Namur (90)
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Origin and History
The ship was built at Chatham and launched in 1756.
During the Seven Years' War, the ship was under the command of:
- in 1758 and 1759: captain Matthew Buckle
The ship was retired from service in 1807.
Service during the War
In August 1757, the ship joined the fleet assembling at Spithead under the command of sir Edward Hawke. On September 8, this fleet sailed. It escorted 45 transports carrying more then 7,000 foot for an expedition against an undisclosed French port of the Atlantic coast. The expedition was finally a raid on Rochefort but it failed lamentably. On October 6, the expeditionary force, returned home with no tangible results.
At the beginning of 1758, the ship was part of the fleet who assembled at Portsmouth under the command of admiral Edward Boscawen for the 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. A few weeks after the capture of Louisbourg, Boscawen sailed for Great Britain with a squadron who, on his passage, became separated. On October 27, Boscawen entered the Soundings with part of his squadron including the Namur (his flagship). His squadron met du Chaffault's squadron which was returning from Québec but after a brief cannonade, both fleet separated. On November 1, Boscawen arrived at Spithead.
In May 1759, during the naval operations in the Mediterranean, the ship was the flagship of admiral Edward Boscawen's squadron who blockaded Toulon to prevent the French squadron from leaving without being detected and followed. At the beginning of July, Boscawen was compelled to go to Gibraltar for provisions and repairs. On August 4, Boscawen finally reached Gibraltar. On August 5, de la Clue set sail from Toulon to make a junction with de Conflans' fleet at Brest. On August 17, de la Clue's fleet (10 ships of the line, 2 50-gun ships and 3 frigates) passed the straits of Gibraltar where it was sighted by the Gibraltar (20). Alarmed, Boscawen set sail from Gibraltar to intercept de la Clue. On August 18, the ship took part to the victorious battle of Lagos. At about 4:00 PM, Boscawen, himself, in the Namur, was in action with the sternmost French ships. By about 4:30 PM, the Namur was close alongside the Océan (80). At about 5:00 PM, after an engagement of some 30 minutes, the Namur, having lost her mizenmast and both topsail yards, was disabled and fell astern. Boscawen ordered out his barge and was rowed at once to the Newark (80) and there hoisted his flag. After the battle, Boscawen rehoisted his flag in the Namur (90). As soon as his fleet had repaired damages, Boscawen returned to Great Britain, in accordance with his instructions, taking with him a large part of his squadron including the Namur (90). On November 20, she took part in the decisive battle of Quiberon. This British victory eliminated any serious threat from the French navy for the rest of the war.
To do: campaigns from 1760 to 1763
Characteristics
| Guns | 90
| ||||||
| Crew | 780 men | ||||||
| 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. 227-232
Blasco, Manuel, British 2nd Rates, 3 Decks Wiki
N.B.: the section Service during the War is mostly derived from our articles depicting the various campaigns, battles and sieges.
