Charles Bullen Sir Charles Bullen GCB GCH ( 10 September 1769 – 2 July 1853 ) was a highly efficient and successful naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and distinguished himself at the Glorious First of June , the battle of Camperdown and the battle of Trafalgar . Early life . Charles Bullen was born in Newcastle in 1769 but spent much of his early childhood in Weymouth , Dorset . His father , John Bullen , also served in the Royal Navy and was the Surgeon General on the North American Station between 1779 and 1781 . Charles ' mother , Ruth ( née Liddel ) , was a cousin of Lord Eldon who served as Lord Chancellor of Great Britain between 1801 and 1806 and again between 1807 and 1827 . Richard Bullen , Charles younger brother by 10 years , became a captain in the Scots Greys , dragoons . Charles entered the navy when he was just ten years old as a volunteer ( 1st class ) aboard the 64 gun , third rate , HMS Europe . Career . American Revolutionary War . When his father was appointed Surgeon - General to the North American station in 1779 , the 10 year old Charles went with him aboard HMS Europe , which arrived in New York on 25 August . On 23 December , Charles transferred to HM Sloop " Loyalist " and assisted in the capture of Charleston , South Carolina on 12 May 1780 . He spent a short period aboard HMS " Renown " , which was dismasted in a gale while escorting a convoy to Quebec , before returning to " Loyalist " where he was promoted to Able Seaman and then Midshipman . Bullen returned to England in July 1781 aboard HM Sloop " Halifax " along with his father and Rear Admiral Arbuthnot , who had had some differences of opinion with Admiral Rodney . Peace . Charles stayed ashore until 1786 and finished his schooling . At the age of 17 , he joined HMS " Culloden " a 74 - gun , third rate stationed in the Channel , in which he spent the next two years under Captain Sir Thomas Rich . In October 1789 , he joined Rear Admiral Peyton aboard his flagship HMS " Leander " and began a spell of service in the Mediterranean that lasted two and a half years . Bullen was promoted to acting lieutenant on 9 January 1791 and the following month transferred to the frigate . His promotion was confirmed when he joined the 24 - gun , post ship , on 9 August . By the end of the year however , Bullen was back in England on half pay , during which time he married his cousin , a Miss Wood of Martock . French Revolutionary War . When war broke out , Bullen returned to HMS " Culloden " , which was still under the command of Thomas Rich and sailed for the West Indies where they took part in the unsuccessful invasion of Martinique . Returning home in March 1794 , Bullen transferred to HMS " Ramillies " in which he took part in the Atlantic campaign of May 1794 and the battle of the Glorious First of June . The captain , Henry Harvey , was subsequently promoted and replaced by Sir Richard Hussey Bickerton , who took the ship to the West Indies . Bullen continued to serve in " Ramillies " in the waters around the West Indies and Newfoundland until the end of 1795 when she returned to English waters , joining the North Sea Fleet under Admiral Duncan . Towards the end of 1796 , Bullen re - joined Admiral Peyton in his then flagship , the 64 - gun , third rate , " Overyssel " . This appointment didn ' t last long however and by Christmas , Bullen was again on half pay . Mutiny . At the beginning of 1797 , Bullen was appointed first lieutenant to HMS " Monmouth " and it was here he first met his new commanding officer , William Carnegie , 7th Earl of Northesk and the two became fast friends . During the Nore mutiny when rebellion broke out on the " Monmouth " , Bullen drew a line across the deck and threatened to shoot dead the first man to cross it . His prompt action probably saved his life and the lives of his fellow officers , including the Earl of Northesk , who was later chosen to take the rebels demands to the government . Carnegie , who had some sympathy with the rebels , resigned following suppression of the mutiny but Bullen remained on board under the new captain , James Walker and together they fought at the battle of Camperdown later that year , the crew of the " Monmouth " fighting hard to absolve themselves of their part in mutiny . Camperdown . The battle of Camperdown took place on 11 October 1797 . As the " Monmouth " was bearing down on the Dutch fleet , Captain Walker spoke to the crew , " " My lads , you see your enemy ; I ' ll lay you close aboard and give you an opportunity of washing the stain off your characters in the blood of your foes . Now go to your quarters and do your duty " " . " Monmouth " battled with two 50 gun Dutch ships , " Alkmaar " and " Delft " , capturing both in a brutal encounter . Bullen was placed in charge of the " Delft " , which he found to have been greatly damaged during the battle and leaking badly . 43 members of her crew had been killed , including the captain , and 76 injured . To add to Bullen ' s woes , on 14 November , a storm blew up . Unable to plug the leaks or pump the ship out , and with ten foot of water in the hold , the decision was taken to abandon her . However , when the " Delft ' s " commanding officer , Lieutenant Heilburg , was invited into one of the longboats , he refused . Indicating the wounded , he asked , " How can I leave these unfortunate men ? " . Bullen agreed to stay behind and help evacuate the wounded but few could be got off . When the " Delft " suddenly sank , Heilburg went down with her but Bullen jumped into the sea where he was later rescued . He was praised for marshalling the evacuation of the ship and controlling the survivors in the water until they could be rescued by the boats of HMS " Veteran " , HMS " Russell " and other neighbouring vessels . Bullen was promoted to commander for his actions and returned to his Dorset home on half pay , where he spent the next three and a half years with his wife and family . Return to sea . In June 1801 , Bullen was despatched in the sloop HMS " Wasp " to Sierra Leone , where a powerful allegiance of native tribal leaders were threatening British trade interests . He was rewarded with a promotion to Post Captain and returned to England in August 1802 . When hostilities with France were renewed the following year , Bullen was given temporary command of HMS " Minerve " . The previous captain , Jahleel Brenton was injured when a block fell on his head and Bullen , who was conveniently close by in Weymouth , commanded the vessel between 8 May and 3 June in 1803 . Patrolling the waters off Cherbourg , Bullen captured 23 merchantmen and the frigate sent to protect them . Between 14 July 1803 and 15 May 1804 , Bullen commanded the Plymouth division of Sea Fencibles , protecting the south - west of England from an invasion which , fortunately , never came . In November 1803 , he was additionally given command of a flotilla which was being fitted out in the Thames for the defence of tidal estuaries and creeks . When Northesk was given the first rate flagship HMS " Britannia " in 1804 he asked for Bullen as his flag captain especially . Initially serving with the Channel Fleet off Brest under William Cornwallis ; " Britannia " was sent to join a squadron under Vice Admiral Robert Calder which , in August 1805 , was sent to join Nelson off Cadiz . Battle of Trafalgar . On 30 August , the " Britannia " joined the blockade of the Franco - Spanish fleet and so was present on 21 October for the battle of Trafalgar . On the day of the battle , " Britannia " , " Prince " and " Dreadnought " being the slowest ships present , were ordered to " . . . take station as convenient " . At this point Bullen and Northesk had a serious disagreement about the meaning of the order with Bullen refusing to shorten sail . " Britannia " fell in 5th behind HMS Victory and with no particular role allocated , attacked three ships including the " Bucentaure " and the 130 gun " Santissima Trinidad " , before turning to pursue the enemy ' s flying van . After the battle , " Britannia " was still relatively undamaged despite having suffered 52 casualties , and so she was able to aid other more seriously damaged ships in the storm which followed . Bullen brought three ships back to England and received prize money in excess of £3000 , along with the usual awards from the Lloyd ' s Patriotic Fund of the gold medal and sword given to Trafalgar captains . His ship was paid off on 20 June and Bullen spent the next 15 months on half pay . Mediterranean service . Bullen was appointed to 38 gun frigate , HMS " Volontaire " on 7 September 1807 and spent the next three years helping to maintain the blockade of Toulon and in operations along the French and Spanish coasts including the conveyance of the Duc D ' Orleans and his brother the Comte de Beaujolais to Malta . When Spain declared war on France in May 1808 , Bullen was ordered to undertake an overland expedition from Fez to Tangiers to purchase arms for the Spanish rebels . In 1809 he undertook a series of raids along the French coast , capturing the island of Pomegues and destroying Fort Rioux near Cape Croisette . The latter action also led to the capture of five vessels sheltering under the 14 gun battery . Bullen also assisted in a boat action off Rosas , which resulted in the taking of seven merchantmen and their three armed escorts . On 13 December 1810 , an amphibious assault on Palamós was forced to retreat and Captain Francis William Fane , was captured . Consequently , on 1 January 1811 , Bullen took command of Fane ' s ship , HMS " Cambrian " . Bullen continued to support the Spanish in operations along the Catalonian coast , destroying the shore batteries at Palamos and St Phillion in April that year . Returning to the bay of Rosas , Bullen captured 19 merchant vessels off Cadaques before sailing south to Tarragona in June , where , while serving in a battery ashore , he was badly wounded . Bullen quit " Cambrian " on 9 December and returned to England invalided . Later service . Bullen did not go to sea again until 10 November 1814 when he was appointed to HMS " Akbar " as flag captain to Admiral Thomas Byam Martin , helping to supervise the partition of naval supplies at Antwerp . Bullen and the " Akbar " then proceeded to Halifax , Nova Scotia with Rear Admiral Edward Griffith . In June 1815 , Bullen was made a companion of the Order of the Bath for his services . The " Akbar " was paid off on 1 January 1817 . After nearly seven years ashore , Bullen returned to active duty on 12 December 1823 , when he was appointed commodore on the west coast of Africa . With his broad pennant in the fifth rate HMS " Maidstone " , he supported operations along the Gold Coast during the First Ashanti War . While defending the British depot at Cape Coast , his men were forced to strip the lead from the roof to cast extra bullets . In anti slave trade operations , Bullen was responsible for freeing almost 10 , 000 would be slaves before his return home in September 1827 . In July 1830 , he was given the job of commissioner for Chatham Dockyard and then Pembroke Dockyard before being given command of the Royal Yacht " Royal Sovereign " . In 1835 , Bullen became a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order , and was dubbed a Knight Bachelor . He gained promotion to Rear Admiral in January 1837 and although he retired in March the same year , he continued to receive awards and promotions . Bullen was awarded the Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1839 , a good service pension of £300 a year in 1843 and was promoted to Vice Admiral in 1846 . In 1852 he was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath followed by promotion to full Admiral in July that year . Admiral Charles Bullen died aged 84 on 2 July 1853 , the last surviving captain of the British fleet at Trafalgar . a 14 – 21 April 1793 Notes . b 2 January 1798 c 29 April 1802 d 8 May 1804 e 10 killed 42 wounded f 13 January 1835 g 25 February 1835 h 10 January 1837 i 12 March 1837 j 8 April 1839 k 9 November 1846 l April 1852 m Admiral of the Blue , 30 July 1852 . " The Navy List " ( 1853 ) < br > n Buried : St . Mary ' s Church , South Stoneham , Southampton . Wall plaque and painted hatchment : St . James ' s Church , Shirley , Southampton .