " Agamemnon " was again quite worn out , with seams in her planking opening and some of her framing bolts broken . In October , " Agamemnon " and anchored in Maldonado Bay , in the mouth of the River Plate . They had been escorting the merchant vessel " Maria " , which had carried the surgeon Dr . James Paroissien to Montevideo where he was tasked with exposing a plot against King John VI of Portugal , who was in exile in Brazil . Whilst there , " Monarch " ran aground , requiring " Agamemnon " s assistance to get her off . After learning that Paroissien had been imprisoned , the two ships put to sea , but were forced to return to Maldonado Bay when they encountered bad weather . After the ships returned to Rio in January 1809 , the ship was fully surveyed by the carpenter , who drew up an extensive list of her defects . On 16 June 1809 " Agamemnon " , along with the rest of the squadron ( which was now under the command of Rear - Admiral Michael de Courcy ) , put in to Maldonado Bay for the third and final time , to shelter from a storm . While working her way between Gorriti Island and the shore , " Agamemnon " struck an uncharted shoal . Captain Jonas Rose attempted to use the ship ' s boats , together with the stream and kedge anchor s , to pull the ship off , but to no avail . The ship had dropped anchor on the shoal just previously , and it was discovered that she had run onto it when she grounded , the anchor having pierced the hull . On 17 June , with the ship listing heavily to starboard , " Agamemnon " s stores and all her crew were taken off by boats from other vessels in the squadron , and the following day Captain Rose and his officers left the ship . The court - martial for the loss of " Agamemnon " was held at Rio de Janeiro on 22 July 1809 , aboard . It was found that the ship might have been saved if she had not been in such poor general condition , and Captain Rose was honourably acquitted . Legacy . In 1993 the wreck was located north of Gorriti Island in Maldonado Bay . Expeditions led by Mensun Bound have documented the remains and recovered a number of artefacts , including a seal bearing the name ' Nelson , ' and one of " Agamemnon " s 24 - pounder guns from her main gundeck . The historical novelist Patrick O ' Brian selected " Agamemnon " as one of the ships on which Jack Aubrey served as lieutenant , before the events of " Master and Commander " , the first novel in his Aubrey – Maturin series . " Agamemnon " has also been the subject of at least two paintings by the British artist Geoff Hunt , currently the president of the Royal Society of Marine Artists . To mark the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar , in 2005 the Woodland Trust planted 33 woods named after Royal Navy ships that fought in the battle : one each for the 27 ships of the line , and six others for the frigates and smaller support craft . Agamemnon wood was planted in November 2005 on the Beaulieu Estate in Hampshire , near " Agamemnon " s birthplace , Buckler ' s Hard . After the wreck of " Agamemnon " in 1809 , the name was only reused by the Royal Navy for three other ships : the 91 - gun second - rate steam ship of the line of 1852 , the in 1879 , and the of 1906 . The Royal Navy will again be adopting the name ' Agamemnon ' for one of their Astute Class Nuclear Submarines , currently under construction in the UK . Agamemnon Channel in the Sunshine Coast region of British Columbia , at the mouth of Jervis Inlet between Nelson Island and the Sechelt Peninsula , was named for the " Agamemnon " ( Nelson Island being named for Lord Nelson ) by Captain George Henry Richards of HMS " Plumper " in 1860 .