HMS Venerable (1784)
![]() 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.
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History | |
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Name | HMS Venerable |
Ordered | 9 August 1781 |
Builder | Perry, Wells & Green, Blackwall Yard |
Laid down | April 1782 |
Launched | 19 April 1784 |
Fate | Wrecked 24 November 1804 |
Notes |
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General characteristics [1] | |
Class and type | Culloden-class ship of the line |
Tons burthen | 1669 (bm) |
Length | 170 ft (51.8 m) (gundeck) |
Beam | 47 ft 2 in (14.4 m) |
Depth of hold | 19 ft 11 in (6.1 m) |
Propulsion | Sails |
Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
Armament |
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]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/%27John_Crawford%2C_Nailing_the_Flag_to_the_Main_top_gallant_mast_head%2C_on_board_the_Venerable%2C_October_11th_1797%27_RMG_PU3446.tiff/lossy-page1-220px-%27John_Crawford%2C_Nailing_the_Flag_to_the_Main_top_gallant_mast_head%2C_on_board_the_Venerable%2C_October_11th_1797%27_RMG_PU3446.tiff.jpg)
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 First 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[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Loss_of_His_Majesty%27s_Ship_Venerable_-_Shipwreck_on_the_Night_of_the_24th_November_1804_on_the_Rocks_in_Torbay_RMG_L9832.jpg/220px-Loss_of_His_Majesty%27s_Ship_Venerable_-_Shipwreck_on_the_Night_of_the_24th_November_1804_on_the_Rocks_in_Torbay_RMG_L9832.jpg)
Venerable was wrecked on 24 November 1804, off near Torbay.[3] Three of her crew were lost.[4]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Captain_T._Byam_Martin_commanding_the_boats_of_H.M.S._Imp%C3%A9tueux_at_the_rescue_of_the_crew_of_H.M.S._Venerable_wrecked_in_Torbay%2C_24th_November_1804.jpg/220px-Captain_T._Byam_Martin_commanding_the_boats_of_H.M.S._Imp%C3%A9tueux_at_the_rescue_of_the_crew_of_H.M.S._Venerable_wrecked_in_Torbay%2C_24th_November_1804.jpg)
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[]
- ^ a b Lavery, Ships of the Line vol.1, p180.
- ^ Commissioned Sea Officers of the Royal Navy, David Bonner Smith
- ^ a b Ships of the Old Navy, Venerable.
- ^ "The Marine List". Lloyd's List (4509). 27 November 1804.
- ^ "Africaine damaged in a gale". Aurora General Advertiser (Philadelphia). 6 February 1805. p. 2. Retrieved 13 April 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ 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.
External links[]
Media related to HMS Venerable (ship, 1784) at Wikimedia Commons
- Ships of the line of the Royal Navy
- Culloden-class ships of the line
- 1784 ships
- Ships built by the Blackwall Yard
- Maritime incidents in 1801
- Shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea
- Shipwrecks of Spain
- Maritime incidents in 1804
- Shipwrecks of England