The stamp to honour the 150th Anniversary of the Death of Admiral William Brown issued in March 2007 (75c) shows us a part of the painting made by Emilio Biggeri made after the “Battle of Martin Garcia” in 1814, the ship depict is the HERCULES flagship of Admiral Brown.
The Argentine Post gives the following info by the issues:
William Brown was born in Foxford, County Mayo, Ireland, on 22 June 1777. His family moved to Philadelphia in the United States. When William was 10 years old, his father died.
Brown’s naval career began in the US Merchant Marine; he would later join the British Royal Navy, where he developed his seaman skills. By early 1810 he arrived in Buenos Aires, where he would later take part in the historic events leading to the independence.
In 1814 the government of Buenos Aires appointed Brown, then lieutenant colonel, commander of a squadron that was to harass a Spanish squadron supporting Montevideo, that was then in Spanish hands.
On 16 March 1814 the squadron led by Brown gained possession of the island of Martin Garcia, and then defeated the Spanish fleet.
In 1825 William Brown, then an Army colonel serving in the Navy of the Government of Buenos Aires, was appointed commander of the Republican Squadron of the United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata to wage a war against the Empire of Brazil, which would continue until 1828. The fleet led by Brown engaged in two major naval actions and by the end of the war Brown was promoted to rear admiral.
In 1841 Brown returned to service under the Government of the Confederation, and led by a fleet that would fight against Uruguay. Then he defeated the Uruguayan fleet, commanded by Commodore Juan Coe.
In 1842 Coe was replaced by Giuseppe Garibaldi, whom he defeated too. By late 1843, Brown blockaded Montevideo, taking hold of Isla de Ratas.
Finally, the French and British navies stepped in and forced the definitive retirement of Brown, in March 1845.
03 March 1857 William Brown died, at 80.
The origin of Argentine navy’s first flagship has been a controversial issue and a motive for sharp remarks among well known historians. According to a Memorandum presented on 05 August 1817 by Lieutenant Colonel William Brown to the Lords of His Majesty Treasure, the HERCULES had Russian origins. Brown confirmed such origin again in 1855 in a document requested by General Bartolomé Mitre, which was translated into Spanish by General Tomás Guido.
The Times of London dated 21 December 1818 and 7 April 1819 published an official statement made by the Admiralty Court which began with this revealing statement: ‘In the case of the ship HERCULES, otherwise the DUKE OF PALMA.
Whatever could have been the DUKE OF PALMA’s history it still waits to be revealed?
According to Sergei Klimovsky, Scientific Secretary of the Russian Central Naval Museum, the main Russian shipyards where such frigate could have been built in the 1800’s were Okhta Admiralty, Saint Petersburg and Archangels Admiralty, Archangels, White Sea. The vessels which could have been the DUKE OF PALMA during her service in the Russian Navy probably were: 44-guns frigate SPESHNY (1800), Archangels, captured by the English on 20 September 1807 in Portsmouth; 38-guns frigate LEGKY (1800), Archangels passed to France on 27 September 1809; 60-guns ship-of-the-line FINLAND, captured in 1790 from Sweden and sold in 1813 to England; 64-guns ship-of-the-line RETVIZAN captured in 1790 from Sweden and sold in 1813 to England.
The Acquisition.
In December 1813, the Minister of War Juan Larrea signed an agreement with Boston-born Guillermo Pio White (Pedro Lezica’s partner) by which the latter was to provide the means for a naval squadron that could ensure success against the Spanish naval forces.
John Goodfellow sold the HERCULES, her cargo (ninety) tons of salt and sixty tons of (charcoal) as well as her Russian papers, by $25.000 of which $12.500 were paid cash and the rest trough a credit of $ 12.500 from the customhouse. Most likely, the HERCULES arrived in Buenos Aires in about 1813 although there are no documents availing this on 4 January 1814 the first ship was officially incorporated to the navy under the command of Eliseo Smith.
The 149-men crew was composed of fourteen naval officers, eighty-seven soldiers and forty-two countrymen. This powerful 350-tons warship had thirty-eight meters of length and 5.8 meters depth of hold. She had two decks. Admiral Brown’s cabin was under the spar deck.
On the beginning the frigate was armed with four cannons of twenty-four, eight of eighteen, twelve of eight, six of six stone mortars. She was later armed with four long cannons of twenty-four, eight of eighteen, twelve of twelve, six of nine, six of six, and six stone mortars. This summed up forty-two pieces.
1814-1815 The HERCULES was sheathed with copper in La Ensenada.
The combat of Martin García.
On 10 March 1814 the HERCULES, joined the JULIETA (on a stamp is given JULIET), the TORTUGA, the FORTUNATE and the felucca SAN LUIS, faced the strong Spanish naval fleet commanded by Captain Jacinto de Romarate. The Spanish armada had six war ships, brigs, gunboats and a land battery with four cannons. There was a fierce combat after which the HERCULES was stranded.
American born officer Benjamin Franklin Seaver, commander of the JULIETA was killed in action. The HERCULES defended herself until 12 March at 10 AM. As a result of this combat Commander Elias Smith, Lieutenant Robert Stacey and forty-five sailors were killed by grapeshot. There were about fifty wounded, which imposed a heavy task for the surgeon Bernard Campbell.
The flagship received no less than eighty-two cannon blows and was repaired in the same war zone. Plump plates were placed under the water line and the hull covered with leathers and tar. Henceforth it was nicknamed as the “Black Frigate”.
Richard Baxter, an English-born officer, was appointed as the new commander. On 17 March 1814 Brown attacked the island Martin Garcia together with the JULIETA and the ZEPHIR. The HERCULES engaged in combat with the Spanish warships ESPERANZA and CARMEN.
A land attack was organized and at that moment William Brown ordered the fife and the drum to play “Saint Patrick’s Day in the Morning’, which acted as a real booster among the troops.
On 20 April 1814 Argentine forces blocked Montevideo. There were no other major engagements until 14 May when a combat started but the sea conditions stopped a full attack.
The Combat of Buceo.
On 16 May 1814 the HERCULES, the BELFAST, the ZEPHIR and the small coasting schooner ITATI, backboned by the AGREEABLE, engaged in fight with the Spanish warships NEPTUNO, SAN JOSÉ and LA PALOMA in front of Buceo on 17 May, during the persecution, Admiral Brown received a cannon shot which broke one of his legs. The Spanish warship MARIA was seized and brought to Buenos Aires, just like NEPTUNO, PALOMA and SAN JOSÉ. The MERCURIO was chased up to the very port of Montevideo. By June 1814 the Spanish crown had lost Montevideo.
The HERCULES returned to Buenos Aires leaving Captain Russell to command the blockade of Montevideo. On 23 June 1814 Montevideo surrendered as well as the whole Spanish squadron.
On August 1814, the Argentine fleet was auctioned but the Government of United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata bestowed the HERCULES to Admiral Brown.
The frigate was then sheathed up with copper and armed with twenty-nine cannons of twenty-four, twelve and eight pounders. The “letter of marque” was issued on 1 September 1815.
The HERCULES sailed from Buenos Aires on 15 September 1815 commanded by Michael Brown, since William Brown was not to get involved in privateer actions. Notwithstanding once in the River Plate, William Brown took the command, his second in chief being David Chitty. Michael Brown took command of the TRINIDAD.
The HERCULES navigated around Cape Horn and off Chiloé the Argentines seized the schooner MERCEDES. Later off Morro Quemado, they captured the frigate GOBERNADORA, which was sailing from Guayaquil to Lima, on January 1816 the brig SAN PABLO was captured and became Brown’s hospital ship. On 18 January they captured a pilot boat and the following day, a mistico (small coasting vessel) that was sailing from Pisco was sunk.
On 20 January the Argentine naval forces arrived off Callao and on 21 January they commenced bombarding the castles of Rimac. During twenty days five ships flying the flag of Buenos Aires blocked the biggest Spanish stronghold.
On 21 January the frigate FUENTE HERMOSA was sunk. On 23 January, after a fierce combat, the frigate CONSECUENCIA was captured when sailing from Cadiz. Among the passengers was brigadier Juan M. Mendiburu. The CONSECUENCIA became later LA ARGENTINA (on some stamps), which was to be commanded by French naval officer Hipólito Bouchard. On 25 January the warship LA CANDELARIA was captured.
1816- The Attack on Guayaquil.
On 29 January 1816 Admiral Brown set sail in the TRINIDAD for Guayaquil, and on 18 February he attacked the batteries of Punta Piedras, which he captured after a long struggle. Brown captured the schooner CARMEN and attacked the battery Elizalde. Then he attacked de San Carlos castle but the TRINIDAD got stranded as a consequence of the quick ebb of the Guayas River.
As a result of this Brown was captured by the Spanish forces but was rescued by the gallant action of the CONSECUENCIA and the HERCULES. Miguel Brown and Chitty took part in the exchange of prisoners. Our forces released the Spanish prisoners and their mail and set free the CANDELARIA, the GOBERNADORA, a mistico and two small vessels.
Scurvy aboard.
The HERCULES set sail to the Galapagos Islands where the prizes were shared out. Admiral Brown obtained the HALCON and Bouchard the CONSECUENCIA, the pilot’s boat CARMEN went to Pedro Dautant. The HERCULES and the HALCON navigated then to Colombia in a painful journey as most of the crew was suffering of scurvy. A fifty-five men crew departed on June 1816 from San Buenaventura, visited the Isle of Pascua and then sailed around Cape Horn. They had to feed themselves mostly of turtle, maize and rum. The cargo was lightened in the Gulf of Penas and then sailed to the Falkland/Malvinas Islands. A maelstrom forced them to stop in Brazil near Cabo Frio. In this last place they met the British brig JANE, which updated them on the last political news at the River Plate.
Trouble in Barbados.
On 25 September 1818, William Brown, following his officer’s advice entered in Carlisle Bay near Barbuda located in the middle of the Leeward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean. According to the Gentleman’s Magazine (1816 Vol. 2 page 552) and the Times (22 April 1818) this was what happened thereafter.
The “Black Frigate” was mounting at that time twenty-two guns and had fifty-six men crew, with a valuable cargo of quicksilver, silks, steel, dry goods and spice estimated on one million dollars, which was the produce of plundered towns and vessels in the Pacific Ocean.
The HERCULES was seized a day or two later but released upon Brown consenting to accompany Captain Sterling from the sloop of war HMS BRAZEN to Antigua and report to the Admiral there. She was seized a second time while at sea under the Navigation Laws, and condemned on 13 November by the Vice Admiralty court of Antigua.
In 1817 an appeal was made to the high court of Admiralty in England. Also, John Garcins, Esq. On behalf of his Catholic Majesty Ferdinand VII, brought a claim. The seizer refused to give issues to the libel in this claim until the issue between him and William Brown was disposed of, on the ground that the King of Spain was no party to the original proceedings, and it would only embarrass the question; i.e., the sentence of the court should be reversed. The different claimant might settle their disputes inter se, with which the seizer could have noting to do. Sir William Scott said it was impossible for the court to receive any claim for the independent government of Buenos Aires, which had never been recognized by the British Government. Therefore there was no reason whatever for refusing to answer the claim on behalf of the Spanish government, that he had no hesitation in directing issues to be given to the libel as prayed.
Eventually the claimants withdrew and in December 1820 the court made a decree in Brown’s favor, Brown and men were released but they lost the frigate and the cargo.
The Black Frigate’s final Days.
Two hypotheses were made about the final days of the Black Frigate:
1) According to the Courier of London (04 April 1817) the ship was auctioned in Antigua and became part of Venezuelan Admiral Brion’s fleet. This story was reproduced by Le Moniteur Universel of Paris (10 April 1817.)
2) According to the Evening Post of New York (5 August 1818) the HERCULES arrived in Havana from Antigua and was sold there.
Argentine 1957 40c sg900, scott 661. 1969 20p sg1247, scott 894. 2007 75c sg?, scott?
Argentine 2014 $4.50.
Uruguay 2014 $45 sgMS?, scott?, depict in the margin of the sheet.
Source: Copied from the Buenos Aires Herald of 24 October 2004 and written by Eduardo C. Gerding.