Loss of Ajax
On 1 February 1807 Ajax, under the command of Captain Henry Blackwood, joined Admiral Sir John Duckworth's squadron at Malta to participate in the Dardanelles Operation.
During the operation an accidental fire destroyed Ajax. The fire began on the evening of 14 February while Ajax was anchored off Tenedos. The fire began in the bread-room where the purser and his assistant had negligently left a light burning. As the fire burned out of control, the officers and crew were forced to take to the water. Although 380 people were rescued, 250 lost their lives that night, including many of the crewmen who had been at Trafalgar. Ajax burned through the night and then drifted on to the island of Tenedos where she blew up the following morning. A court martial cleared Captain Blackwood.
Read more about this topic: HMS Ajax (1798)
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