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HMS ''Rose'' was a 20-gun Seaford-class post 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 at
Blaydes Yard Blaydes' Yard was a private shipbuilder in Kingston upon Hull, England, founded in the 18th century which fulfilled multiple Royal Navy contracts. Her most notable ship was HMS Bounty, HMS ''Bounty'' famed for its mutiny. History Hugh Blaydes ...
in Hull, England in 1757 and in service until 1779. Her activities in suppressing
smuggling Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. More broadly, soc ...
in the colony of
Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
provoked the formation of what became the
Continental Navy The Continental Navy was the navy of the United Colonies and United States from 1775 to 1785. It was founded on October 13, 1775 by the Continental Congress to fight against British forces and their allies as part of the American Revolutionary ...
, precursor of the modern
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
. She was based at the North American station in the West Indies and then used in the American Revolutionary War. A replica was built in 1970, then modified to match HMS ''Surprise'', and used in two films, ''Master and Commander: Far Side of the World'' and ''Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides''.


Activities in North America

HMS ''Rose'' was built in Hull, England in 1757, as a 20 gun sixth-rate post ship for the British Royal Navy. In the
Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...
, ''Rose'' was in service in the Channel and in the
Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
. She was briefly considered for service as Captain
James Cook Captain (Royal Navy), Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 176 ...
's vessel on his first exploration of the Pacific, but was rejected as unable to stow the quantity of provisions required for the planned circumnavigation of the globe. Instead she was sent to the North American station, en route to which she encountered Cook's ultimate choice of vessel, , on 12 September 1768 when the two ships anchored alongside each other at
Funchal Funchal () officially Funchal City (), is the capital, largest city and a Municipality (Portugal), municipality in Portugal's Madeira, Autonomous Region of Madeira, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. The city has a population of 105,795, making it ...
in the
Madeira Islands Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of the Canary Islands, Spain, wes ...
. In 1774, ''Rose'', under the command of Sir James Wallace, was sent to
Narragansett Bay Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound covering , of which is in Rhode Island. The bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor and includes a small archipelago. S ...
in
Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
to put an end to the rampant
smuggling Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. More broadly, soc ...
that had made Newport the fourth wealthiest city in America. Since ''Rose'' was much larger than any American vessel of the time and Wallace was an effective commander, smuggling activity quickly came to a halt. On 22 February 1775 she captured sloop ''Lively'' carrying contraband goods. On morning of 2 April 1775 she ran aground on the north end of Goat Island, getting off that evening. On 26 April 1775 she seized the sloops ''Diana'' and ''Abigail''. On 2 May 1775, she seized a sloop owned by one of the Providence Paquet clan. On 30 August 1775, Wallace attacked Stonington Connecticut, possibly the first British incursion of the conflict. The presence of ''Rose'' threatened to derail the economy of Newport. Local merchants soon petitioned their colonial legislature to establish a navy and chase off Wallace and his crew. They backed up their petitions by putting up funds to have a merchant vessel converted for military use. This vessel was commissioned as the
sloop-of-war During the 18th and 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship of the Royal Navy with a single gun deck that carried up to 18 guns. The rating system of the Royal Navy covered all vessels with 20 or more guns; thus, the term encompassed all u ...
, which became the first naval command of
John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 – July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-born naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Often referred to as the "Father of the American Navy", Jones is regard ...
. Rhode Island declared its independence from Britain on 4 May 1776, two full months before the rest of the colonies. The petitioning of the
Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...
to form a naval force to rid Narragansett Bay of ''Rose'' was the impetus for the creation of the
Continental Navy The Continental Navy was the navy of the United Colonies and United States from 1775 to 1785. It was founded on October 13, 1775 by the Continental Congress to fight against British forces and their allies as part of the American Revolutionary ...
. In July 1776, during the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
, ''Rose'' took part in the British invasion of New York, firing on fortifications and making forays far up the
Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...
along with . Wallace was knighted for his actions in helping to force the army of
George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
out of the state and put it firmly under British control. She also patrolled the rest of the northeast coast of America, suppressing efforts by American ships to engage in trade and pressing their sailors into Royal Navy service, and providing logistical support for the British garrison in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. Among her last recorded actions, occurring on 27 January 1779, was the capture of a prize in
Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...
.


Scuttled in Savannah, Georgia

''Rose'' finally met her end in 1779 in
Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...
,
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
, no longer seaworthy and unfit for service. The British scuttled ''Rose'' in a narrow part of the channel, effectively blocking it. Consequently, both French and American naval forces could not reach the city and Savannah remained in British hands until the war's end. After the war ''Rose'' was destroyed to clear the channel. Though only a few artefacts have been recovered by dredging over the years, the
United States Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wo ...
recovered three cannons and an anchor from the Savannah River, believed to be from HMS ''Rose''.


HMS ''Rose'' replica

In 1970 a replica of HMS ''Rose'' was built in Lunenburg,
Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...
. She was also named HMS ''Rose'' and initially intended as a "dockside attraction," used for display and later sail training. In 1991 the ship gained the
United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...
certification as a sail training vessel. She took part in many maritime events, among them in the huge Tall Ship Race "Columbus 500" in 1992. In 2001, she was purchased by Fox Studios, sailed to Southern California, and altered to resemble for the Peter Weir movie '' Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World'', based on the books by
Patrick O'Brian Patrick O'Brian (12 December 1914 – 2 January 2000), born Richard Patrick Russ, was an English novelist and translator, best known for his Aubrey–Maturin series. These sea novels are set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and ...
. Renamed ''Surprise,'' the vessel is now a part of th
Maritime Museum of San Diego
as a dockside attraction.


References


Further reading

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rose (1757) Post ships of the Royal Navy Military units and formations of Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War 1757 ships Maritime incidents in 1779 Scuttled vessels of the United Kingdom