The Battle of Camperdown, 11 October 1797 by Thomas Whitcombe, painted 1798, showing the British flagship Venerable (flying the Blue Ensign from her stern) engaged with the Dutch flagship Vrijheid.
History
Great Britain
NameHMS Venerable
Ordered9 August 1781
BuilderPerry, Wells & Green, Blackwall Yard
Laid downApril 1782
Launched19 April 1784
FateWrecked 24 November 1804
Notes
General characteristics [1]
Class and typeCulloden-class ship of the line
Tons burthen1669 (bm)
Length170 ft (51.8 m) (gundeck)
Beam47 ft 2 in (14.4 m)
Depth of hold19 ft 11 in (6.1 m)
PropulsionSails
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Armament
  • Gundeck: 28 × 32-pounder guns
  • Upper gundeck: 28 × 18-pounder guns
  • QD: 14 × 9-pounder guns
  • Fc: 4 × 9-pounder guns

HMS Venerable was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 19 April 1784 at Blackwall Yard.[1]

Service history

In 1795, Veneraable is known to have been under the command of Captain James Bissett.[2]

Jack Crawford - the Hero of Camperdown, nailing the flag to the main top gallant mast head, on board the Venerable during the battle

In 1797, Venerable served as Admiral Duncan's flagship at the Battle of Camperdown.[3]

In 1801, Venerable took part in the First Battle of Algeciras on 6 July and the Second Battle of Algeciras on 12–13 July. During the latter engagement, she was driven ashore on the coast of Spain in Algeciras Bay, but she was refloated, repaired, and returned to service.

Fate

Loss of His Majesty's Ship Venerable... Shipwreck on the Night of 24 November 1804 on the Rocks in Torbay, by Robert Dodd

Venerable was wrecked on 24 November 1804, off Roundham Head near Torbay.[3] Three of her crew were lost.[4]

Captain T. Byam Martin commanding the boats of HMS Impétueux at the rescue of the crew of Venerable, Nicholas Pocock

Newspapers reported a dispatch dated 28 November: The Venerable had gone to pieces in a tremendous gale, the number of men drowned is said to be 13 — they are supposed to have been intoxicated when the ship struck. The commander of the Venerable was captain Hunter a brave and skilful officer and a gentleman of considerable literary and scientific acquirements who was for some time governor of New South Wales and has favoured the public with an interesting account of that colony.[5]

Two days later, on 26 November, the hired armed ship Lady Warren sailed from Plymouth to Torbay with Growler, six gun-vessels and yard-lighters, and other craft, to save the stores, guns, etc. from the wreck of Venerable.[6]

Citations and notes

  1. 1 2 Lavery, Ships of the Line vol.1, p180.
  2. ↑ Commissioned Sea Officers of the Royal Navy, David Bonner Smith
  3. 1 2 Ships of the Old Navy, Venerable.
  4. ↑ "The Marine List". Lloyd's List (4509): 78 v. 27 November 1804.
  5. ↑ "Africaine damaged in a gale". Aurora General Advertiser (Philadelphia). 6 February 1805. p. 2. Retrieved 13 April 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Naval Chronicle, Vol. 12, p.504.

References

  • 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.
  • Michael Phillips. Venerable (74) (1784). Michael Phillips' Ships of the Old Navy. Retrieved 8 August 2007.
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