User:Sic Transit/Orlop

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Sir Edward Pellew, later 1st Viscount Exmouth, (1757-1833) was a British naval officer. He fought during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary, and the Napoleonic Wars.

Pellew is principally remembered as the mentor of the fictional Horatio Hornblower in C.S. Forester's novels. In the Aubrey-Maturin series, Pellew is briefly mentioned as Lord Exmouth in The Hundred Days and his ship makes an important appearance in Post Captain but Pellew himself is not mentioned.

Philip Bowes Vere Broke was born at nacton, Suffolk, England, on 9 September 1776. He entered the navy as a miidshipman after education at Portsmouth Dockyard, he became a midshipman in 1792. His many actions during the long wars with France numbered among them service as Third Lieutenant on the frigate Southampton during the Battle of Cape St. Vincent in February 1797. Promoted to Commander in 1799 and Captain in 1801, Broke became Commanding Officer of the 38 gun frigate Shannon in August 1806. During some seven years with her, he made Shannon into one of the finest gunnery ships in the Royal Navy, and probably in the World. Following service from Spitbergen to Madeira, in 1811 Shannon went to Halifax, Nova Scotia, for duty in the western Atlantic.

In July 1812, soon after the outbreak of the War of 1812, Broke led a British squadron in a long, but fruitless pursuit of the U.S. Frigate Constitution. Nearly a year later Shannon was blockading Boston, Massachusetts, as USS Chesapeake was preparing for sea. Though Broke's formal challenge was not received by the American ship, the opportunity for a duel between such evenly-matched frigates was mutually attractive, and on 1 June 1813 Chesapeake sailed out to meet Shannon. The resulting action reflected immense credit on Captain Broke's gunnery and discipline preparations, and on his leadership. In a brief but intense battle, Chesapeake was disabled by gunfire, boarded and captured. However, while leading the boarding party, Shannon's Captain received a very bad head injury, from which he only partially recovered.

Upon his return to England, Captain Broke was made a baronet, received many other honors and, in 1830, was promoted to Rear Admiral. However, since the severity of his injury precluded active Naval employment, he retired to his home in Suffolk. His health was further impared by a fall from a horse in August 1820, though he remained an active correspondent and was frequently consulted by Admiralty officials concerning issues of gunnery. While in London for medical treatment, Rear Admiral Philip Bowes Vere Broke died on 3 January 1841.

In the canon:

Broke appears in