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Charls NepirAdmiral
Date of Birth: 06.03.1786
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
Biography of Charles Napier
Early LifeCharles Napier (1786-1860) was an admiral in the English and Portuguese navies. He was born on March 6, 1786, near Falkirk, Stirling County in Scotland. He was the eldest son of Lord Captain Charles Napier, and his ancestry included the famous mathematician John Napier.
Naval Career
Napier began his naval service on November 1, 1799, as a volunteer on the sloop "Martin" in the North Sea. He served on various ships and became a midshipman in November 1802, and a lieutenant on November 30, 1805. He participated in the capture of the 80-gun ship "Marengo" and the 40-gun frigate "Bellona" in March 1806. In the following year, while cruising in the West Indies on the 98-gun ship "Prince George," Napier commanded the brig "Pultusk" and participated in the capture of several merchant ships protected by two coastal batteries off the northeastern tip of Porto Rico. In August 1808, he was assigned to the brig "Recruit." On this brig, Napier fought against the 22-gun French corvette "Diligent" in September and forced it to flee. He was wounded in the battle, and the enemy corvette lost its mast. In February 1809, Napier participated in the conquest of Martinique. In April, with Admiral Cochran, he pursued three French line-of-battle ships for more than two days and captured one 74-gun ship. During the battle, Napier tried to stay close to the enemy and disable its rigging. As a reward for his bravery, Cochran appointed him to command the prize. The Admiralty approved the appointment.
In the summer of 1810, Napier returned to England with a convoy and did not go to sea until 1811. During this period of shore service, he volunteered with the English infantry in Portugal in 1810-1811, participated in battles, and was wounded again. He then received an appointment to the 32-gun frigate "Thames." On July 21, 1811, together with the brig "Sephalyus," Napier suppressed the resistance of 11 gunboats and a 13-gun felucca guarding the entrance to Porto dell'Infene in Italy, scattered a detachment of riflemen on the coastal heights, and seized military vessels escorting 14 merchant ships. On November 1, 1811, Napier landed 250 men from the rowing ships of the frigates "Thames" and "Imperieuse," who circumvented the Palinuro harbor and established themselves on the shore. The next morning, Napier's frigate "Thames" destroyed 10 gunboats and a battery, and captured 22 feluccas with valuable cargo. In the following years, while commanding frigates, he distinguished himself in amphibious assaults and ship seizures.
Later, in North America, Napier participated in an expedition against Alexandria (a suburb of Washington). Captain Gordon, the leader of the expedition, highly praised his actions. Napier's frigate lost its bowsprit and all masts in a sudden squall but was ready for battle after 12 hours of intensive work. During the siege of Baltimore, Napier successfully commanded a squadron of ships in one of the Potapsco River channels. He was awarded the Order of the Bath for his services on the Potomac River and at Baltimore. From 1815 to 1829, Napier remained on shore, and then he sailed on the 42-gun frigate "Galatea" for a separate cruise. Later, he went to Portugal, where fame and money awaited him for his victories in the struggle between pretenders to the throne. In 1831, he supported the party of Princess Maria da Gloria (later Queen Maria II) on the Azores Islands. In 1833, he replaced Admiral Sartorius. As the commander of the Portuguese loyalist fleet of Dom Pedro of Portugal, he defeated the fleet of Dom Miguel, who claimed the Portuguese throne, off Cape St. Vincent on July 5, 1833. The following year, he commanded the naval forces in the defense of Lisbon against the miguelistas. For this, Napier was bestowed with the title of Count of St. Vincent and awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of the Tower and Sword.
Later Career
Napier returned to the British navy in 1836. For some time, he served as second in command of the Syrian expedition from 1840 to 1844 and participated in the capture of Beirut and Acre in October-November 1840. Once again, Napier distinguished himself on the shores of Syria and at Saint Anne, but he was criticized for attributing all the glory to himself. In 1847-1848, Napier commanded the fleet in the English Channel and, upon his return, published a series of letters in "The Times." In these letters, he criticized the management of the British navy. He later published his letters related to naval affairs in the book "The Navy, Its Past and Present," which contained many insightful and well-founded ideas.
Baltic Campaign
In February 1854, Sir Charles Napier was appointed commander of the fleet in the Baltic. The English armed their fleet against the Russian Baltic Fleet, the most powerful since the Napoleonic Wars. It was believed in England that no one could better utilize these forces than Napier. In March, a large fleet gathered at Spithead, which was headed for the Baltic: 10 screw-driven and 7 sail-powered line-of-battle ships, 15 screw-driven frigates, and 17 steam frigates with 2,344 guns and 22,000 crew members. On March 7, the admiral received instructions and set sail with the fleet. Upon arrival in Denmark, Napier learned that the war had begun. He sent steamers on reconnaissance, which discovered that the Gulf of Finland up to Helsingfors was free of ice, and no Russian ships were found. On March 31, the English entered the Baltic. Without good maps of the Gulf of Finland, Napier stayed in the Stockholm archipelago until the end of the month and then moved to Gangut on April 23. The English conducted surveys at Bomarsund and Sveaborg. Only on May 30, Vice Admiral Parseval-Deschenes' French squadron of 1 screw-driven, 8 sail-powered ships-of-the-line, 7 steamers, 7 sail-powered frigates, and 8 smaller vessels with 1,308 guns and 8,300 crew members entered the Gulf of Finland and on June 1, met with the English at Baro Sound.
Napier's main objective was Viborg. Before going to sea, the admiral promised that he would not turn his weapons against peaceful shores and navigation. However, from the very beginning, the English fleet attacked peaceful cities and seized property. On May 6, two English steamers took merchant ships that were in Libau. On May 18, three English steamers burned down the shipyard and looted the stores of the undefended Finnish town of Brahestad. The same fate befell Uleaborg and other peaceful settlements. Wherever the allies encountered resistance, they failed. For example, on May 7, the batteries of Ecknes and on May 10, the batteries of Gang'e-Udda successfully repelled the attack of the enemy's superior forces. On May 26, two companies of Finnish riflemen repelled a landing force with losses for the English, which they tried to land in the town of Gamle-Karleby. Of course, such actions could not offset the expenses of the expedition. However, Napier hesitated to march on Viborg, as he was initially ordered. Evidently, he feared the shallow waters and underwater rocks, which had caused the loss of part of Gustav III's fleet in 1790. The admiral headed for Kronstadt instead. On June 14, the allied squadron (15 screw-driven and 4 sail-powered line-of-battle ships, 14 screw-driven frigates and steamers) approached Krasnaya Gorka and stood there without risking an attack on the fortress. On June 23, Napier led the main forces to Cape Porkala-Udd, leaving several ships to monitor the Russian fleet. This observation did not prevent the Russian ships from going out to sea.
The English press wrote that the admiral was trying to lure the Russian fleet out from behind its fortifications. In Parliament in August, excerpts from Napier's letter were read, in which he claimed, "I could not undertake anything with this strong fleet, as any attack on Kronstadt and Sveaborg would mean certain destruction." Napier's opinion was confirmed by Admiral Chads, who observed the granite fortifications from the lighthouse and stated that they were too strong for ship artillery. Moreover, the ships of the Baltic Fleet, as floating batteries, were a powerful addition to the coastal batteries. At anchor, they were no less formidable than steam-powered ships.
It became clear that this expedition was not well-prepared. However, both the government and public opinion demanded an invasion of Russian territory that would recoup the expenses. Napier and Parseval-Deschenes chose a target within their capabilities.
For the half-century that the Åland Islands had belonged to Russia, they were almost not fortified. Construction of the fortress at Bomarsund began after 1829, but only a defensive barracks and three towers were built, constituting about one-fifth of the planned structures. Colonel Bodisko commanded fewer than 2,000 men, and the fortifications were armed with small-caliber cannons. Napier proposed taking this unfinished fortress. The British Admiralty approved the plan, and France provided a corps of 13,000 men.
On July 9, the allied fleet moved to the Åland Islands and blockaded them. On July 19, the ships with French landing forces arrived. On July 26, the allies landed their forces (11,000 to the south of Bomarsund and 3,000 to the north as a diversion). Two days later, the siege guns were put in position, and the bombardment of the fortress by sea and land began, continuing until August 4, when the allies took Bomarsund. After undermining the fortifications, they left the Åland Islands. On August 28, the landing forces were sent to France, and gradually the ships departed. The attack on Sveaborg did not happen. On October 1, the main forces, limited to the blockade, returned to their bases.
Controversy and Later Life
Upon his return to England, Napier was removed from his post as commander by First Lord of the Admiralty, James Graham, who blamed him for the failure and accused him of shirking bold orders from the Admiralty. Napier was ridiculed in the press, and when he demanded an investigation into his actions, he was refused on the grounds that the publication of documents could harm Her Majesty's fleet. Public opinion in England approved of Napier's replacement by Admiral Richard Dundas. However, Dundas also did not achieve significant success. The blockade of Kronstadt, the bombardment of Sveaborg, and the attempted landing in Viborg did not bring great laurels to the allies. The failure of the allied fleet in the 1855 campaign showed that the problem was not solely with Napier. Nevertheless, he was no longer entrusted with command at sea.
In June 1855, Napier began the publication of a series of letters in his defense. In Parliament, he recounted the fleet's preparations and the management of it by First Lord of the Admiralty Sir James Graham, who, in turn, negatively characterized Napier's actions and confirmed that his dismissal was justified. In 1855, both Graham and Napier had to leave their positions.
Sir Charles Napier died on November 6, 1860, near Catherington, Hampshire. He left behind several books about his military actions. However, he is primarily remembered in history for the unsuccessful Baltic campaign.
