The Euraylus after Trafalgar taking the R. Sovregein in tow
The H.M.S. Euryalus was a 38 gun, 145 foot long Frigate in the Royal Navy of England. She was buillt in 1803 at the shipyards of Henry Adams. In 1804, she got her first taste of action. She assisted a squadron of British ships in a valliant attack and capture of French ships. Captain Henry Blackwood commanded her for most of her early career. She also captured the Spanish ship San Jose in a terrible fight on February 22nd 1805. As the battle of Trafalgar neared, H.M.S. Euryalus joined Admiral Nelson's growing flotilla of more than 20 ships. Capt. Blackwood and a squadron of at least 4 other Frigates (Phoebe, Naiad, Sirus, and Amazon) and kept watch on the enemy fleet of French and Spanish vessels anchored in Cadiz harbor in Spain. Blackwood asked Nelson if he could switch to his ship as a flagship, but Nelson declined politely knowing that the Euryalus would not have a key role in the battle because she was much smaller than most of the othe ships involved in the battle and thus would not play a major role. Blackwood took his Admiral's advice and held off. Miraculously, he sailed right alongside the Victory for a while and then hung back until the end of the battle, but did lose 2 men after firing a few shots at the enemy. Capt. Blackwood then came out and took the severly damaged Royal Sovereign in tow and rescued survivors from other sinking enemy ships. After 1805, she captured many Spanish vessels. She took out a squadron of 6 ships of the line flying the French flag single-handedly. She participated in the war of 1812 and fought bravely. In 1845, she was turned into a coal hulk and a prison ship for boys. She was sold and broken apart in 1860.