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HMS ''Royal George'' was a 100-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Woolwich Dockyard and launched on 18 February 1756. The largest warship in the world at the time of launching, she saw service during the Seven Years' War including being Admiral Sir Edward Hawke's flagship at the Battle of Quiberon Bay and later taking part in the Battle of Cape St Vincent. She sank undergoing routine maintenance work whilst anchored off Portsmouth on 29 August 1782 with the loss of more than 800 lives, one of the most serious maritime losses to occur in British waters. ==Service== Ordered on 29 August 1746, she was laid down at Woolwich Dockyard in 1746 as ''Royal Anne,'' and built to the draught specified by the 1745 Establishment. She was renamed ''Royal George'' during building and launched on 18 February 1756.〔〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Loss of HMS Royal George | Online Information Bank | Research Collections | Royal Naval Museum at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard )〕 At the time of her launch in 1756, she was the largest warship in the world. She served in the Seven Years' War, commissioning under her first commander, Captain Richard Dorrill in October 1755, and after being completed, joined the Western Squadron or Channel Fleet under Admiral Sir Edward Hawke in May 1756. Dorrill was succeeded by Captain John Campbell in July 1756, who was in turn succeeded by Captain Matthew Buckle in early 1757.〔 ''Royal George'' was the flagship of Vice-Admiral Edward Boscawen at this time, and flew his flag in the Raid on Rochefort in September that year.〔 Captain Piercy Brett took command in 1758, during which time ''Royal George'' became the flagship of Admiral Lord George Anson. Brett was succeeded by Captain Alexander Hood in November 1758, though ''Royal George''s former captain, Richard Dorrill, was back in command the following year, until being invalided out of the ship in June.〔 Dorrill's replacement was another former captain, John Campbell, who commanded her in the blockade of the French fleet at Brest.〔 She became Sir Edward Hawke's flagship in early November of that year, when his previous flagship, , went into dock for repairs. Hawke commanded the fleet from ''Royal George'' at the Battle of Quiberon Bay〔 on 20 November 1759, where she sank the French ship ''Superbe''. ''Royal George'' was commanded by Captain William Bennett from March 1760, and she was present at the fleet review at Spithead in July that year.〔 John Campbell returned to command his old ship in August 1760, though Bennett was captain again by December. ''Royal George'' joined Admiral Charles Hardy’s fleet in the Autumn of 1762, and was then paid off on 18 December that year.〔 She was laid up at the conclusion of the Seven Years' War, undergoing a large repair at Plymouth between 1765 and 1768. The outbreak of the American War of Independence generated a need for more ships and ''Royal George'' was fitted at Portsmouth for service in the Channel between May 1778 and April 1779.〔 She recommissioned under her first new commander, Captain Thomas Hallum, in July 1778, with command passing to Captain John Colpoys in November that year. ''Royal George'' was at this time the flagship of Vice-Admiral Sir Robert Harland, with the Western Squadron.〔 Harland struck his flag, and in his place Vice-Admiral George Darby briefly raised his in June 1779, though from August 1779 until December 1781 she was the flagship of Rear-Admiral Sir John Lockhart Ross.〔 Meanwhile, Captain Colpoys was replaced by Captain John Bourmaster in December 1779, and she joined Admiral Sir George Rodney's fleet in their mission to relieve Gibraltar. Under Bourmaster, and flying Ross's flag, ''Royal George'' took part in the attack on the Caracas convoy on 8 January 1780, and the Battle of Cape St. Vincent on 16 January 1780, before going on to successfully relieve Gibraltar three days later.〔〔 ''Royal George'' returned to Britain with the rest of the fleet, and had her hull coppered in April 1780. She returned to service that summer, serving with the Channel Fleet under Admiral Francis Geary, and then George Darby from the Autumn.〔 Both captain and admiral changed in late 1781, Bourmaster being replaced by Captain Henry Cromwell, and Ross striking his flag for ''Royal George'' to become the flagship of Rear-Admiral Richard Kempenfelt. She served as part of Samuel Barrington's squadron from April 1782, with Cromwell replaced by Captain Martin Waghorn in May.〔 ''Royal George'' then joined the fleet under Richard Howe.〔 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 Royal George (1756)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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