HMS Albion (1763)
History | |
---|---|
Great Britain | |
Name | HMS Albion |
Ordered | 1 December 1759 |
Builder | Deptford Dockyard |
Launched | 16 May 1763 |
Honours and awards |
|
Fate | Wrecked April 1797 |
General characteristics [1] | |
Class and type | Albion-class ship of the line |
Tons burthen | 1662 (bm) |
Length | 168 ft (51 m) (gundeck) |
Depth of hold | 18 ft 10 in (5.74 m) |
Propulsion | Sails |
Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
Armament | |
HMS Albion was a
She saw her first action in the
Albion's next action was a year later on 17 April 1780, when British and French fleets met in the Battle of Martinique. A month later, on 15 May, the fleets met again and after a few days of manoeuvring the head of the British line confronted the rear-most French warships. Albion, leading the vanguard of the British fleet suffered heavy casualties, but with little to show for it. Just four days later the two fleets clashed for the third time but again it was indecisive with Albion heavily engaged as before, suffering numerous casualties in the process.[citation needed]
In 1794 Albion was consigned to the role of a 60-gun floating battery[1] armed with heavy carronades and moored on the Thames Estuary. She was positioned in the Middle Swin, seven miles north-east of Foulness Point.[2]
Fate
In April 1797, while heading to a new position in the Swin Channel, off
The subsequent court-martial blamed the pilots, William Springfield and Joseph Wright, for imprudent maneuvering and going too far back before altering course. The court ordered that they lose all pay due to them and they never serve as pilots again.[3]
Commanders of Note
- Captain Samuel Barrington 1770 to 1773
- Captain John Leveson Gower 1773 to 1775
- Captain George Bowyer 1778 to 1781[4]
Citations
References
- Grocott, Terence (1997) Shipwrecks of the revolutionary & Napoleonic eras (Chatham). ISBN 1-86176-030-2
- Hepper, David J. (1994). British Warship Losses in the Age of Sail, 1650-1859. Rotherfield: Jean Boudriot. ISBN 0-948864-30-3.
- Lavery, Brian (2003) The Ship of the Line - Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-252-8.