Three brass wall tablets in St Paul’s Cathedral, London commemorating the officers, men and boys lost in the foundering of HMS ‘Captain’ in 1870

Location

St Paul's Cathedral, London, England

Transcript

'IN MEMORY OF THE OFFICERS, SEAMEN, MARINES & BOYS WHO DIED ON SEPTR 7TH / 1870 WHEN H.M.S. CAPTAIN FOUNDERED OFF CAPE FINISTERRE / OFFICIAL ACCOUNT OF THE DISASTER / THE COURT DO FIND THAT HER MAJESTY'S SHIP 'CAPTAIN' WAS CAPSIZED IN THE MORNING OF THE 7TH / SEPTEMBER 1870- BY PRESSURE OF SAIL ASSISTED BY THE HEAVE OF THE SEA AND THAT THE / SAIL CARRIED AT THE TIME OF HER LOSS (REGARD BEING HAD TO THE FORCE OF THE WIND AND / THE STATE OF THE SEA) WAS INSUFFICIENT TO HAVE ENDANGERED A SHIP ENDUED WITH A PROPER / AMOUNT OF STABILITY / THE COURT BEFORE SEPARATING FIND IT THEIR DUTY TO RECORD THE CONVICTION THEY ENTERTAIN / THAT 'CAPTAIN' WAS BUILT IN DEFERENCE TO PUBLIC OPINION EXPRESSED IN PARLIAMENT; AND / THROUGH OTHER CHANNELS AND IN OPPOSITION TO THE VIEWS AND OPINIONS OF THE CONTROLLER / AND HIS DEPARTMENT AND THE EVIDENCE ALL TENDS TO SHOW THAT THEY GENERALLY DIS- / APPROVED OF HER CONSTRUCTION. / IT FURTHER APPEARED IN EVIDENCE THAT BEFORE THE 'CAPTAIN' WAS RECEIVED FROM THE CONTRACTORS / A GRAVE DEPARTURE FROM HER ORIGINAL DESIGN HAD BEEN COMMITTED, WHEREBY HER DRAUGHT / OF WATER WAS INCREASED ABOUT 2 FEET, / AND HER FREEBOARD WAS DIMINISHED TO A CORRESPOND / ING EXTENT, AND THAT HER STABILITY PROVED TO BE DANGEROUSLY SMALL / COMBINED WITH AN AREA OF SAIL UNDER THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES EXCESSIVE: / THE COURT DEEPLY REGRET THAT IF THESE / FACTS WERE DULY KNOWN AND APPRECIATED / THEY WERE NOT COMMUNICATED TO THE OFFICER IN / COMMAND OF THE SHIP, OR THAT, IF OTHERWISE, THE SHIP WAS ALLOWED TO BE EMPLOYED / IN THE REGULAR SERVICE OF THE FLEET BEFORE THEY HAD BEEN SUFFICIENTLY ASCERTAINED BY CALCU- / LATION AND EXPERIMENT / LIST OF OFFICERS' (2nd Plaque) 'LIST OF SEAMEN, MARINES 7 BOYS WHO DIED ON THE 7TH SEPTR 1870 / WHEN H.M.S. 'CAPTAIN' FOUNDERED OFF CAPE FINISTERRE'

Details

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