The Loss of HMS Captain: The Civil War Origins of the Victorian Navy’s Greatest Tragedy
Sat 22 Jan
|London
From the Trent Affair of 1861 to the Alabama Claims of 1871, the United States posed a powerful new threat to the British Royal Navy both during and after the Civil War. Dr Howard Fuller looks into how the Civil War led to the tragic loss of 500 British lives.
Time & Location
22 Jan 2022, 13:00 – 16:00
London, Great Scotland Yard, London SW1A 2HJ, UK
About the Event
In 1869 Hugh Childers, the First Lord of the Admiralty, described HMS Captain as the ‘crack turret ship’ of the British fleet, just before he saw his son Leonard (‘Lennie’) transferred over to the experimental ironclad. With her controversially low-freeboard, the Captain was to finally embody all of the salient features of American Civil War monitors, floating the heaviest possible guns behind the best possible armour protection scheme, yet combined with the speed and strategic range of lofty broadside-armed cruisers like HMS Warrior. The Captain could go anywhere and sink anything.
But when the vessel capsized in a gale off Cape Finisterre, Spain on 7 September 1870, taking down Lennie, the ship’s nominal designer Captain Cowper Phipps Coles, and close to 500 others, people could only wonder how such a thing could have happened. Historians ever since have likewise questioned how the mid-Victorian Royal Navy could build such a manifestly…
Tickets
Venue Ticket
This ticket is for people attending the meeting in person at the Civil Service club. Space is limited, so while we will admit 'walk-ins' if possible, anyone not purchasing a ticket in advance may be turned away if the venue is full. Tea, coffee and biscuits are included. Also includes access to the CSC bar before and after the event.
£8.00
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This is a hybrid physical and online event (via Zoom). A small fee is charged for online access to hybrid events to cover room costs. Zoom attendees cannot participate in the raffle. The online link will be sent to you on your email receipt.
£3.00
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We will be holding a raffle of books and other memorabilia. You must be present in person to participate, but to save time on the day you can purchase these online in advance. RAFFLE TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED ONLINE NO LATER THAN MIDDAY THE DAY BEFORE THE EVENT. They can also be purchased on the day
£1.00
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£1.00
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