Alexander Hood (Royal Navy officer)

Alexander Hood ( born April 23 1758 in Netherbury, Dorset, † April 21, 1798 in front of Brest, on board HMS Mars) was a British naval officer.

Family

Alexander Hood came from the famous seafaring family Hood. His father was the paymaster Samuel Hood (1715-1805), his mother Anne Hood, born Bere. His younger brother was Admiral Sir Samuel Hood, his two cousins ​​were Admiral Sir Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Bridport, and Admiral Sir Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood. Was baptized Alexander Hood on April 27, 1758 in Mosterton (Dorset).

Naval career

1767, at the age of nine years, Hood joined the Royal Navy. From 1772, he acted as Ensign on HMS Resolution James Cook on his second voyage ( 1772-1775 ) in the Pacific. Cook christened the island of Fatu Huku according to him, " Hood's Iceland ", as Alexander Hood she had seen on April 6, 1774 as the first Europeans. 1777 Hood was promoted to lieutenant and served on several ships during the American Revolutionary War. His own first command was the Cutter Ranger in the sea area of the British West Indies in the Caribbean. On July 27, 1781, the carriage followed the Captain. He was flag captain under the command of his cousin Samuel Hood on the battleship HMS Barfleur and participated in the Battle of St. Kitts. Other commands were the frigate HMS Champion, the frigate Aimable ( a French pinch ) and the frigate HMS lifting in the British Channel Fleet.

Commander of HMS Mars

In the first coalition war in 1794 he received command of the battleship HMS Audacious, but he fell seriously ill and had only a few months later his service terminate provisional. It was only in February 1797 Hood returned as commander of the battleship HMS Mars back to active duty. The crew of the Mars was involved in the mutiny at Southampton ( Spithead Mutiny from April 16 to May 15, 1797 ), as the crews of 16 ships of the Channel Fleet protesting the living conditions on board and demanded higher wages. The mutineers put Captain Alexander Hood on land and refused to run out to fight against France. The British King George III. finally gave in, increased the wages and pardoned the rebels. The incident had no consequences for Hood.

On April 21, 1798 21.30 clock, there was the famous naval battle between the HMS Mars and the French battleship Hercule before the Pointe du Raz. Both ships were about equally armed and fought side by side lying, a seventy- minute-long artillery duel. Hood was hit by a musket ball, the French, the shredded his femoral artery. He died towards the end of the battle to his injury.