Euryalus

Wood Location
Three Mile Water Conservation Area, Newtownabbey, CO ANTRIM, Northern Ireland

Ship Information
Ship Commander - Capt Hon Henry Blackwood
Constructed at - Bucklers Hard
Guns - 36
Crew - 264

Wood Information
Size - 10 acres
Owner - Newtownabbey Borough Council
To be planted - planting details to be confirmed

The captain of the Euryalus, Captain Blackwood, was born in Killyleagh, Co Down.

The site, 4.2ha in size, is owned by Newtownabbey Borough Council. Newtownabbey is to the north of Belfast, just outside the greater Belfast area.

Some 8,000 to 9,000 trees will be planted in November 2005 as part of the Trafalgar celebrations. Local school children and members of the local community will be invited to attend planting events over three days to help plant the new wood.

The council will maintain the site thereafter. Public access will be encouraged and information boards will be erected at the site to provide information on the new wood and the project, and to acknowledge support.

Events in Euryalus Wood
There was a 3 day schools planting programme in November 2005 for local schools to take part in.

A community planting day took place in November 2005.

HMS Euryalus
HMS Euryalus was built by the Adams yard at Bucklers Hard, Hampshire and launched in 1803. As a frigate she was designed to cruise and patrol rather than take part in a fleet action, when she would not be able to withstand the heavier gunfire of the much larger ships, and at Trafalgar acted as one of the close blockade on Cadiz. There Blackwood could observe any movement to leave port by the French and Spanish fleet, and as the senior captain decide on the reports to be relayed to the British fleet by the other frigates and warships. It fell to Euryalus therefore to make signal 370, ‘Enemy ships are coming out of port’ and to add later Nineteen under sail, all the rest have topyards hoisted’. The combined fleets were shadowed by the frigates for three days until on the 21st October. Having made his final report in person to Nelson on board HMS Victory, Blackwood returned to Euryalus. As he departed at 11.35 Nelson’s final words to him were ‘God bless you Blackwood. I shall not speak to you again.’

Although Euryalus was not destined to take part in the fight at Trafalgar, Blackwood like many other captains wrote a final letter to his wife ‘My dearest, dear Harriet .. . . Take care of my boy, make him a better man than his father.’

For most of the battle Euryalus remained a spectator but as gunfire faded, she closed in and sent her boats to assist in the rescue of the crew of the burning French Achille. One boat also collected a black pig that was swimming vigorously but did not survive long once on board Euryalus, where fresh provisions were scarce and valuable, and it was soon added to the dinner menu.

Admiral Collingwood in HMS Sovereign requested Euryalus to take his flagship in tow late that afternoon, since she was severely disabled and Blackwood was requested to receive the surrender of the Spanish Santa Ma. The Admiral later transferred his flag to Euryalus, and his report was written onboard while on passage to Gibraltar. Also on Euryalus was the 13 year old son of Captain Duff, whose father had been killed on HMS Mars, and who was taken off for passage back to England. He wrote a letter to his mother while on board 'Dearest Mama, you cannot imagine how unwilling I am to begin this melancholy letter. However, as you must unavoidably hear of the fate of dear Papa, I write a few lines to request you to bear it as patiently as you can. He died a hero, having gallantly led his ship into action ... Captain Blackwood has indeed been very polite and kind to me..' The young man later became a Vice Admiral in the Royal Navy.

After Trafalgar the Euryalus returned to England with the French Admiral Villeneuve on board, and later served in the Baltic and Mediterranean. She also served in North America during the war of 1812-14, and was hulked in 1825 at Chatham. In 1847 Euryalus was moved to Gibraltar and finally sold to be broken up in 1860.

Many thanks to Alan Aberg at the Society for Nautical Research for providing us with information on the ships and their commanders.