Kingston (60)
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Origin and History
The ship was built by Bassel in Hull in 1697.
The ship took part to the engagements of Gibraltar (1704), Vélez Málaga (1709) and Gaspe (1711).
In 1740, the ship was rebuilt at Plymouth. In 1744, it was at the battle of Sicié near Toulon (1744).
During the Seven Years' War, the ship was under the command of:
- 1756: captain William Parry
- 1759: captain Thomas Shirley
The ship was sold to privateers in 1762 and renamed Lord Clive.
Service during the War
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. 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. On May 24, after a council of war, Byng gave orders to return to Gibraltar, abandoning Minorca to its fate. The squadron arrived at Gibraltar on June 19.
In 1757, the ship was part of admiral Holbourne's squadron which left Ireland on May 5 for the planned expedition against Louisbourg. By July 10, the entire squadron was finally at anchor before Halifax where it made its junction with Hardy's squadron. However on August, when the combined fleet was ready to set sail, Louisbourg had already been reinforced by three French squadron and governor Loudon canceled the whole enterprise. Holbourne's squadron stayed off Louisbourg till September 25 when it was shattered by a most terrible storm. It then returned to Great Britain in a very bad condition.
At the beginning of 1758, the ship was part of the fleet who assembled at Portsmouth under the command of admiral Edward Boscawen for a new expedition against Louisbourg. On February 19, this fleet set sail for Halifax and finally arrived there on May 9. On May 28, the fleet sailed from Halifax and arrived in sight of Louisbourg on June 1. Throughout the siege of Louisbourg, the fleet actively supported the British army and the fortress finally surrendered on July 26.
On November 20 1759, the ship took part to the battle of Quiberon Bay where the French navy suffered a great defeat.
In 1762, the privateers who had just bought the ship from the Royal Navy, organised a raid on Buenos Aires and Montevideo. Their squadron, under the command of Robert McNamara from the East India Company, consisted of the Lord Clive (60), the Ambuscade (40), 2 Portuguese ships (among which the frigate Gloria (38)) transporting 500 foot, and 5 storeships. On November 2, the squadron sailed from Rio de Janeiro towards the mouth of the Río de la Plata but soon abandoned the project because of the strong resistance of the Spaniards. On January 6 1763, during a second attempt, the squadron came under the fire of the Spanish coastal defences. The Lord Clive (60) was lost to Spanish coastal defences. The expedition's commander was captain Robert McNamara, from the East India Company, who was killed during the action. There were 272 fatalities on board the "Lord Clive" and 78 survivors. Officers taken prisoner were not granted naval status and were tried and hanged on the spot while sailors were imprisoned.
Characteristics
| Guns | 60
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| Crew | 400 | ||||||
| Length | ??? | ||||||
| Width | ??? | ||||||
| Depth | ??? | ||||||
| Displacement | ??? |
References
Anonymous, A Complete History of the Present War, from its Commencement in 1756, to the End of the Campaign, 1760, London, 1761, pp. 202-205, 233-235
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
Phillip, Michael, Ships of the Old Navy
Wikipedia articles:
- "Battle of Minorca"
- "Battle of Quiberon Bay"
Acknowledgements
Juan
N.B.: the section Service during the War is mostly derived from our articles depicting the various campaigns, battles and sieges.
