Edward Rotheram Captain Edward Rotheram CB RN ( 27 December 1753 – 6 November 1830 ) was a senior officer of the British Royal Navy , who served for many years during the American War of Independence , French Revolutionary War and Napoleonic Wars . During his service , Rotheram saw action at several major naval engagements , including as a lieutenant at the Glorious First of June in 1794 and as captain of HMS " Royal Sovereign " at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 . Although he was highly praised for his actions at both battles , he was not well regarded in the service , being once described by his admiral at Trafalgar , Cuthbert Collingwood , as " a man of no talent as a sea officer " and " a stupid man " . Rotheram gained a reputation as a difficult officer to serve with , and he rapidly alienated his fellow officers and the sailors who served under him . Ultimately this character trait resulted in his removal from service and overlooking for promotion in 1808 after being court martialled for inappropriate behaviour towards junior officers . The rest of his life was spent requesting the Admiralty , often in an aggressive manner , for both further service and the rewards he felt were his due . Early career . Rotheram was born in 1753 at Hexham in Northumberland to Dr . John Rotheram , a local physician , and his wife Catherine Roberts . Rotheram was the second of the couple ' s seven children and was educated , with his brothers , at Head School in Newcastle - Upon - Tyne , where the family moved when Edward was seven . His elder brother John Rotheram was later a senior professor in natural philosophy at St Andrew ' s University . Edward Rotheram went to sea at a young age , joining a collier sailing from Newcastle and serving aboard merchant ships for several years . In 1777 however , Rotheram joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman during the American Revolutionary War . Initially serving on HMS " Centaur " , Rotheram moved to HMS " Barfleur " in 1780 and HMS " Monarch " shortly afterwards as a lieutenant , serving under Lord Howe . " Monarch " was heavily engaged in the West Indian campaign during the latter stages of the war , and Rotheram saw action at the Battle of Martinique in 1780 , the Battle of the Chesapeake in 1781 and the Battle of St Kitts and the Battle of the Saintes in 1782 . Following the end of the war at the start of 1783 , Rotheram returned to Britain as a reserve officer on half - pay . Lieutenant and commander . In 1785 , Rotheram married Dorothy Harle of Newcastle , with whom he had three daughters . He returned to naval service in 1787 aboard HMS " Bombay Castle " and over the next four years moved between HMS " Culloden " and HMS " Vengeance " , all in the Channel Fleet . In 1792 Rotheram was made first lieutenant of HMS " Culloden " and was still in this position when the French Revolutionary War broke out a year later . " Culloden " was part of the Channel Fleet under Rotheram ' s old commander Lord Howe , and the ship was captained by Isaac Schomberg during the Atlantic campaign of May 1794 , in which Howe pursued a French fleet deep into the Atlantic , bringing it to battle at the Glorious First of June . " Culloden " was not closely engaged in the opening stages of the battle , for which Schomberg would later be heavily criticised . Rotheram , however , gained acclaim in the battle ' s aftermath by organising the " Culloden " ' s boats and the boats of other nearby ships into a rescue party that saved hundreds of French sailors from the sinking " Vengeur du Peuple " . In recognition for this operation , Rotheram was promoted commander on 6 July 1794 and given command of the storeship HMS " Camel " in the Mediterranean Fleet . In 1797 Rotheram moved to the sloop HMS " Hawke " , which he commanded in the West Indies until 1800 , returning to Britain in 1800 aboard HMS " Lapwing " to be made a post captain . Rotheram commanded " Lapwing " for the next two years , operating with the Channel Fleet and capturing several small French prizes . In 1802 Rotheram returned to reserve ashore during the Peace of Amiens . This retirement lasted until 1804 , when Rotheram was called back to service as flag captain of HMS " Dreadnought " , a second rate ship of the line that flew the flag of Vice - Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood . Collingwood and Rotheram had a poor relationship , Collingwood commenting by letter to his brother that " He [ Rotheram ] is a man of no talent as a sea officer , and of little assistance to me . " Nevertheless , when Collingwood moved to HMS " Royal Sovereign " in October 1805 as second - in - command of the fleet under Lord Nelson blockading the Franco - Spanish fleet in Cadiz , he brought Rotheram with him . Nelson was aware of the personal conflict between the men , and invited both Collingwood and Rotheram to dinner in a partially successful effort to reconcile them . Trafalgar . At the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805 , " Royal Sovereign " was the first ship in Collingwood ' s division to breach the enemy lines , and Collingwood and Rotheram appear to have reconciled some of their differences as they cooperated well in handling the ship . Collingwood even called to his captain ; " Rotheram , what would Nelson give to be here ! " , Nelson ' s HMS " Victory " being several minutes behind " Royal Sovereign " in engaging the enemy . Rotheram was also noted during the action for refusing to remove his full dress uniform and large cocked hat , apparel which was not only impractical in a naval engagement but which also marked him as a target for enemy snipers . " Royal Sovereign " ' s main opponent was the large Spanish first rate " Santa Ana " , with whom she was engaged for several minutes at the start of the action without support . During this time , " Royal Sovereign " was at one point engaged with five different enemy ships , and suffered heavy damage and casualties during the engagement , finally subduing the 112 - gun " Santa Ana " after a duel lasting several hours . Both ships were left unmanageable at the end of the engagement , " Royal Sovereign " being taken in tow by HMS " Euryalus " into which Collingwood transferred his flag . " Royal Sovereign " had suffered nearly 150 casualties , " Santa Ana " over 300 by the end of the battle . " Santa Ana " was later abandoned by her captors and ultimately fell back into Spanish hands , but " Royal Sovereign " reached the safety of Gibraltar soon after the battle . In the aftermath of the action , Rotheram left " Royal Sovereign " to take command of HMS " Bellerophon " , whose captain , John Cooke had been killed by a French sniper . Cooke had been targeted due to the dress uniform he had worn during the battle . " Bellerophon " escorted " Victory " carrying Nelson ' s body back to Britain , and Rotheram carried the guidon behind the coffin at Nelson ' s funeral in London . Rotheram was presented with a gold medal and sword of honour in recognition of his services in the action , and continued in command of " Bellerophon " . Retirement . Rotheram remained in command of " Bellerophon " in the English Channel and the North Sea until 1808 , when he was court martialled and reprimanded for unacceptable conduct towards his ship ' s junior officers and chaplain . Rotheram remained in the service , but was never again employed at sea . Collingwood summed the situation up in a letter to his sister , stating " Though I think him a stupid man I was in hope he might have gone on in the ship I put him in , which I believe was the only chance he had of being in a ship " . Although his career was over , Rotheram continued to request sea service and honours from the Admiralty , becoming increasingly irate and intemperate in his demands . At the reorganising of the knightly orders in 1815 , a number of senior naval officers were given knighthoods , but Rotheram was only made a Companion of the Order of the Bath , a step below knighthood . He retired to Bildeston in Suffolk and from there continued to request appointments , finally being made one of the captains of the Greenwich Naval Hospital in 1828 . Rotheram died in Bildeston in 1830 and was buried in St Mary Magdelene Church in the village , where his grave and a memorial plaque are still legible today . Rotheram was never awarded any further honours or promoted to admiral , having lost his seniority in the court martial of 1808 .