Hope you are keeping well. You very kindly helped me with info on Convoy HX-348, which I was on aged 10. (see "April 1945, aboard Rangitata in the convoy HX-348" )I subsequently read your rather sad communication with the grandson of the brave Captain Cansdale of the Empire Gold. I also found it very sobering to read the crew list of those lost, but I was very glad to have received the information.
I have another query which may be totally unfair and not of great interest.
I am trying to find out about my grandmother's great grandfather Master Jeremiah Belt. He had a house in Bermuda & was the Master of HMS St George which was lost off Jutland on Christmas Eve 1811 in what is descibed as the worst naval disaster in terms of lives lost within sight of land. I have visited the internet site of the museum in Denmark, so know about the loss of the ship there. I know also that the St George was once Nelson's flagship, but I gather Nelson changed ships due to the fact the St George drew too much water!
There is a family tradition that Mr Belt fired a cannonball at New York, and a rumour that it is still lodged in a wall near a pub or a church, with a commemorative plaque. That is all I know and I would like to know more about this man, if it is possible. What else did he get up to? What were his origins? Did he know Nelson?
At the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801 The ships of the line included two three-deckers Parker’s flagship HMS London and Nelson’s HMS St. George, Captained by Hardy, whilst Nelson was in HMS Elephant. ( Arthur I only include HMS St George here to indicate she was part of the British Fleet, whilst Nelson was second in command. )
HMS St. George was named for the patron saint of England. In 1801, she was Rear Admiral Horatio Nelson's flagship prior to the Battle of Copenhagen; he transferred his flag to HMS Elephant, whose lighter draft enabled him to sail closer inshore for the bombardment of the Danish capital on April 2. In 1811, St. George was the flagship of Rear Admiral Robert Reynolds's Baltic Fleet.
SAINT GEORGE,98. (1785 Portsmouth. Wrecked 1811) 1799 Capt. S. EDWARDS, Torbay. ST GEORGE sailed from Plymouth on 15 April 1800 to join Lord BRIDPORT's fleet at Torbay. 0n 6 December 1800 two seamen from ST. GEORGE, John HUBBARD and George HYNES, were sentenced by a court martial to death by hanging for homosexual offences.
At the end of December 1801 ST. GEORGE, Capt. THOMPS0N (act.), being victualled and stored for five months, sailed with VANGUARD, POWERFUL and SPENCER, for the West Indies. 0n 16 July, under Capt. L0BB, she entered Plymouth Sound and went up the harbour to be stripped and paid off on the 20th. 1803 Plymouth. 1805 Capt. Hon. M. DE COURCY, Halifax. 1807 Capt. Thomas BERTIE, Channel fleet. 1808 Capt. J. HILLYAR flying the flag of Rear Ad. HARVEY, off Ushant. 1809 Capt. Joseph JAMES, 8/09, Following his gallant defence of the sloop KITE Capt. JAMES was promoted into the ST. GE0RGE in the Gulf of Finland where she received the flag of Rear Ad. PICKMORE.
ST GE0RGE refitted at Plymouth in January 1810 and received the flag of Rear Ad. R.C. REYNOLDS before returning to the Baltic. Capt. JAMES was superseded by Capt. Daniel 0liver GUION in May 1810.
She was part of the escort for a large convoy which left Hano on 9 November. During the night of 15/16 November 1811, when the convoy was anchored off Laaland, ST. GE0RGE dragged her anchors and ran ashore and a number of the merchantmen were lost. ST. GEORGE was refloated the next morning, minus masts and rudder, and reached Wingo (Vinga) near Gottenburg under a jury rig on 2 December.
0n 16 December eight ships of the line:- VICT0RY, ST. GEORGE, DREADNOUGHT, VIGO, CRESSY, ORION, HERO and DEFENCE, sailed from Wigo with about 150 merchant ships and some smaller men of war. As it was blowing a gale Ad. SAUMAREZ ordered DEFENCE and CRESSY to keep close to the ST. GEORGE and HERO to return to Wingo with part of the merchant ships. ST GEORGE lost her rudder and although CRESSY supplied her with a temporary one made of cable, she could not easily be brought into stays as she came out into the North Sea. 0n the morning of the 24th ST. GEORGE and DEFENCE were stranded on the coast of Ringkoobing in Jutland. During the following afternoon part of ST. GEORGE's cabin and stern frame was seen from the shore. A number of people standing on it attempted to come ashore on a piece of mast but were washed off by the high waves driven by the N.N.W. wind. 0thers perished when they tried to save themselves on a raft. 0nly 12 men were saved out of the crew of 850. The officers lost were:- Ad. REYNOLDS, Capt. GUION, Lieuts. NAPIER, PLACE, THOMPSON, BRANNEL, DANCE, TRISTRAM, RICHES and ROGERS; Mr TIPPET, flag lieut.; J. BELT, master; Mr HEYNES, surgeon; William LAKE, chaplain; Mr SAUNDERS, purser.
The first division, with VICTORY, DREADNOUGHT, VIGO and ORION reached England in safety.
The shipwreck
The last voyage for St. George and Defence
