Charles Tyler
Admiral Sir Charles Tyler, GCB was a naval officer in the British Royal Navy who gained fame during the Napoleonic Wars as a naval captain that fought at the Battle of Copenhagen and Battle of Trafalgar, becoming one of Nelson's Band of Brothers.
Early life
Tyler was born in County Cavan, Ireland, in 1760, the son of Captain Peter Tyler of the Oxfordshire Light Infantry and his wife the Hon. Anna Maria Roper, daughter of Henry Roper, 8th Baron Teynham. His father died when he was three years old. In 1771, at eleven years of age, he joined the Royal Navy aboard under Captain Andrew Snape Hamond as a Captain's servant boy. His rapid promotion to the rank of midshipsman within his second year at sea suggest the captain favored him and may have known his family. He rose steadily through the ranks during the American Revolutionary War, although during that period he had little opportunity to distinguish himself. In 1779 he was promoted to lieutenant, jumping to commander in 1782 and retaining his position throughout the peacetime Navy of 1783 to 1790, when he was made post-captain.French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars
Upon the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars, Tyler was in command of the frigate during the siege of Toulon and the invasion of Corsica the following year. He first met Nelson in the course of these campaigns, and was present when the latter lost an eye at the Siege of Calvi.Transferring to soon afterwards, he was present at Lord Hotham's disappointing Battle of Genoa and then spent the next several years operating against North African pirates in the frigate Aigle before she was accidentally wrecked on Plane Island. Returning to the fleet, Tyler was acquitted of blame for the loss of his ship and was given the ship of the line which he commanded off Cádiz before returning to England and participating under Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Copenhagen where he was commended for his actions.
During the Peace of Amiens Tyler was returned to shore as commander of a unit of Sea Fencibles, but in 1803 was back at sea, commanding the 80-gun, which Nelson had captured at the battle of the Nile. Tonnant was a large, modern ship with a heavy payload, capable of taking on the largest enemy ships. Tyler carefully drilled his crew until Tonnant was amongst the most efficient and powerful ships in the fleet. Tyler was specially requested by Nelson for the Cadiz blockade in 1805, and thus participated in the Battle of Trafalgar, although not before he was forced to travel to Naples where his son was under arrest for desertion from the navy and crippling debts. Unknown to Tyler until much later was the fact that Nelson personally paid the young man's debt and used his influence to have him released and reinstated into the Navy albeit with a stern warning about responsibilities.
Trafalgar
At Trafalgar, Tyler was originally second in line from Collingwood's flagship, but due to its speed was swapped to third in line. Because of this forward positioning the ship was quickly and intensely engaged in the battle. Tonnant first forced the Spanish Monarca to surrender before colliding with the Algésiras which soon became hopelessly entangled in the British ship's rigging. This resulted in a savage series of close-range bombardments and boarding actions during which Tyler was shot in the thigh and French Admiral Magon was killed. Once the Algésiras finally surrendered, the Tonnant although badly battered, was still able to attack and capture the San Juan Nepomuceno at the close of the battle.Struggling back to Gibraltar with over 70 casualties on board, including Tyler himself, the Tonnant relied heavily on other ships for aid, and thus was unable to prevent the Algésiras from escaping to Cadiz Harbour after her crew rose up against the prize crew, although the San Juan Nepomuceno did arrive at Gibraltar thanks to heroic efforts by her Spanish crew and British prize crew. Briefly returning to London to celebrate and recover, Tyler received the thanks of Parliament and numerous awards from the nation before returning to his ship in the Mediterranean, where he continued to serve, overseeing the surrender of the Russian fleet at Lisbon in 1808.