Resolution (74)
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Origin and History
The ship was built by Henry Bird at Northam and launched on December 14 1758.
During the Seven Years' War, the ship was under the command of:
- from the beginning of 1759: captain sir Francis Geary
- from June 5 1759: captain Richard Norbury
- from July 1759 until November 20 1759: captain Henry Speke
On November 20 1759, the ship grounded on a sand bank during the battle of Quiberon and sank.
Service during the War
On November 20 1759, the ship took part in the decisive battle of Quiberon who eliminated any serious threat from the French navy for the rest of the war. At 2:30 PM, she was among the first British ships to go into action and engage the French rear. She attacked the Formidable (80), carrying the flag of rear-admiral du Verger. About 4:00 PM, the Formidable (80), having been severely treated, struck. The loss on board of her was terrible, M. du Verger and upwards of 200 others being killed. The Formidable (80) was taken possession of by the Resolution (74). On the morning of November 21, the Resolution (74) was seen to be wrecked ashore (she had grounded on the Four Shoal during the night)
Characteristics
| Guns | 74
| ||||||||
| Crew | 550 to 600 men | ||||||||
| Length at gundeck | 165 ft 6 in (50.44 m) | ||||||||
| Width | 46 ft 10 in (14.29 m) | ||||||||
| Depth | 19 ft 9 in (6.02 m) | ||||||||
| Displacement | 1569 tons (1594 tonnes) |
References
Blasco, Manuel, 3 Decks Wiki – British 3rd Rates
N.B.: the section Service during the War is mostly derived from our articles depicting the various campaigns, battles and sieges.
