Achille
Wood Location
Packington, Leicestershire
Ship Information
Ship Commander - Capt Richard King
Number of guns - 74
Constructed at - Gravesend
Killed in the battle - 13
Injured in the battle - 59
Wood Information
Size - 42ha
Owner - Mr Andrew Sumnall
To be planted - November 2005
The Achille Wood will be planted at Hill Farm near Packington.
The site is flat ex-arable land and will be planted through the National Forest Tender Scheme. The site will be planted predominantly with mixed native species, including an area of native black poplar and include a deer park with associated parkland style planting. The site will have permissive footpaths throughout and a circular permissive horse route.
Events in Achille Wood
There was a week long schools planting programme in November 2005, where children from the local schools came along and planted trees and learnt about Nelson and his ships. A community planting day took place on Sunday 6th November, when there was a good turnnout of willing volunteers despite the weather!
More information
Richard King
Only son of Admiral Sir Richard King Kt., MP by Susannah Margaretta, daughter of William Coker of Maypowder, Dorset. He was born 1774 and entered the service in 1788. He was promoted Lieutenant in 1791 and Captain in 1794. He was a member of the court-martial which tried Richard Parker, the ringleader in the Mutiny on the Nore in 1797. In the spring of 1805 he was appointed to the Achille which he commanded at the Battle of Trafalgar. In the lee column she did excellent service and lost heavily; he was rewarded with the gold medal, received the thanks of Parliament, and a sword of honour from the Patriotic Fund. In 1806 he succeeded to the baronetcy. Died of cholera at Admiralty House, Sheerness in 1834.
HMS Achille
HMS Achille was built by Cleverley Bros., a private yard at Gravesend on the River Thames, and was modelled on a captured French ship, the Pompee. She was launched in
1798 and first commissioned later that year before joining the fleet and serving at different stations.
At the Battle of Trafalgar she was seventh in line between HMS Bellerophon and HMS Polyphemus in Admiral Collingwood’s column, and followed the lead set by Bellerophon, which headed for the rear of the French and Spanish fleet. Achille opened fire at 12.15 and first engaged the Spanish Montanes (74 guns) for fifteen minutes, before sailing on to meet the Spanish Arganauta (80 guns) which had already been battling with other British ships. After an hours fierce fighting the Arganauta fell silent and closed her gunports but before Achille could take her surrender, her French namesake Achilles, also 74 guns, moved up and opened fire. After exchanging broadsides the French ship sailed on and was replaced on the starboardside by the Berwick, a British 74 gun ship captured by the French in 1795, and for the next hour and a quarter she lay close alongside Achille receiving a pounding that forced her eventually to surrender with over 250 casualties, almost half her crew. Achille took possession and transferred on board some of her crew as prisoners. Berwick was later wrecked in the storm. Achille suffered 74 casualties compared to the heavy losses she inflicted on the French and Spanish ships.
After returning to service she was later hulked at Sheerness where she survived until 1865 before being sold for £3.600 to be broken up.
Many thanks to Alan Aberg at the Society for Nautical Research for providing us with information on the ships and their commanders.
