HMS Boyne (1766)
History | |
---|---|
Great Britain | |
Name | HMS Boyne |
Ordered | 13 May 1758 |
Builder | Plymouth Dockyard |
Laid down | 9 August 1758 |
Launched | 31 May 1766 |
Fate | Broken up, 1783 |
General characteristics [1] | |
Class and type | third rate ship of the line |
Tons burthen | 1426 87⁄94 |
Length | 162 ft (49.4 m) (gundeck) |
Beam | 44 ft 8 in (13.6 m) |
Draught | |
Depth of hold | 19 ft (5.8 m) |
Propulsion | Sails |
Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
Complement | 520 |
Armament |
|
HMS Boyne was a 70-gun
St Lucia, Grenada and Martinique. In November 1780, Boyne returned home, where she was fitted for ordinary at Plymouth. In May 1783, she was broken up
.
Design, construction and armament
Ordered on 13 May 1758 for the
Plymouth Dockyard on 9 August 1758, under the supervision of master shipwright Thomas Bucknall. In May 1762, Bucknall was succeeded by Israel Pownoll who oversaw the completion of the ship. The cost of the build was £29,205.5.6d with a further £10,541.1.1d for fitting out.[2]
Launched on 2 November 1773, Boyne's dimensions were: 162 feet (49.4 metres) along the gun deck, 134 ft 6 in (41.0 m) at the keel, with a
depth in hold of 19 ft 8 in (6.0 m). This made her 1,426 87⁄94 tons (bm). She had a draught of 11 ft 4+1⁄2 in (3.5 m) at the bow and 17 ft 9 in (5.4 m) at the stern.[2]
Burford-class ships were rated as 70-gun ships but only carried 68. Boyne was armed with twenty-eight 32 pounders (15 kilograms) on her lower gun deck, twenty-eight 18 pounders (8.2 kilograms) on her upper gun-deck, twelve 9 pdr (4.1 kg) on the
quarter deck and two on the forecastle.[2]
Service
Boyne was first commissioned in October 1770 for service in the
Falkland Crisis of 1770 when a Spanish force captured Port Egmont. War was averted when the colony was returned in January 1771 and in 1774 Boyne sailed for North America where, in January 1775, she was listed as commanded by Captain Brodrick Hartwell, in a squadron under Vice-Admiral Samuel Graves.[3]
She returned to England in March 1776 to serve in the English Channel.[4]
On 24 May 1778, Boyne, under the command of captain
Comte D'Estaing appeared.[5] The British adopted a defensive stance and as part of the preparations, 12 of Boyne's 32 pounder guns were hauled up from her lower deck and placed on shore.[6] The British formed their ships in line across the bay, with the transports behind, and aided by shore batteries, were twice able to repulse French attacks on 15 December. The following day d'Estaing took his force north to Gross Islet bay where he landed 7,000 soldiers but British troops had already marched there and occupied the high ground.[7] The French were forced to re-embark and, after d'Estaing's fleet left on 29 December, the island surrendered to the British.[8]
On 6 July 1779, Boyne took part in the
St Vincent on 18 June.[11] Admiral Byron had heard of the loss and was on his way to retake the island when he received news that the French had since also taken Grenada. He immediately abandoned his plan and turned his fleet towards Grenada.[12] Of his twenty-one ships-of-the-line, Byron initially left three to guard the convoy and, hoping to attack quickly before the French had time to assemble, sent the remainder on a general chase of the enemy fleet as it left its anchorage. Fifteen of the French ships had already formed line-of-battle when the three leading British ships, HMS Sultan, HMS Prince of Wales and Boyne arrived. Far ahead of the rest. they endured the brunt of the French fire, while being unable to bring their own guns to bear.[13] The remainder of the British fleet engaged in a disorganised fashion and, outnumbered, was badly mauled.[14] Boyne suffered 12 killed and 30 wounded in the action.[15]
The recently promoted
Fort Royal and the British to St. Lucia.[21]
In November, Boyne returned home, where she was fitted for ordinary at Plymouth. In May 1783, she was broken up.[4][1]
Citations
- ^ a b c Lavery, Ships of the Line, vol. 1, p. 174.
- ^ a b c d Winfield p. 57
- ^ "Naval Documents of The American Revolution Volume 1 AMERICAN THEATRE: Dec. 1, 1774–Sept. 2, 1775 EUROPEAN THEATRE: Dec. 6, 1774–Aug. 9, 1775" (PDF). United States government Printing Office. p. 47. Retrieved 9 December 2021 – via American Naval Records Society.
- ^ a b c d Winfield p. 58
- ^ Mahan p. 431
- ^ "No. 11955". The London Gazette. 20 February 1779. p. 1.
- ^ Mahan pp. 431-432
- ^ Mahan p. 432
- ^ Mahan p. 434
- ^ "No. 12012". The London Gazette. 7 September 1779. p. 1.
- ^ Clowes (Vol.III) p.433
- ^ Clowes (Vol.III) p.434
- ^ Clowes (Vol.III) p.436
- ^ Clowes (Vol.III) p.437
- ^ "No. 12012". The London Gazette. 7 September 1779. p. 3.
- ^ Laughton, John Knox (1887). . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 12. pp. 301–302.
- ^ Mahan p. 453
- ^ Mahan p. 455
- ^ Mahan pp. 456-458
- ^ Mahan pp. 458-459
- ^ Mahan pp. 464-466
References
- Clowes, William Laird (1996) [1900]. The Royal Navy, A History from the Earliest Times to 1900, Volume III. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 1-86176-012-4.
- Laughton, John Knox (1887). . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 12. pp. 301–302.
- 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.
- Mahan, Alfred T. (1898). Major Operations of the Royal Navy, 1762–1783. Boston: Little, Brown. OCLC 46778589.
- Winfield, Rif (2007). ISBN 978-1-84415-700-6.