‘We have gained a great Victory…but we have lost Lord Nelson’
Lieutenant John Lapenotiere, 1805

HM schooner Pickle was a 72-foot (22 m) two-masted vessel, built in 1799. She was bought for use as a flagship tender, but later served as a dispatch and communications vessel due to her fast-sailing characteristics. 

Image: Early depiction of Pickle. Credit: NMM, London, F3878-2

In the early 19th century, the Royal Navy was a highly disciplined service and the mainstay of national defence. Britain was at war with France and much of the fleet was engaged blockading enemy ports, to keep French ships and trade penned in. HM schooner Pickle, commanded by Lieutenant John Lapenotiere, was involved in this work, but her most celebrated role was yet to come.

On 21 October 1805, a famous battle took place off Cape Trafalgar, in south-west Spain. Britain secured dominance of the seas but at the price of losing one of its greatest heroes, Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson.

Pickle was a speedy vessel, well equipped for a fast passage home. She was chosen to deliver one of the most legendary dispatches in naval history, the news of victory at Trafalgar and of Nelson’s death.

John Lapenotiere was 15 years old when he joined the Navy. By 1805, he was a 35-year-old lieutenant, desperate for further promotion. The delivery of the dispatches announcing victory at Trafalgar was a defining point in his career.

While sailing back to England, Lapenotiere encountered the 18-gun sloop Nautilus, whose captain, John Sykes, decided it was his duty to carry the news. The resulting race between Sykes and Lapenotiere to be first home has become famous in naval history.

Arriving in Falmouth on 4 November 1805, Lapenotiere gambled half his salary on a post-chaise (a hired carriage) to speed him to London. He arrived at the Admiralty 37 hours later, after 19 horse changes, just ahead of Sykes. His efforts were rewarded with promotion to the rank of Commander.