FEBRUARY

1st February 1806 George III orders Naval Academy at Portsmouth to be Royal Naval College

2nd February 1813 Kingfisher sent in her boats and captured one trabaccolo and destroyed five others off Corfu

3rd February 1807 Montevideo falls to Rear Admiral Stirling, Diadem and six others

3rd February 1814 USS Wasp saved when Majestic, 74 turned away from pursuit to seize French Terpsichore

4th February 1804 After a 20 mile pull, boats of Centaur with a total of 72 men cut out Curieux in Fort Royal Martinique

5th February 1810 Guadeloupe captured by Vice Admiral Cochrane, Pompee, and others

6th February 1806 Fleeing survivors from Trafalgar regrouping in the West Indies, overwhelmed by Admiral Duckworth's squadron

8th February 1813 Boats of the Belvidera penetrated Chesapeake Bay to seize American vessel Lottery

11th February 1797 Commodore Nelson bluffs the enemy and lowers a boat to rescue a man overboard. This disconcerts them so much they allow him to complete the rescue

12th February 1811 Active and Cerberus in a single orgy of destruction destroyed or captured 11 Venetian vessels and 2 military storehouses at Ortona, Italy

14th February 1797 Nelson makes his name at the Battle of Cape St Vincent, courageously abandoning the line of battle to head off the enemy. Admiral Jervis said before the battle 'A victory is very essential to England at this moment'

15th February 1807 Ajax exploded after a fire caused by her 'Jack Dusty' leaving a lanthorn alight in the bread room

16th February 1798 Alfred taken by French privateers off Guadeloupe

17th February 1805 Cleopatra taken by the French Ville de Milan; both then taken back by Leander

17th February 1810 Madras European Regiment helps Captain Tucker in Cornwallis to seize Amboina, Moluccas

18th February 1794 Trinidad taken by Rear Admiral Harvey, Prince of Wales, and others

19th February 1807 Constantinople attacked after Vice Admiral Duckworth in Royal George forced the Dardanelles. Of the defending Turkish squadron, 11 were destroyed and the two left were captured.

20th February 1815 American Constitution 44, took the gallantly defended Cyane 22 and Levant 20 off Madeira

21st February 1790 Amazing voyage of Riou in Guardian from Antarctic to South Africa after striking an iceberg and nearly foundering

22nd February 1797 French invaded Britain: landed in Fishguard but were intimidated by Welsh women dressed in red cloaks that looked like redcoat soldiers, and surrendered to the local militia

24th February 1809 Wrecked ashore on west coast of France were French warships Italienne, Calypso and Cybele, driven ashore by British Defiance and others

24th February 1813 Peacock 18 taken by American Hornet 20 off British Guiana

29th February 1812 Boats sent in from Menelaus to seize French St Joseph hiding in her own harbour in France