|
HMS ''Princess'' was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She had briefly sailed as ''Princesa'' for the Spanish Navy, until her capture off Cape Finisterre in 1740 during the War of the Austrian Succession. After being chased down and captured by three British ships, she was acquired for service by the Royal Navy. Her design and fighting qualities excited considerable interest, and sparked a series of increases in the dimensions of British warships. She went on to serve under a number of commanders in several theatres of the War of the Austrian Succession, including the Mediterranean, where she was at the Battle of Toulon, and in the Caribbean and off the North American coast. She was then laid up and being assessed, was not reactivated for service during the Seven Years' War. She was instead reduced to a hulk at Portsmouth, in which capacity she lasted out both the Seven Years' War and the American War of Independence, being sold for breaking up in 1784, shortly after the end of the latter conflict, after a career in British service lasting 44 years. ==Spanish career and capture== ''Princesa'' was built between 1730 and 1731, being nominally rated at 70 guns, but carrying 64. On 25 March 1740 news reached the Admiralty that two Spanish ships had sailed from Buenos Aires, and were bound for Spain. Word was sent to Portsmouth and a squadron of three ships, consisting of the 70-gun ships , and , under the command of Captain Colvill Mayne of ''Lenox'', were prepared to intercept them. The ships, part of Sir John Balchen's fleet were briefly joined by and , and the squadron sailed from Portsmouth at 3am on 29 March, passing down the English Channel.〔 ''Rippon'' and ''St Albans'' fell astern on 5 April, and though Mayne shortened sail, they did not come up. On 8 April Mayne's squadron was patrolling some 300 miles south-west of The Lizard when a ship was sighted to the north.〔 The British came up and found her to be ''Princesa'', carrying 64 guns and a crew of 650 under the command of Don Parlo Augustino de Gera. They began to chase her at 10am, upon which she lowered the French colours she had been flying and hoisted Spanish ones. Mayne addressed his men saying 'When you received the pay of your country, you engaged yourselves to stand all dangers in her cause. Now is the trial; fight like men for you have no hope but in your courage.'〔 After a two and half hour chase the British were able to come alongside and exchange broadsides, which eventually left the Spanish ship disabled.〔 The British then raked her until she struck her colours.〔 The Spanish ship had casualties of 33 killed and around 100 wounded, while eight men were killed aboard both ''Kent'' and ''Orford'', and another one aboard ''Lenox''.〔 Total British wounded amounted to 40, and included Captain Durell of ''Kent'', who had one of his hands shot away.〔 The commander of ''Orford'' during the engagement had been Lord Augustus FitzRoy. According to the Spanish version of the facts, the ship Princesa was seriously damaged before the combat. The Spanish ship ''Princesa'' begun a hard battle against the three English ships chasing her. The combat lasted 6 hours. ''Princesa'' caused serious damages to ''Lenox'' and obliged ''Kent'' to leave the battle, but could not face the encounter against ''Orford'' and surrendered. There were 70 killed and 80 wounded on board ''Princesa'', which was taken to Portsmouth for reparation. Afterward, she was used by the Royal Navy.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「HMS Princess (1740)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|