Nathaniel Portlock
Nathaniel Portlock (* 1747 or 1749 in Norfolk , Colony of Virginia , † September 12, 1817 in Greenwich Hospital in London ) was a British naval officer and explorer in the 18th century .
Life
Portlock came from a middle-class family from the British colonies in America . His grandfather ran a small shipping company and his father ran an inn. The father died when Nathaniel was 3 years old. Nathaniel went to sea early on, on one of the family's briggs . In 1771 he was faced with the choice of being pressed onto a British ship, the HMS St. Albans , or of volunteering. Portlock volunteered and was classified as a midshipman within two months . After two years on HMS St. Albans , he moved to HMS Ardent for 19 months and then served on HMS Ramillies for eleven months . His decision to stay with the British Royal Navy divided him and his American family.
On March 12, 1776, he was hired as an AB ) on the HMS Discovery , with which James Cook was preparing to set off on his third Pacific expedition (1776-1780). After Cook's death he was summoned to resolution and assigned to Sailing Master William Bligh as Master's Mate. After returning in 1780, Portlock was promoted to lieutenant .
From 1785 to 1788 he worked with George Dixon for the King George Sound Company exploring and trading on the Pacific coast of Canada. Portlock commanded the HMS King George (320 tons), Dixon the smaller Queen Charlotte (220 tons). In 1786 they moved between the Cooks River and Nootka Sound , mapping and trading furs. In 1787 they sold the furs in China, took new goods on board and were back in Great Britain in 1788. Portlock published his experiences in a travelogue: A Voyage Round the World .
In 1791 Portlock got a new command on the HMS Assistant , a brig . He was supposed to accompany the HMS Providence under Captain William Bligh on his second breadfruit expedition (1791-1793) to Tahiti . After the successful return in August 1793, Portlock was appointed commander .
In 1799 he was given command of the HMS Arrow , with which he captured the Dutch ship Draak in September . In October he was on the spot with his ship when the frigate HMS Lutine with her gold treasure destined for Hamburg sank off the Dutch coast. He could only recover a single survivor. (The Lutine's bell was recovered in 1858 and hung in the premises of Lloyd's of London .) Following these two actions, Portlock was promoted to captain.
From 1803 to 1806 Portlock served in coastal defense, the Sea Fencibles . On January 20, 1805, he led the rescue operations for the Danish ship Den Lille Catherina at Thurlestone Rock in Bigbury Bay. In recognition of this, the Danish shipowners presented him with a silver trophy.
In 1816 Portlock was entrusted with the management of Greenwich Hospital - a post given to veteran naval officers when they retired. But Portlock died the following year. He was buried in the hospital cemetery.
Portlock was an able seaman. Captain Bligh, who was seldom satisfied with his officers, held him in high regard and even entrusted him with command of his own ship during his illness.
Different places in the world are reminiscent of Nathaniel Portlock. In Alaska, the village of Portlock and the Portlock Glacier on the Kenai Peninsula and the Portlock Bank in the Gulf of Alaska, east of Afognak Island and south of the Kenai Peninsula, are named after him. In the Torres Strait between Australia and Papua New Guinea are Portlock Shawl Reef (north-east of the Cape Yorck Peninsula) and Portlock Island (north-east of Moa Island). In the southeast of Oahu, one of the Hawaiian Islands, is Portlock Point and in British Columbia, southeast of Vancouver Island, on the southern tip of Prevost Island, there is also a Portlock Point, which is reminiscent of the seafarer.
Fonts
- A Voyage Round the World; But More Particurly to the North West Coast of America, performed in 1785, 1786, 1787, and 1788, in the King George and Queen Charlotte, Captains Portlock and Dixon. London 1789 ( digitized )
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Portlock, Nathaniel |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British naval officer and explorer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1747 or 1749 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Norfolk (Virginia) |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 12, 1817 |
| Place of death | London |