Charles Cunningham - Actions During The Mutiny

Actions During The Mutiny

The Spithead and Nore mutinies were two major mutinies by sailors of the Royal Navy on various adjacent ships that broke out on 10 May 1797 and quickly spread. During the mutiny, only Cunningham aboard the Clyde and Sir Harry Burrard-Neale aboard HMS St Fiorenzo were able to retain control over the sailors on their respective ships. By 22 May, the mutiny became more violent due to the Admiralty refusing to make any concessions. To help signal their mutinous control over the port admiral, the flag of the port admiral was torn down and replaced with the red flag. Seven days later on 29 May, the mutineer leader Richard Parker called for delegates to come from other ships to his headquarters aboard HMS Sandwich. Sensing the time was right to escape, Cunningham did not reply to Parker's request. To keep the mutineers from suspecting his plan, Cunningham kept the sails of the Clyde down and did not man the ship's wheel with a pilot.

After it grew sufficiently dark, Cunningham gathered his crew at 9pm and announced his intention to escape the mutiny by sailing the Clyde out of the port in the next three hours so that they would arrive at Sheerness before daybreak. He encouraged them by declaring that if they agreed to this, Sir Harry Neale would join them with the St Fiorenzo. The crew almost unanimously agreed to this, a single voice of dissent was quickly shouted down. At midnight, Cunningham ordered the anchor raised and the Clyde silently slipped out of the port. By daybreak, Cunningham and his ship arrived at Sheerness safely away from the mutiny. The Clyde's successful escape from the mutineers cause an atmosphere of distrust to spread among those who agreed to follow the mutineer leaders. This distrust formed the first effective blow against the ringleaders, and soon other ships were abandoning the mutinies and returning control to their respective commanders. As a result, the mutinies soon were quashed.