HMS ''Fortitude'' was a 74-gun

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of the

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, built by John Randall & Co. and launched on 23 March 1780 at Rotherhithe. Battle of Dogger Bank 1

Under Captain Richard Bickerton, ''Fortitude'' served in the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

. In April 1781 she participated in the second relief of

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. In May 1781, during the Fourth Anglo–Dutch War, Vice-Admiral Hyde Parker's shifted his flag from to ''Fortitude''. On 5 August, ''Fortitude'' fought in the Battle of Dogger Bank as Parker's flagship. After a desperate, bloody battle in which neither combatant gained any advantage, both sides drew off.

French Revolutionary Wars

In 1793, under Captain

William Young William, Will, Bill or Billy Young may refer to: Arts and entertainment * William Young (composer) (died 1662), English composer and viola da gambist * William Young (architect) (1843–1900), Scottish architect, designer of Glasgow City Chambers ...

she sailed for the Mediterranean to join Admiral Sir Samuel Hood's fleet there. On 7 February 1794 ''Fortitude'', under the command of Captain William Young, and attacked a tower at Mortella Point, on the coast of

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

. The tower, though manned by only 33 men and heavily damaged by the ships' guns, held out for two days before surrendering to land-based forces under Sir John Moore, having lost two men mortally wounded. In her unsuccessful bombardment, ''Fortitude'' suffered extensive damage to her hull, masts, rigging and sails, particularly from heated shot, and had three lower-deck guns disabled. In all, she lost six men killed and 56 men wounded, including eight dangerously. The design of the tower so impressed the British that they made it the model for Martello Towers that they would later construct in Great Britain and many of their colonies. Under Captain Thomas Taylor ''Fortitude'' was involved in actions off

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on 13 March 1795, and Hyères on 13 July 1795. The action on 13 March resulted in Admiral William Hotham's

Mediterranean Fleet The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between t ...

chasing the French fleet and capturing and , with the two fleets then sailing off in opposite directions. The action on 13 July was also indecisive, though the British captured a French 74-gun ship. Admiral Hotham resigned on 1 November 1795. On 25 September 1795, ''Fortitude'' set sail for Britain with a large convoy. On 7 October 1795 the convoy sighted a large French squadron, off

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, which sailed in pursuit of them. Before the French arrived, ''Censeur'' lost her fore topmast and had only a frigate's main mast left, rendering her useless. She was also lightly manned and short of powder. In the subsequent exchange the French recaptured ''Censeur'', along with 30 ships of the convoy. The rest continued on to England.

Fate

''Fortitude'' served as a

prison ship A prison ship, often more accurately described as a prison hulk, is a current or former seagoing vessel that has been modified to become a place of substantive detention for convicts, prisoners of war or civilian internees. While many nation ...

from 1795 and as a powder hulk at

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from 1802. She was broken up there in 1820.

Citations and notes

References

* Lavery, Brian (2003) ''The Ship of the Line - Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850.'' Conway Maritime Press. . *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fortitude (1780) Ships built in Rotherhithe Albion-class ships of the line (1763) 1780 ships