Richard Grindall Vice Admiral Sir Richard Grindall KCB ( 1750 – 23 May 1820 ) was an officer in the British Royal Navy whose distinguished career during the American War of Independence , the French Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars was highlighted by his presence at the battle of Trafalgar in 1805 , Despite being slow and ungainly , his 98 - gun ship was instrumental in the final stages of the battle and especially in the chaotic storm which followed , when many of the British fleet would have been lost but for the efforts of Grindall and other captains of largely undamaged ships . Biography . Born in 1750 , Grindall joined the on 7 January 1772 as an able seaman on James Cook ' s second voyage ( 1772 – 75 ) . He mess ed with the midshipmen during the voyage . Grindall had a late initiation to the Royal Navy , only making lieutenant on 29 November 1776 , a full eight years after most of his contemporaries had reached that rank . Almost his entire service was spent in ships of the line especially flagships , including , Samuel Hood ' s flagship in the West Indies on 21 December 1781 . In this ship he saw his first action off Martinique and was promoted to post - captain on 13 March 1783 . The outbreak of the Revolutionary War saw Grindall in command of the frigate " Thalia " , but his tenure was uneventful . He was transferred to in 1795 and was engaged with the French Brest fleet in the battle of Groix . The next eight years were slow and uneventful for Grindall , consisting of constant blockade and convoy work and little chance for action or excitement . Following the Peace of Amiens , this seemed likely to continue , as he was given the huge " Prince " , which had a reputation for " sailing like a haystack " . This unfortunately proved to be the case , and the blockade duty continued , joining Nelson off Cadiz in 1805 . On 21 October , the combined Franco - Spanish fleet attempted to escape and Grindall lined up in Collingwood ' s division to attack them . Unfortunately for Grindall ' s hopes of action , the ship was so slow that she was passed by her whole division , and took over two hours to cover the two or three miles to reach the battle . By the time she arrived most of the enemy fleet was in British hands or had fled , leaving few targets for the " Prince " s massive broadsides . She did fire on the Spanish flagship and the already blazing but was not attacked and suffered no damage or casualties . Making the most of his unique position , Grindall immediately launched boats and rescued hundreds of struggling survivors in the water , including many from the sinking " Achille " . In the week of ferocious storms which followed the battle the sturdy " Prince " was invaluable , providing replacement stores to more battered ships and towing those that needed it . At one point she also saved 350 men from the sinking who would otherwise have drowned . When his laden ship arrived at Gibraltar , it was ready to sail again in a matter of hours . Thanks to his long and favourable service record , Grindall was made a Rear Admiral of the Blue on 9 November 1805 , of the White on 28 April 1808 , of the Red on 25 October 1809 and Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 2 January 1815 , in the general promotion which followed the action on 9 November . However , this meant the effective end of his career , as so many admirals were created that not enough posts could be found for them . Grindall was one of the promoted men who never commanded at sea again , taking a shore appointment in late 1805 and retiring with his family soon afterwards as a Vice Admiral of the Blue on 31 July 1810 , of the White on 12 August 1812 , and of the Red on 4 June 1814 . His retirement was a difficult one however , as two of his sons who had joined the navy in their father ' s footsteps , Edmund and Festing Horatio , died in 1811 and 1812 from unconnected illness . The latter had also been present at Trafalgar , as a midshipman on board . When Richard Grindall died in Wickham in 1820 he was interred next to them at St Nicholas Church , Wickham , Hampshire , joined by his wife Katherine in 1831 . Namesakes . Grindall Island in the Clarence Strait , Alaska , takes its name from nearby Grindall Point and Grindall Passage , named after him by Captain George Vancouver . In fiction . Grindall appears as a character in the book " Hornblower and the Hotspur " by C . S . Forester , ISBN 0 - 14 - 002901 - X .