Purcell CM Conclusion Home Court Martials Court-Martial Opening
Revised Jun 5 2021
Minutes taken at a Court Martial assembled on board His Majesty's Ship Hector in Portsmouth Harbour on the tenth Day of September 1792.
Present.
The Right Honorable Lord Hood Vice Admiral of the Blue and Commander in Chief of His Majesty's Ships and Vessels at Portsmouth and Spithead, President.
Captain Edward Edwards late Commander of His Majesty's Ship Pandora his surviving Officers and Company called in and audience admitted.
The Order from the Right Honorable Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, dated the 20th. August last and directed to the President, setting forth that by their Lordships Order of the 25th October 1790 Captain Edward Edwards of His Majesty's Ship Pandora was directed to proceed in that Ship to Otaheite and other Islands in the South Seas for the purpose of recovering His Majesty's armed Vessel the Bounty which had been violently and forcibly taken from Lieutenant Bligh her Commander on the 28th April 1789 by Fletcher Christian who was Mate of her assisted by others of the inferior Officers [and] Men armed with Bayonets and Musquets and to bring in confinement to England the said Fletcher Christian and his Associates, or as many of them as had survived and he might be able to apprehend in order to their being brought to condign Punishment, and that the said Captain Edwards by his Letter to their Lordships Secretary dated at Batavia the 25th of November last gave an account of his proceedings in the execution of their Lordship's said order and that on his return home the said Ship struck upon a Reef near the Entrance of Endeavour Straits and soon afterwards sunk, and to assemble a Court Martial to enquire into the Cause and Circumstances of the loss of His Majesty's said Ship Pandora and to try the said Captain Edwards, his surviving officers and Company, for their conduct upon that occasion was read.
The Members of the Court and the Judge Advocate then in open Court and before they proceeded to trial respectively took the several oaths enjoined and directed in and by an Act of Parliament made and passed in the twenty second year of the Reign of His late Majesty King George the second intitled "An Act for amending explaining and reducing into one Act of Parliament the Laws relating to the Government of His Majesty's Ships Vessels and Forces by Sea."
Then an extract of the said Letter from the said Captain Edwards containing an Account of the Loss of the said Ship as beforementioned was read.
The Court asked Captain Edwards.
Q. Have you any Objections or Complaint to make against any of the Officers or People of His Majesty's Ship Pandora respecting her Loss?
A. None at all. I was in a Part of the ocean unknown and I considered myself to be Pilot of her.
To the Officers and People.
Q. Have you any Objection or Complaint to make against the Captain respecting the loss of the Pandora?
A. None at all.
Q. Have you any Narrative of the Loss of the Ship?
A. Yes.
Captain Edwards delivered a Paper Writing containing the Narrative which he signed and also a Paper Writing containing the Opinions of his Officers which were read by the Judge Advocate and are hereto annexed.
The Officers and People withdrew except Lieutenant John Larken first Lieutenant of the Pandora
The Court asked
Q. Do you believe the Narrative delivered in by Captain Edwards to the Court to be just and true?
A. I do.
Q. Have you any objections to make to any Part of it?
A. None.
The Witness withdrew.
Lieutenant Robert Corner second Lieutenant of the Pandora called in and sworn.
The Court asked
Q. Do you believe the Narrative delivered in by Captain Edwards to the Court to be just and true?
A. Very true.
Q. Have you any objections to make to any Part of it?
A. None.
The Witness withdrew.
Lieutenant Thomas Hayward third Lieutenant of the Pandora called in and sworn.
The Court asked
Q. Do you believe the Narrative delivered in by Captain Edwards to the Court to be just and true?
A. Strictly so.
Q. Have you any objections to make to any Part of it?
A. None in the least.
The Witness withdrew.
Mr. George Passmore Master of the Pandora called in and sworn.
The Court asked
Q. Do you believe the Narrative delivered in by Captain Edwards to the Court to be just and true?
A. Strictly so.
Q. Have you any objections to make to any Part of it?
A. Not any.
The Witness withdrew.
The Court was cleared and agreed, that the loss of His Majesty's Ship Pandora was occasioned by her striking upon a Reef near the Entrance of Endeavour Straits and soon afterwards sinking and that her loss was not in any respect owning to mismanagement or a want of proper attention to her safety, of the said Captain Edward Edwards his Officers and Ship's Company but that the said Captain Edward Edwards his Officers and Ship's Company did every thing that was possible to be done for the preservation of His Majesty's said Ship Pandora, and for the good of His Majesty's Service and the said Captain Edward Edwards and the other Officers and Company of His Majesty's said Ship Pandora were honourably acquitted.
The Court was again opened, the Audience admitted and Sentence passed accordingly.
(signed) Mr. Greetham Jun'r
Judge Advocate for the Time being
Purcell CM Conclusion Home Court Martials Court-Martial Opening