HMS ''Aldborough'' was a 20-gun sixth-rate ship of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

, built in 1727 according to the

1719 Establishment The 1719 Establishment was a set of mandatory requirements governing the construction of all Royal Navy warships capable of carrying more than 20 naval long guns. It was designed to bring economies of scale through uniform vessel design, and e ...

and in service in the West Indies, the North Sea and the Mediterranean until 1742. The future Admiral,

Hugh Palliser Admiral Sir Hugh Palliser, 1st Baronet (26 February 1723 – 19 March 1796) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. As captain of the 58-gun HMS ''Eagle'' he engaged and defeated the French 50-gun ''Duc d'Aquitain'' off Ushant in May 1757 du ...

, served aboard ''Aldborough'' as midshipman at the commencement of his naval career.

Naval career

''Aldborough'' was commissioned in March 1727 and assigned to survey work in the British West Indies. Her first captain was Edward Baker, who remained in command until early 1729 when he was replaced by John Gascoigne. After seven years in the West Indies the ship was returned to

Deptford Dockyard Deptford Dockyard was an important Royal Navy Dockyard, naval dockyard and base at Deptford on the River Thames, operated by the Royal Navy from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. It built and maintained warships for 350 years, and man ...

in 1734 for refit and repair. Aboard as passengers for this voyage were

James Oglethorpe Lieutenant-General James Edward Oglethorpe (22 December 1696 – 30 June 1785) was a British Army officer, Tory politician and colonial administrator best known for founding the Province of Georgia in British North America. As a social refo ...

, the founder of the colony of Georgia, and a delegation of Yamacraw sent to meet with the British Government. ''Aldborough''s years in tropical waters had taken their toll with extensive work required to restore her hull and timbers. Refitting continued until June 1735 at a cost of £5,417, more than two thirds of her original construction expense of £7,461.Winfield 2007, p. 249 Temporarily restored to seaworthiness, ''Aldborough'' was assigned to the command of Captain Nicholas Robinson and transferred to coastal patrol in the English Channel and North Sea. Robinson's 11-year-old nephew Hugh Palliser was also signed aboard as a midshipman from 1735. The ship remained in poor condition despite her recent refit, and was paid off for further repair in 1736. ''Aldborough'' was refitted in 1737 as a

fireship A fire ship or fireship is a large wooden vessel set on fire to be used against enemy ships during a ramming attack or similar maneuver. Fireships were used to great effect against wooden ships throughout naval military history up until the adv ...

of 8 guns and 55 crew. In 1738 this designation was reversed, with ''Aldborough'' restored to the Navy lists as a 20-gun sixth rate and assigned to Mediterranean service under Captain George Pocock. She was immediately deployed as a privateer hunter, capturing a Spanish

barque A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel with three or more mast (sailing), masts of which the fore mast, mainmast, and any additional masts are Square rig, rigged square, and only the aftmost mast (mizzen in three-maste ...

on 28 January 1739 and taking part in the capture of two more vessels in June. She was less successful in 1740, cruising for several weeks off the coast of Malta without encountering enemy craft. In January 1741 she was part of the British fleet at Port Mahon off the coast of Spain.

Fate

''Aldborough'' was broken up at Deptford Dockyard on 31 March 1742, in accordance with Admiralty orders that another ship of the same name be constructed in her place.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aldborough, HMS Individual sailing vessels 1720s ships Ships built in Portsmouth Fireships of the Royal Navy Sixth rates of the Royal Navy