Monarca

Posted by Jon Miller on Saturday 20th of June 2026 03:42

Capt John Gell is appointed to the command of the Monarca of 70 guns at Portsmouth, one of the Spanish prizes taken by Sir Geo Rodney. [Exeter Flying Post, 4 August 1780]

Posted by Brian Stephens on Thursday 3rd of April 2014 20:52

The Edinburgh Advertiser
March 16, 1784
Extract of a letter from an officer on board his Majesty's ship Monarca, Capt. Gell, dated Cape of Good Hope, Dec. 21, 1783











We arrived here about ten days ago in a condition melancholy beyond discription. Our crew were so far exhausted, that, on our arrival, we could not muster 100 men in good health to navigate a ship of 70 guns, and larger than any British built ship of 84. When we left th coast of Coromandel, every ship of the fleet was so reduced by frequent actions, that our complement of men, which should have been 740 were scarcely 500, and none could be spared from the others, who were in a like situation. On the first of this month (December) we met with a violent gale of wind to the south of Madagascar, which continued three days and almost destrotyed our crazy fleet. The Exeter of 64 guns, lost all her masts and bowsprit; our ship preserved her masts, but almost all her sails were blown from the shrouds; the other ships of the fleet suffered very considerably. After the weather cleared up, and the storm abated, Providence favoured us with a leading wind to the Cape; had it proved otherwise, I doubt our sickly fleet must have all perished. On board the Monarca we had already lost 65 men by the scurvy, and the doctor had about 200 more upon his list absolutely incapable of doing any duty, and many of them in the last stage of that dreadful disorder. You must suppose we could spare but few of our people to attend the sick, and to heighten our calamity, two of the doctor's mates were among them.

Our ship made a great deal of water, and it was not without the greatest exertion we could keep her afloat; the men dying daily at the pump, and those who still survived (both officers and crew) were so exhausted with fatigue and constant watch and duty, that they were scarcely able to keep the deck. The captain and ward-room officers, gave up all their fresh provisions, wine's etc. to our sick people, and the doctor had long before exhausted all the anti-?corbuties he had, or at any rate purchase before we left India. On our arrival here, we immediately sent 250 men on shore to sick quarters. Other ship have, I find, been nearly in the same situation, and have landed great parts of their crew, who recover very fast by the use of vegtable diet which we have here in the greatest perfection. We do not expect to leave the Cape before April, and by that time the second division of the fleet will call here for refreshments. There are now upwards 1000 sick on shore form the different ships but the Dutch and French give us every assistance in their power. We have buried 70 men in all since our arrival.