HMS ''Renown'' was a small two-decker 50-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

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 ...

. She belonged to the ''Portland'' class, designed in 1766 by

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

, the

Surveyor of the Navy The Surveyor of the Navy, originally known as Surveyor and Rigger of the Navy, held overall responsibility for the design of British warships from 1745. He was a principal commissioner and member of the Navy Board from the inauguration of tha ...

, and was built under contract by Robert Fabian at Southampton. ''Renown'' was first commissioned in July 1775 under Captain Francis Banks. After completion at Portsmouth Dockyard, she sailed on 30 September for North America. Banks died on 18 June 1777, and command passed to Lieutenant George Dawson, posted captain in September 1777. She took part in Admiral

Richard Howe Admiral of the Fleet Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe (8 March 1726 – 5 August 1799) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. After serving in the War of the Austrian Succession, he gained a reputation for his role in amphibious operations agai ...

's notable action against the French fleet under the Comte d'Estaing on 11 August 1778. Two days subsequent to this, she attacked the 90-gun ''Languedoc'', which had been dismasted the day before in a storm, and raked her. She returned to England in November 1780 and underwent a refit and replacement of her coppering until February 1781, before recommissioning under Captain John Henry and returning to the North American station. The ''Renown'' took part in Kempenfelt's Action on 12 December 1781. She finally returned home and paid off out of commission in August 1784. She was fitted as a

lazarette The lazarette or lazaret (sometimes lazaretto) of a boat is an area near or aft of the cockpit. The word is similar to and probably derived from lazaretto. A lazarette is usually a storage locker used for gear or equipment a sailor or boatswa ...

Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham, Kent, Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham, Kent, Gillingham; at its most extens ...

in March 1794, but was eventually broken up at Sheerness in December 1794.

References

* * Ships of the line of the Royal Navy 1774 ships Ships built in Southampton {{UK-line-ship-stub