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From Royal Marines 1664 to the present.
When in action, the Marines, with their fire discipline and ability to reform themselves to meet new threats, regularly proved themselves vital to their ship's defence. They were equally important in offensive operations as well.
On the 3rd November, 1756, HMS Buckingham got into action with the French ship Flourissant, during which "an unlucky broadside... made some slaughter on the Quarter Deck", resulting in the ship's captain and the Lieutenant of Marines being wounded. The ship's second lieutenant was not deterred, employing his ship's resources to great effect:
At Quiberon Bay in 1759, Marine recruits were sent into battle and despite being raw, showed themselves very capable:
Such steadiness was not universal, however. Captain Henry Ruffane and a corporal of Frazier's Marines were condemned to death for their conduct during the interception and capture of the Elisabeth by HMS Lyon, when the former ship was en route to Scotland with supplies for the Jacobites in 1745. The action lasted five hours and "was remarkably bloody and obstinate".
After the battle, Lyon's crew demonstrated their feelings about Captain Ruffane, making him "walk the main deck with one of his own soldiers behind with a broad sword, uttering among other taunting expressions, Here is the fellow that would not fight."
Such examples are overshadowed by those like that of Captain Wemyss, of HMS Bellerophon, who, at Trafalgar, was wounded eight times by musket balls and ultimate lost his right arm before going below to the surgeon: " 'Tis only a scratch," he declared to his lieutenant, "and I shall have to apologise to you bye and bye for quitting the deck on so trivial an occasion."
With such officers as Wemyss leading them, it is little wonder that, on the whole, Marines behaved admirably.
At Trafalgar, an attempt was made by a Spanish three-decker to overwhelm HMS Revenge, by running her bowsprit over Revenge's poop and sending away a great number of boarders:
The Marines of HMS Temeraire likewise acquitted themselves ably, delivering effective musketry at the deck of the Fougueux, "which greatly assisted the boarders who entered her from the chains and main-deck ports."
In 1813, HMS Shannon defeated the USS Chesapeake after a short action:
It was not usual for Marines to be part of gun crews, but circumstances occasionally required them to serve there.
At Guadeloupe in 1760, HMS Rippon found this measure necessary:
Similarly, when HMS Prudente and HMS Licorne captured La Capricieuse in 1780, Prudente's Marines "behaved with the utmost steadiness and bravery, keeping up a regular and constant fire from the beginning of the action, till necessity called them to the guns, when they shewed an equal share of spirit and good order."
As time went on, ship's captains reduced the number of smalls arms men stationed on the weather decks, choosing instead to send them below to man the guns. Such men shed their cartridge boxes but retained their bayonets, to show they were Marines. In HMS Egmont in the later 1790s, thirty-eight Marines were assigned actions stations on the poop and quarterdeck, and all except four also had stations assigned in the gun crews.
HMS Active had similar orders:
Having more Marines below, helping work the guns, had the potential to leave a ship underdefended on deck, however. At Navarino on the 20th October, 1827, HMS Albion found herself in difficulties. Forty of her Marines were below, with seventy on the poop as small arms men, but soon forty of these went below to carry powder and twenty were assigned to man the quarterdeck guns.
Fortunately for Albion, her gun crews proved equal to the task and she defeated her opponent.
When in action, the Marines, with their fire discipline and ability to reform themselves to meet new threats, regularly proved themselves vital to their ship's defence. They were equally important in offensive operations as well.
On the 3rd November, 1756, HMS Buckingham got into action with the French ship Flourissant, during which "an unlucky broadside... made some slaughter on the Quarter Deck", resulting in the ship's captain and the Lieutenant of Marines being wounded. The ship's second lieutenant was not deterred, employing his ship's resources to great effect:
We silenced the French for some time, upon which she hauled down her colours, and after that fired about eleven of her Lower Tier, and gave us a Volley of Small Arms, which our people returned with great Fury, giving him three Broadsides, she not returning a single Gun. Captain Troy at the same time, at the Head of his Marines, performed the service of a brave and gallant Officer, cleared her Poop and Quarter Deck, and drove her Men like Sheep down upon their Main Deck. Our Topmen were not idle, they plying their Hand Grenades and Swivels to excellent purpose. It is impossible to describe the Uproar and Confusion the French were in.
At Quiberon Bay in 1759, Marine recruits were sent into battle and despite being raw, showed themselves very capable:
A draught of 30 Marines taken in about a month ago, and who very lately came from Ireland behaved with uncommon Bravery and resolution in such a scene of horror, for so it must appear to them who never saw a gun fired before.
Such steadiness was not universal, however. Captain Henry Ruffane and a corporal of Frazier's Marines were condemned to death for their conduct during the interception and capture of the Elisabeth by HMS Lyon, when the former ship was en route to Scotland with supplies for the Jacobites in 1745. The action lasted five hours and "was remarkably bloody and obstinate".
Thirteen cannon shot entered upon the quarterdeck, betwixt the mizenmast and the bulkhead, besides grape and musket shot, and everyone quartered at those guns were killed, except two men and a boy. The Captain was wounded in the left arm at the first broadside, and soon after in the left foot, and was knocked down several times by splinters, so that he was black and blue all over, yet he moved up and down the deck all the time... covered with blood and brains. He called upon his Captain of Marines several times, but he could not be found; at last he was discovered by the Chaplain between two trusses of hay, but refusing to fight. The Chaplain took his arms from him, and headed the Marines himself till he fell bravely fighting.
After the battle, Lyon's crew demonstrated their feelings about Captain Ruffane, making him "walk the main deck with one of his own soldiers behind with a broad sword, uttering among other taunting expressions, Here is the fellow that would not fight."
Such examples are overshadowed by those like that of Captain Wemyss, of HMS Bellerophon, who, at Trafalgar, was wounded eight times by musket balls and ultimate lost his right arm before going below to the surgeon: " 'Tis only a scratch," he declared to his lieutenant, "and I shall have to apologise to you bye and bye for quitting the deck on so trivial an occasion."
With such officers as Wemyss leading them, it is little wonder that, on the whole, Marines behaved admirably.
At Trafalgar, an attempt was made by a Spanish three-decker to overwhelm HMS Revenge, by running her bowsprit over Revenge's poop and sending away a great number of boarders:
but they caught a Tartar, for their design was discovered and our Marines with their small arms, and the carronades on the poop, loaded with canister shot, swept them off so fast that they were glad to sheer off.
The Marines of HMS Temeraire likewise acquitted themselves ably, delivering effective musketry at the deck of the Fougueux, "which greatly assisted the boarders who entered her from the chains and main-deck ports."
In 1813, HMS Shannon defeated the USS Chesapeake after a short action:
Captain Broke and his first boarding party were almost immediately followed by between 30 and 40 Marines, who secured possession of the Chesapeake's quarter deck, dislodged the men from the main and fore tops, that were firing down on the boarders, and kept down all who attempted to come up from the main deck.
It was not usual for Marines to be part of gun crews, but circumstances occasionally required them to serve there.
At Guadeloupe in 1760, HMS Rippon found this measure necessary:
Of twenty eight Marines quarter'd on the Poop, eight were killed or wounded, and the Seamen so enfiladed on the Forecastle, that ten out of the twenty remaining were obliged to be sent forwards to assist in returning the Fire there; the rest of the Marines were employed at the guns, there being upwards of ninety Men sick in the Hold.
Similarly, when HMS Prudente and HMS Licorne captured La Capricieuse in 1780, Prudente's Marines "behaved with the utmost steadiness and bravery, keeping up a regular and constant fire from the beginning of the action, till necessity called them to the guns, when they shewed an equal share of spirit and good order."
As time went on, ship's captains reduced the number of smalls arms men stationed on the weather decks, choosing instead to send them below to man the guns. Such men shed their cartridge boxes but retained their bayonets, to show they were Marines. In HMS Egmont in the later 1790s, thirty-eight Marines were assigned actions stations on the poop and quarterdeck, and all except four also had stations assigned in the gun crews.
HMS Active had similar orders:
The Marines are to be quartered as well at the Great Guns as at the Small Arms and they will be frequently exercised at the former in order to their being expert thereat, when occasion requires their assistance.
Having more Marines below, helping work the guns, had the potential to leave a ship underdefended on deck, however. At Navarino on the 20th October, 1827, HMS Albion found herself in difficulties. Forty of her Marines were below, with seventy on the poop as small arms men, but soon forty of these went below to carry powder and twenty were assigned to man the quarterdeck guns.
The Captain of Marines having been killed, the command had devolved upon the Marines' senior subaltern, who had enough to do to repel the Turk's attempt to board. A sergeant touching his left arm was shot through the head, and a private on his right hand was shot through the shoulder. He himself was obliged to use a double-barrelled pistol twice.
Fortunately for Albion, her gun crews proved equal to the task and she defeated her opponent.
