Robert Redmill Captain Robert Redmill ( c . 1765 – February 1819 ) was a British naval officer who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars . He commanded during the Battle of Trafalgar . Although he was late into the action , he gained much acclaim for saving the battered from sinking in the storm which followed the action . Biography . Little is known of Redmill ' s personal life , even his birth date is unsure . It is recorded that he was promoted to lieutenant on 24 December 1783 , which means that if he followed the standard career path of receiving promotion at 18 indicates that he was born in 1765 , but his real year of birth is unknown . An unspectacular officer , he benefited from the general promotion at the outbreak of the Revolutionary Wars , making commander in 1795 and taking over the fireship . He was apparently engaged with the enemy during the Naval Battle of Hyères Islands under Lord Hotham in March of that year , but did not distinguish himself and was not mentioned in the dispatches of the action . Receiving the jump to post - captain on 16 December 1796 , Redmill was not given a ship until 1799 when he was placed in command of the prize ship the 64 gun , a poorly built Dutch ship used almost exclusively as a troop transport . It was in this role that Redmill and his ship participated in the invasion of Egypt in 1801 , landing troops from the Foot Guards at Aboukir Bay . For this and other vital transportation services , Redmill was granted a large gold medal by Selim III , Sultan of the Ottoman Empire . Granted the " Polyphemus " in 1805 and attached to Admiral Nelson ' s fleet off Cadiz , Redmill was not expected to take a major role in the fighting to follow . " Polyphemus " was an old and much battered ship , as well as being much too small for effective service in the line of battle . Nonetheless , when battle was joined on 21 October , " Polyphemus " lined up in Collingwood ' s division with the other ships , albeit right at the rear of the line where her poor sailing qualities could not get in the way of faster and more powerful ships . Arriving late to the battle , " Polyphemus " was still able to join the fight , exchanging broadsides with the large Spanish flagship and the French , although both were badly damaged by other ships by the time Redmill engaged them . It was in the aftermath of the battle that Redmill and the old " Polyphemus " won their spurs , having suffered just six casualties in the battle and very little in the way of structural damage , " Polyphemus " needed no repairs and could parcel out her supplies to other ships in more desperate need , as well as offer a tow to dismasted ships which could no longer sail unaided . The British flagship " Victory " was just such a victim , and during the week of ferocious storms which followed the battle , Redmill nursed his stricken superior back to Gibraltar by means of an enormous towrope attached with great difficulty to the bow of " Victory " and at the other end to Redmill ' s own cabin on " Polyphemus " . Following the storm , Redmill continued in service for another year , but a severe illness , which had plagued his career for many years , forced him to retire to England . Back home he was lauded as a hero , but was unable to find work due to his increasing poor health . He was made a Companion in The Most Honourable Order of the Bath on 4 June 1815 , but died in Stevenage in February 1819 . Unfortunately his grave at St Nicholas Church , has long since been lost , and with it many details about the circumstances of his final years .