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Thomas Hardy, I baronetto

ufficiale britannico
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Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy (Dorset, 5 aprile 1769 – Greenwich, 20 settembre 1839) è stato un ufficiale britannico della Royal Navy.

Thomas Masterman Hardy

Prese parte alla battaglia di Capo San Vincenzo del febbraio 1797, alla battaglia del Nilo (1798) dell'agosto 1798 ed alla battaglia di Copenaghen dell'aprile 1801 nel corso delle guerre rivoluzionarie francesi. Fu capitano di bandiera dell'ammiraglio Lord Nelson, e comandò la HMS Victory nella battaglia di Trafalgar dell'ottobre 1805 durante le guerre napoleoniche. Nelson fu colpito da un proiettile mentre passeggiava sul ponte con Hardy, e morendo disse, rivolto a lui, la famosa frase "Baciami, Hardy". Hardy divenne primo lord del mare nel novembre 1830, e come tale rifiutò di diventare membro del Parlamento ed incoraggiò l'introduzione di navi da guerra a vapore.

Gioventù

Nato secondogenito di Joseph Hardy e Nanny Hardy (Masterman da nubile) in una casa di tipo Kingston Russell a Long Bredy[1] (o secondo alcune fonti a Winterborne Saint Martin),[2][3] Hardy si arruolò nella marina a bordo della brigata HMS Helena il 30 novembre 1781 come aiuto del capitano, abbandonandola nell'aprile del 1782 per iscriversi alla Crewkerne Grammar School nel 1782. Durante la sua permanenza a scuola, il suo nome fu riportato sui registri della HMS Seaford e della HMS Carnatic.[4]

Mediterraneo e Nelson

Dopo essersi imbarcato con fatica sulla HMS Hebe il 5 febbraio 1790 come cadetto, si trasferì sulla HMS Tisiphone con il capitano Anthony Hunt, per poi seguirlo nel maggio 1793 anche sulla HMS Amphitrite con la quale navigò nel mar Mediterraneo.[5] Hardy operò a Marsiglia e Tolone, ed il 10 novembre 1793 fu nominato sottotenente della HMS Meleager con il capitano Charles Tyler.[4]

Nel giugno 1794 il comando della Meleager passò al capitano George Cockburn. Cockburn passò alla HMS Minerve nell'agosto 1796, e Hardy lo seguì, raggiungendo velocemente il grado di primo tenente.[6] Horatio Nelson, allora commodoro, si trasferì sulla Minerve nel dicembre 1796.[7] Durante un viaggio verso Gibilterra ci fu lo scontro del 19 dicembre 1796, in cui la Minerve e la compagna HMS Blanche affrontarono due fregate spagnole obbligando alla resa la Santa Sabina. I tenenti Hardy e Culverhouse furono imbarcati sulla Santa Sabina con un equipaggio composto da marinai di leva, prima di riprendere il viaggio verso Gibilterra. Prima che la notte fosse finita, Nelson incrociò una flotta spagnola e riuscì a fuggire solo quando Hardy condusse gli spagnoli lontano dalla Minerve, combattendoli fino a venire disalberati e catturati.[6] Hardy e Culverhouse furono scambiati quasi immediatamente per il capitano della Santa Sabina, Don Jacobo Stuart, e si imbarcarono di nuovo sulla Minerve a Gibilterra il 9 febbraio 1797.[8]

Con due navi nemiche lanciate all'inseguimento, Cockburn ordinò di issare più vele. Durante questa operazione un marinaio cadde fuori bordo. Fu calata una scialuppa con all'interno Hardy per la ricerca del marinaio scomparso. Quando le navi nemiche si avvicinarono velocemente, Cockburn ritenne prudente la ritirata, ma Nelson assunse il comando gridando "Per Dio, non perderò Hardy, ammainate quella mezzana!". Questo confuse gli spagnoli, permettendo ad Hardy di fare ritorno alla nave.[9]

Command and the Nile

Hardy remained with Minerve until May 1797 when, following a successful cutting out expedition of which he was in charge, he was promoted to master and commander of the newly captured corvette Template:HMS.[10] Under Hardy's command, Mutine joined a squadron under Captain Thomas Troubridge which met up with Nelson off Toulon in June 1798, located Napoleon Bonaparte in Egypt and destroyed the French fleet at the Battle of the Nile in August 1798.[11] Afterwards, Nelson's flag captain, Edward Berry was sent home with dispatches and Hardy was promoted to captain of Nelson's flagship, Template:HMS, in his place on 2 October 1798.[12]

HMS Vanguard carried King Ferdinand IV and the British ambassador Sir William Hamilton and his wife Emma from Naples to safety in Sicily in December 1798: Hardy did not altogether approve of Lady Hamilton who had once tried to intervene on behalf of a boat's crew - Hardy had the crew flogged twice, once for the original offence and again for petitioning the lady.[13] Nelson transferred his flag to the third-rate Template:HMS on 8 June 1799, taking Hardy with him.[14] In June 1799, the main fleet, led by Foudroyant, landed marines at Naples to assist with the overthrow of the Parthenopean Republic so allowing Ferdinand's kingdom to be re-established.[15] Hardy handed over command of Foudroyant to Sir Edward Berry on 13 October 1799, transferred to the fifth-rate Template:HMS and returned to England.[16]

 
Blue plaque commemorating the former use of the Church Hall at Crewkerne as Crewkerne Grammar School where Hardy was a pupil

Baltic and Copenhagen

After a year ashore, Hardy went to Plymouth Dock in December 1800 to take command of the first-rate Template:HMS, which had just been refitted.[17] He transferred to the second-rate Template:HMS and became Nelson's flag captain once more in February 1801.[18] Nelson was appointed second in command of the Baltic fleet, which had been sent to force the Danes to withdraw from the League of Armed Neutrality. On the night of 1 April 1801, Hardy was sent in a boat to take soundings around the anchored Danish fleet. Hardy's ship drew too much water and so took no part in the Battle of Copenhagen the following day. Hardy's work proved to be of great value. The only two ships that went aground, the third-rates Template:HMS and Template:HMS, were taken in by local pilots and did not follow Hardy's recommended route.[19] Hardy stayed on as flag captain to the new fleet commander, Vice-Admiral Charles Pole, until August 1801 when he took command of the fourth-rate HMS Isis.[20]

Mediterranean and West Indies Campaign

In July 1802, Hardy was appointed to the fifth-rate Template:HMS which after taking the new British ambassador to Lisbon, returned to Portsmouth.[21] Nelson was in Portsmouth, as he was due to hoist his flag in the first-rate Template:HMS in May 1803, but on finding the ship not ready for him, transferred his flag to the Amphion and set sail for the Mediterranean.[22] Nelson and Hardy finally transferred to Victory off Toulon on 31 July 1803.[23] Hardy not only served as Nelson's flag captain, but also unofficially as his captain of the fleet.[19] Nelson's fleet continued to blockade Toulon until April 1805, when the French escaped and were pursued to the West Indies and back.[24] After a brief stop at Spithead between 20 August and 14 September 1805, they set sail for Cadiz arriving on 29 September 1805.[25]

Trafalgar

 
The Battle of Trafalgar by J. M. W. Turner (oil on canvas, 1822–1824) shows the last three letters of the famous signal, "England expects that every man will do his duty" flying from Victory.

As Victory approached the enemy line on the morning of 21 October 1805, Hardy urged Nelson to transfer to another ship to avoid the inevitable melee, but Nelson refused. Victory, leading the weather column, came under heavy fire in the opening stages of the Battle of Trafalgar. At one point, a splinter took the buckle from Hardy's shoe, to which Nelson remarked, "This is too warm work Hardy, to last for long".[26] Hardy was with Nelson when he was shot and, towards the end of the battle, as Nelson lay below dying, the two had a number of conversations together. Hardy was able to tell Nelson that 14 or 15 British ships had struck the enemy: Nelson replied that he had "bargained for 20".[27] In their last conversation, Nelson reminded Hardy to anchor the fleet.[27] Nelson went on to say "take care of my dear Lady Hamilton, Hardy, take care of poor Lady Hamilton. Kiss me, Hardy" and his last words were "God bless you, Hardy".[27] Victory was towed to Gibraltar, arriving on 28 October 1805, where she underwent major repairs, before setting set sail for England on 4 November 1805 and arriving at Portsmouth on 5 December 1805.[28] There Nelson's body was transferred to the Sheerness Commissioner, Sir George Grey, 1st Baronet's yacht Chatham to proceed to Greenwich.[29] Hardy carried one of the banners at Nelson's funeral procession on 9 January 1806.[30]

Later commands

Hardy was created a baronet on 29 January 1806[31] and was given command of the third-rate Template:HMS on the North American Station in May 1806.[32] While in Nova Scotia, he married Anna Louisa Berkley, the daughter of his commander-in-chief, Sir George Cranfield Berkeley.[33] When Admiral Berkley was sent to Lisbon, Hardy went with him as his flag captain in the second-rate Template:HMS.[34] Hardy was made a commodore in the Portuguese Navy in 1811.[35]

In August 1812, Hardy was given command of the third-rate Template:HMS and was sent back to North America at the outbreak of the War of 1812.[35] On 11 July 1814, Hardy in his flagship, assisted by Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Pilkington, led four other warships and several transports carrying 2,000 men of the 102nd Regiment of Foot and a company of Royal Artillery against Fort Sullivan.[36] The American defending force of 70 regulars and 250 militiamen gave up without a fight. Hardy and Pilkington issued a proclamation making it clear Great Britain considered Eastport and the several nearby islands to be British territory. Townspeople were required to take an oath of allegiance to the crown or leave. Two thirds of the inhabitants took the oath, while 500 departed. For the few weeks he remained at the place, Hardy became a favourite of the locals, gaining great respect and popularity.[37] However, Hardy's next venture, the 9–11 August bombardment of Stonington, Connecticut was a defeat; Royal Navy cannonading set 20 buildings on fire while killing a horse and a goose, while reports indicate the sizeable American defending force killed 21 and wounded 50 British attackers.[38] Hardy was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 2 January 1815.[39]

Hardy was given command of the royal yacht HMS Princess Augusta in July 1816 and, then having been promoted to commodore, became Commander-in-Chief on the South America Station, hoisting his broad pennant in third-rate Template:HMS in August 1819, with a mission to prevent the Spanish from interfering in the newly emerging republics of Mexico, Colombia and Argentina.[35]

 
Hardy's monument on Blackdown Hill, Dorset

Flag rank

Promoted to rear admiral on 27 May 1825,[40] Hardy hoisted his flag aboard the third rate Template:HMS and escorted 4,000 British troops to Lisbon, where they helped to quell a revolution by the eight-year-old queen's uncle in December 1826.[41] He was subsequently given command of an experimental squadron in the Channel, moving his flag from the fifth-rate HMS Sybille to the sixth-rate Template:HMS before going ashore for the last time on 21 October 1827.[42] Hardy became First Naval Lord in the Grey ministry in November 1830[43] and was advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 13 September 1831.[44] As first Naval Lord he refused to become a Member of Parliament and encouraged the introduction of steam warships.[3] He resigned in August 1834 to become Governor of Greenwich Hospital.[45] Hardy was promoted to vice admiral on 10 January 1837[46] and died at Greenwich on 20 September 1839.[3] He is buried in the mausoleum of the former Hospital, now the Old Royal Naval College.[3] The baronetcy became extinct on his death.[42]

Family

On 17 November 1807 Hardy married Louisa Emily Anna Berkeley, daughter of Admiral Sir George Cranfield Berkely, they had three daughters:[47][48]

1. Louisa Georgina Hardy born 7 December 1808, died 1875.

2. Emily Georgina Hardy born 30 December 1809, married in 1850 William Pollett Brown Chatteris,[49] died 1887.

3. Mary Charlotte Hardy born 20 March 1813, married in 1833 Sir John Atholl Murray Macgregor Bt, died 1896.

References

  1. ^ Broadley, p. 12
  2. ^ Hutchins, p. 760
  3. ^ a b c d J. K. Laughton, Hardy, Sir Thomas Masterman, su oxforddnb.com, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. URL consultato il 13 gennaio 2013.
  4. ^ a b Heathcote, p. 77
  5. ^ Broadley, p. 26
  6. ^ a b Heathcote, p. 78
  7. ^ Broadley, p. 27
  8. ^ Broadley, p. 28
  9. ^ Broadley, p. 29
  10. ^ Broadley, p. 32
  11. ^ Heathcote, p. 79
  12. ^ Broadley, p. 36
  13. ^ Heathcote p.80
  14. ^ Broadley, p. 41
  15. ^ Broadley, p. 42
  16. ^ Broadley, p. 43
  17. ^ Broadley, p. 55
  18. ^ Broadley, p. 61
  19. ^ a b Heathcote p. 81
  20. ^ Broadley, p. 74
  21. ^ Broadley, p. 98
  22. ^ Broadley, p. 108
  23. ^ Broadley, p. 110
  24. ^ Broadley, p. 125
  25. ^ Broadley, p. 138
  26. ^ Broadley, p. 142
  27. ^ a b c Broadley, p. 143
  28. ^ Broadley, p. 146
  29. ^ Hibbert, p. 382
  30. ^ (EN) The London Gazette (PDF), n. 15881, 14 January 1806, p. 54. URL consultato il 13 January 2013.
  31. ^ (EN) The London Gazette (PDF), n. 15885, 28 January 1806, p. 128. URL consultato il 13 January 2013.
  32. ^ Broadley, p. 155
  33. ^ Heathcote, p. 86
  34. ^ Broadley, p. 160
  35. ^ a b c Broadley, p. 161 Errore nelle note: Tag <ref> non valido; il nome "broadley161" è stato definito più volte con contenuti diversi
  36. ^ Broadley, p. 164
  37. ^ Ellis, pp. 181-183
  38. ^ Ellis, pp. 186-189
  39. ^ (EN) The London Gazette (PDF), n. 16972, 4 January 1815, p. 19. URL consultato il 13 January 2013.
  40. ^ (EN) The London Gazette (PDF), n. 18141, 28 May 1825, p. 933. URL consultato il 13 January 2013.
  41. ^ Broadley, p. 199
  42. ^ a b Heathcote, p. 87
  43. ^ J C Sainty, 'Lord High Admiral and Commissioners of the Admiralty 1660-1870', Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 4: Admiralty Officials 1660-1870, su british-history.ac.uk, 1975, 18–31. URL consultato il 13 January 2013.
  44. ^ (EN) The London Gazette (PDF), n. 18851, 16 September 1831, p. 1899. URL consultato il 13 January 2013.
  45. ^ (EN) The London Gazette (PDF), n. 19146, 15 April 1834, p. 676. URL consultato il 13 January 2013.
  46. ^ (EN) The London Gazette (PDF), n. 19456, 10 January 1837, p. 70. URL consultato il 13 January 2013.
  47. ^ Burke's Extinct Baronetcies 1841
  48. ^ Debrett's Baronetage of England 1838
  49. ^ Hampshire Telegraph and Sussex Chronicle etc (Portsmouth, England), Saturday, 31 August 1850; Issue 2656

Sources

Further reading

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