Torbay Hospital.

Notes:

Circa Jun 1801 J. Stephenson, Esq. one of the Surgeons of Haslar, is appointed, by the Lords of the Admiralty, Surgeon to the hospital at Torbay. [I would guess that this was arranged in the light of the Channel Fleets etc., using the Torbay anchorage, sheltered from the prevailing SW winds, and much used when the state of the weather meant that it was no longer possible for the main fleet to remain on the French coast, and fairly convenient, as it would appear per vessel movements in the area, for being revictualled and watered etc., from Plymouth. And rather than using Cawsand Bay, Plymouth Sound and Falmouth Harbour the Torbay anchorage would have allowed the fleet plenty of sea-room and able to depart in reasonable order without the problems associated with manoeuvring such large and unwieldy vessels when they were leaving confined anchorages / moorings, which caused so many problems at Spithead in the early days of the war, circa 1793-4, when several vessels were in collision and had to be taken into Portsmouth harbour to be repaired.....no doubt also due to the captains and ship's companies being a little rusty after so little sea-time being available in the previous 10 or more years : ships of the line probably being one of the most complicated pieces of machinery ever built !]

9 May 1802 an armed ship has arrived Torbay, off Brixham, to take stores from the Signal House at Berry Head, and from Torbay Hospital, following the signing of the Peace of Amiens.