HMS ''St Michael'' was a 90-gun

second rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a second-rate was a ship of the line which by the start of the 18th century mounted 90 to 98 guns on three gun decks; earlier 17th-century second rates had fewer guns ...

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 ...

, built by

John Tippetts John Tippetts (1622–1692) was a British shipbuilder and harbour designer who rose to be Surveyor of the Navy, the highest position in British naval architecture. Life He was born in Dursley in Gloucestershire in 1622 the son of Richard Tippett ...

Portsmouth Dockyard His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth (HMNB Portsmouth) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport). Portsmouth Naval Base is part of the city of Portsmouth; it is loc ...

and launched in 1669. ''St Michael'' was rebuilt at

Blackwall Yard Blackwall Yard is a small body of water that used to be a shipyard on the River Thames in Blackwall, engaged in ship building and later ship repairs for over 350 years. The yard closed in 1987. History East India Company Blackwall was a sh ...

in 1706, at which time she was also renamed HMS ''Marlborough''. On 5 April 1725 ''Marlborough'' was ordered to be taken to pieces and rebuilt at Chatham. She was relaunched on 25 September 1732. On 11 February 1744 during the Battle of Toulon. ''Marlborough'' and ''Namur'' bore the brunt of the Spanish fire, her captain

James Cornewall Captain James Cornewall ( – 11 February 1744) was a British Royal Navy officer and politician who became a national hero following his death in action at the Battle of Toulon in 1744. Cornewall's monument in Westminster Abbey was the first e ...

, and 42 crew were killed and 120 wounded out of her crew of 750 men. Command passed to his distant cousin,

Frederick Cornewall Captain Frederick Cornewall (1706 – 4 August 1788) was an officer in the British Royal Navy. Early life He was born in 1706, the third son of Rev. Frederick Cornewall (1677-1748), Vicar of Bromfield, Shropshire, and his first wife Elizabeth ...

, the First

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

, who was severely wounded and lost his right arm. Cornewall was buried at sea. Marlbrough 74 Guns commanded by Sir John Bentley 1744 RMG PU8494

''Marlborough'' was reduced to a 68-gun ship in 1752. She formed part of Sir

George Pocock Admiral Sir George Pocock, KB (6 March 1706 – 3 April 1792) was a Royal Navy officer who served in the Seven Years' War. Family Pocock was born in Thames Ditton in Surrey, the son of Thomas Pocock, a chaplain in the Royal Navy. His grea ...

's fleet at the taking of Havana from the Spanish in 1762. Whilst making her way back to

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

she was caught in very heavy weather, and on 29 November 1762 her crew were forced to abandon ship, all of her crew being taken off by a passing before she sank. Her Captain Thomas Burnett was court martialled as a result, and although exonerated would not regain a command until 1770.

Notes

References

*Lavery, Brian (1983) ''The Ship of the Line – Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850.'' Conway Maritime Press. . *Michael Phillips
''Marlborough'' (96) (1706)
Michael Phillips' Ships of the Old Navy. Retrieved 6 December 2007. Ships of the line of the Royal Navy 1660s ships Ships built in Portsmouth Maritime incidents in 1762 {{UK-line-ship-stub