John Benbow

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Admiral Benbow, painting by Gottfried Kniller

John Benbow (born March 10, 1653 in Shrewsbury , England , † November 4, 1702 in Port Royal , Jamaica ) was an English admiral .

Life

The son of a tanner entered the Royal Navy as a cabin boy at the age of 15 and served himself as captain and later admiral on war and merchant ships . His career was boosted significantly by the fact that he was able to gain experience in fighting piracy at a young age . After participating in the bombardment of Saint-Malo in 1693 and in the blockade of Dunkirk in 1698 , he was sent to the West Indies as commandant .

During the War of the Spanish Succession , his seven-ship squadron sighted four French ships on August 19, 1702 and wanted to pursue them. Five of the captains under Benbow refused to order. Nevertheless, he took up the fight with his flagship and another ship. In that battle, his right leg was shattered by a cannonball. Benbow then had a bed brought to the deck of his flagship, from which he continued to lead the battle. After the two English ships had broken away from the enemy due to considerable damage, the squadron retreated to Jamaica. There, the officers concerned were brought before a court martial .

Benbow died of his injuries sustained in battle. In memory of him, a ship of the line and later three battleships of the Royal Navy were named HMS Benbow . The preserved figurehead of the ship of the line (built 1813) is exhibited at the entrance to the walk-through part of the port of war in Portsmouth and shows the bust of Benbow.

In literature he is mentioned in Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island . There the pub that the father of the main character Jim Hawkins runs is called "Admiral Benbow". Noteworthy: Just like Admiral Benbow, Jim fights pirates in this pub - as throughout the course of the novel.

There is actually an old pub of that name in Penzance , Cornwall .

literature

Web links

Commons : John Benbow  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Benbow, John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English admiral
DATE OF BIRTH March 10, 1653
PLACE OF BIRTH Shrewsbury , England
DATE OF DEATH November 4, 1702
Place of death Port Royal , Jamaica