Buckingham (70)
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Origin and History
The ship was built at Deptford dockyard and launched on April 13 1751.
During the Seven Years' War, the ship was under the command of:
- 1756: captain Michael Everitt
- from 1757 to January 1759: captain Richard Tyrrel
- from February 1759: captain Lachlin Leslie
On April 19 1777, the ship was renamed "HMS Grampus" and used as a storeship. She was lost in November 1778.
Service during the War
In November 1755, the ship was the flagship of counter-admiral West's squadron of four vessels. On November 11 towards 10:00 AM some 400 km west of Yeu Island, this squadron intercepted the slow Espérance (74) armed as a flute with only 22 guns, who was returning from Louisbourg. The Espérance was initially engaged by the Orford (70) at 4:00 PM. The combat lasted for three hours. By 9:00 PM, the Espérance was surrounded by the four British ships and a prize crew sent aboard.
In 1756, the ship was part of Byng's squadron sent to relieve Fort St. Philip besieged by a French amphibious force who had invaded the island of Minorca. She was the flagship of counter-admiral Temple West. The squadron set sail from England on April 10. On May 2, it arrived at Gibraltar. On May 8, Byng's squadron left Gibraltar. On May 19, it came into sight of Fort St. Philip. The French fleet then advanced to meet Byng. On May 20, the ship took part to the battle of Minorca where several British ships were seriously damaged but none was lost on either side. After a council of war, Byng gave orders to return to Gibraltar, abandoning Minorca to its fate.
At the beginning of January 1759, the ship was among the fleet assembled at Carlisle Bay in Barbados under commodore John Moore for the planned expedition against the Martinique and Guadeloupe islands. On January 13, the whole British force sailed for Martinique Island. On January 15, the fleet lay off the bay of Fort Royal (actual Fort de France). On January 18, after an unsuccessful attempt of the land troops to capture Fort Royal, the British fleet proceeded to Saint-Pierre, the second town in Martinique. On January 19, the attack of the coastal batteries failed and commodore Moore decided to redirect his efforts against the island of Guadeloupe. On January 22, the British fleet reached Basse-Terre. On January 23, the fleet bombarded the citadel and the town of Basse-Terre which were almost entirely destroyed. On January 24, British troops landed and occupied the town. Until March 11, most of the fleet remained idle in front of Basse-Terre. Moore then transported most of the land forces to Fort Louis before falling back to Prince Rupert's Bay in the Island of Dominica, in order to cover Basse-Terre and the British Leeward Islands from the threat of the newly arrived French squadron. The island of Guadeloupe finally capitulated on May 1. The ship was then charged to bring to Great Britain the news of the surrender of the island.
In the 1760s, the ship carried the flag of vice-admiral Richard Tyrell when he commanded a squadron stationed in the West Indies.
To do: details of the campaigns from 1760 to 1762
Characteristics
| Guns | 70
| ||||||
| Crew | ??? | ||||||
| Length | 160 feet (48.77 m) | ||||||
| Width | 45.5 feet (13.87 m) | ||||||
| Depth | n/a | ||||||
| Displacement | 1,436 tons (1,303 metric tons) |
References
Anonymous, A Complete History of the Present War, from its Commencement in 1756, to the End of the Campaign, 1760, London, 1761
Clowes, Wm. Laird, The Royal Navy – A History from the Earliest Time to the Present, Vol. III, Sampson Low, Marston and Company, London: 1898, pp. 146-160
Phillips, M., Michael Phillip's Ships of the Old Navy
- "Battle of Minorca"
- "HMS Buckingham"
N.B.: the section Service during the War is mostly derived from our articles depicting the various campaigns, battles and sieges.
