HMS ''Pembroke'' was a 60-gun
fourth-rate
In 1603 all English warships with a complement of fewer than 160 men were known as 'small ships'. In 1625/26 to establish pay rates for officers, a six-tier naval ship rating system was introduced.Winfield 2009 These small ships were divided ...
ship of the line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactics in the Age of Sail, naval tactic known as the line of battl ...
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 ...
, launched at
Deptford
Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century ...
on 22 November 1694.
''Pembroke'' was captured by French warships in the Mediterranean in 1709,
recaptured in 1711, and finally sold to
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
in
Genoa
Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
in 1713 and renamed ''Lanfranco.''
[''Navío Lanfranco.''](_blank)
''Revista de Historia Naval'' She saw action in the
Siege of Barcelona under D. Andrés del Pez and participated in the expeditions to Genoa in 1714, to
Majorca
Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.
The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...
in 1715, and to South America in 1716. In 1718 she captured two French privateer frigates off
Montevideo
Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
.
She sank shortly after in Buenos Aires.
The Pembroke's bell
Since the 1960s, the bell from ''Pembroke'' has served as a church bell at St. Bride's Anglican church in the town of
Ōtorohanga
Ōtorohanga is a north King Country town in the Waikato region in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located south of Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton and north of Te Kūiti, on the Waipā River. It is a service town for the surrounding Da ...
, New Zealand. It was given to the church on its construction by a local family, the Westmacotts, and it was used for every service. The bell, which weighs 150 kg, was reported stolen from the church in the week beginning 13 June 2011. The bell's clapper, which was removed between uses is still in the church's possession. The bell was found by scrap metal merchants and returned.
See also
*
List of ships captured in the 18th century
Naval engagements were common throughout the 18th century and often involved the capture of enemy vessels. The captured vessels were typically renamed and incorporated into thseizingnation's naval fleet. Merchant ships were also seized and, at ...
Notes
References
*Lavery, Brian (1983) ''The Ship of the Line – Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850''. Conway Maritime Press. .
Ships of the line of the Royal Navy
1690s ships
Maritime incidents in Argentina
Captured ships
Shipwrecks in rivers
Ships built in Deptford
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