HMS America (1777)
| History | |
|---|---|
 UK | |
| Name | HMS America |
| Ordered | 18 June 1771 |
| Builder | Deptford Dockyard |
| Launched | 5 August 1777 |
| Fate | Broken up, 1807 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Class and type | Intrepid-class ship of the line |
| Tons burthen | 1370 bm |
| Length | 159 ft 6 in (48.62 m) (gundeck) |
| Beam | 44 ft 4 in (13.51 m) |
| Depth of hold | 19 ft (5.8 m) |
| Propulsion | Sails |
| Sail plan | Full rigged ship |
| Armament |
|
HMS America was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 5 August 1777 at Deptford.[1]
She took part in the Battle of the Chesapeake on 5 September 1781, and in 1795 was part of the British fleet at the Battle of Muizenberg.
America was under way off the Azores on 13 December 1800 when she ran against the Formigas Reef and suffered severe damage to her hull. With some difficulty she was refloated with the tide and returned to harbour. On 27 December America's captain and senior officers were court martialled aboard HMS Carnatic, which was anchored off Port Royal, Jamaica. All were acquitted when the court established that the grounding had been caused by errors in the ship's charts, upon which the Reef was marked as being substantially to the south of its actual location.[2]
Following the grounding, America was withdrawn from active service and redesignated as a prison ship. She was decommissioned and broken up in 1807.[1]
Notes
References
- Grocott, Terence. Shipwrecks of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Eras. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 1861760302.
- Lavery, Brian (2003). The Ship of the Line - Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0851772528.
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