Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall sp2.djvu/138

 Towards the latter-end of Aug. 1804, the Hercule sailed on a cruise to the northward of St. Domingo, in company with the Theseus 74, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Dacres; and on the 6th Sept., she encountered as sudden and severe a hurricane as ever wan experienced:– the Silver Keys then bearing about S.W., distant 54 miles.

At this period Lieutenant Willoughby was ill, and in the doctor’s list; but knowing that the ship was by no means prepared for such a tremendous visitation, he resumed his duty the moment the storm commenced.

Scarcely had he reached the deck when the fore-top-mast was literally blown over the side, and to his astonishment, although the Hercule had a fine ship’s company, not a man stirred to clear the wreck. Seeing that even the oldest seamen were either appalled or paralyzed, he immediately ran forward and mounted into the fore top, followed by Lieutenant Russel and Mr. Stewart the gunner, with whose assistance he succeeded in cutting away the wreck, and thereby saving the lower mast, which was previously in a tottering state. In a short time afterwards, the mizzen-mast went by the board; and next morning, the main-mast was likewise rolled away.

The whole of the main-deck ports and dead-lights being stove in, and the ship labouring so much as to render it almost impossible for the people to remain at the winches, the water in the hold gained upon the pumps for a very considerable period; but by the united and extraordinary exertions of the officers and men, they were at length got to suck, and on the third day a fire was lighted for the first time since the beginning of the storm.

The Theseus lost all her masts; and being an old ship, she suffered still more in every respect than her consort. It has been ascertained, that upwards of 300 vessels either foundered or were totally wrecked during this dreadful hurricane.

On the 1st Feb. 1805, the Hercule captured a merchant schooner of about 90 tons burthen, from Cuba bound to Carthagena; and one of the prisoners having given 