HMS Boyne (1790)
| History | |
|---|---|
.svg){kind=small} Great Britain | |
| Name | HMS Boyne |
| Ordered | 21 January 1783 |
| Builder | Woolwich Dockyard |
| Laid down | 4 November 1783 |
| Launched | 27 June 1790 |
| Commissioned | August 1790 |
| Fate | Accidentally burnt, 1 May 1795 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Class and type | Boyne-class ship of the line |
| Tons burthen | 2021 tons (2042.3 tonnes) |
| Length | list error: <br /> list (help) 182 ft (55 m) (gundeck) 149 ft 8 in (45.62 m) (keel) |
| Beam | 50 ft 4.625 in (15.35748 m) |
| Depth of hold | 21 ft 9 in (6.63 m) |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
| Armament | list error: mixed text and list (help) 98 guns:
|
HMS Boyne was a 98-gun Royal Navy second-rate ship of the line launched on 27 June 1790 at Woolwich.[1] She was the flagship of Vice Admiral John Jervis in 1794.
Fate
Boyne caught fire and blew up on 1 May 1795 at Spithead.[1] She was lying at anchor while the Royal Marines of the vessel were practicing firing exercises. It is supposed that the funnel of the wardroom stove, which passed through the decks, set fire to papers in the Admiral's cabin.[2] The fire was only discovered when flames burst through the poop, by which time it was too late to do anything. The fire spread rapidly and she was aflame from one end to the other within half an hour.[2]
As soon as the fleet noticed the fire, other vessels sent boats to render assistance. As a result, the death toll on Boyne was only eleven men.[2] At the same time, the signal was made for the vessels most at danger from the fire to get under way. Although the tide and wind were not favourable, all the vessels in any danger were able to escape to St Helens.
Because the guns were always left loaded, the cannons began to 'cook off', firing shots at potential rescuers making their way to the ship, resulting in the deaths of two seamen and the injury of another aboard Queen Charlotte, anchored nearby.[2] Later in the day, the fire burnt the cables and Boyne drifted eastward till she grounded on the east end of the Spit, opposite Southsea Castle. There she blew up soon after.[2]
Post-script
The wreck presented something of a hazard to a navigation and as a result it was blown up in 1834 in a clearance attempt.[3] Today the Boyne buoy marks the site of the explosion.[4] A few metal artifacts from the ship remain atop a mound of shingle.[3]
Notes
References
- Gossett, William Patrick (1986). The lost ships of the Royal Navy, 1793-1900. Mansell. ISBN 0-7201-1816-6.
- Lavery, Brian (2003) The Ship of the Line - Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-252-8.
- Winfield, Rif (2007) British Warships in the Age of Sail 1714-1792: Design, Conmstruction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84415-700-6.