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HMS Torbay (1693)
HMS ''Torbay'' was an 80-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Deptford Dockyard on 16 December 1693. In 1707, she served as flagship of Rear-Admiral of the Blue John Norris (Royal Navy officer), Sir John Norris and belonged to Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell's fleet. She saw action during the unsuccessful Battle of Toulon (1707), Battle of Toulon and was present during the Scilly naval disaster of 1707, great naval disaster off the Isles of Scilly when Shovell and four of his ships (HMS Association, ''Association'', HMS Firebrand (1694), ''Firebrand'', HMS Romney (1694), ''Romney'' and HMS Eagle (1679), ''Eagle'') were lost, claiming the lives of nearly 2,000 sailors. ''Torbay'' suffered little to no damage and finally managed to reach Portsmouth. She was rebuilt at Deptford, according to the 1706 Establishment, and was relaunched on 23 May 1719. After this, her 80 guns were mounted on three gundecks instead of her original two, though she continued to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kingdom Of Great Britain
The Kingdom of Great Britain (officially Great Britain) was a Sovereign state, sovereign country in Western Europe from 1 May 1707 to the end of 31 December 1800. The state was created by the 1706 Treaty of Union and ratified by the Acts of Union 1707, which united the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England (which included Wales) and Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland to form a single kingdom encompassing the whole island of Great Britain and its outlying islands, with the exception of the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. The unitary state was governed by a single Parliament of Great Britain, parliament at the Palace of Westminster, but distinct legal systems – English law and Scots law – remained in use. The formerly separate kingdoms had been in personal union since the 1603 "Union of the Crowns" when James VI of Scotland became King of England and King of Ireland. Since James's reign, who had been the first to refer to himself as "king of Great Britain", a political un ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scilly Naval Disaster Of 1707
The Scilly naval disaster of 1707 was the loss of four warships of a Royal Navy fleet off the Isles of Scilly in severe weather on 22 October 1707. Between 1,400 and 2,000 sailors lost their lives aboard the wrecked vessels, making the incident one of the worst maritime disasters in British naval history.The earliest reports of the disaster appeared in the '' Daily Courant'', and were rather brief. The account for 1 November 1707 read: "an Account, that Sir Cloudsly Shovel with about 20 Sail of Men of War coming from the Streights, having made an Observation the 21st, lay the 22d from 12 to about 6 in the Afternoon; but the Weather being very hazy and rainy and Night coming on dark, the Wind being S.S.W, they Stearing E by N, supposing they had the Channel open, were some of them upon the Rocks to the Westward of Scilly before they were aware, about 8 a Clock at Night. Of the Association not a Man was sav’d ... The Captain and 24 Men of the Firebrand Fire-Shop were saved, as wer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Battle Of Vigo Bay
The Battle of Vigo Bay, also known as the Battle of Rande (; ), was a naval engagement fought on 23 October 1702 during the opening years of the War of the Spanish Succession. The engagement followed an Anglo-Dutch attempt to capture the Spanish port of Cádiz in September in an effort to secure a naval base in the Iberian Peninsula. From this station the Allies had hoped to conduct operations in the western Mediterranean Sea, particularly against the French at Toulon. The amphibious assault, however, had proved a disaster, but as Admiral George Rooke retreated home in early October, he received news that the Spanish treasure fleet from America, laden with silver and merchandise, had entered Vigo Bay in northern Spain. Philips van Almonde convinced Rooke to attack the treasure ships, despite the lateness of the year and the fact that the vessels were protected by French ships-of-the-line. The engagement was an overwhelming naval success for the Allies: the entire French escort fle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Defensive Boom
A boom or a chain (also boom defence, harbour chain, river chain, chain boom, boom chain or variants) is an obstacle strung across a navigable stretch of water to control or block navigation. In modern times they usually have civil uses, such as to prevent access to a dangerous river channel. But, especially historically, they have been used militarily, with the goal of denying access to an enemy's ships: a modern example is the anti-submarine net. Booms have also been used to force passing vessels to pay a toll. Description A boom generally floats on the surface, while a chain can be on the surface or below the water. A chain could be made to float with rafts, logs, ships or other wood, making the chain a boom as well. Historical uses Especially in medieval times, the end of a chain could be attached to a chain tower or boom tower. This allowed safe raising or lowering of the chain, as they were often heavily fortified. By raising or lowering a chain or boom, access could be s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naval Blockade Of Reval (1726)
Naval Blockade of Reval (1726) In the summer of 1726, a joint force of British and Danish ships blockaded the Russian fleet in the harbour of Reval (today's Tallinn). The British account In 1725, Spain and Austria signed a series of Treaties which included terms to require the restoration Gibraltar and Minorca to Spain, and later in the year, began to negotiate with Russia. As a response, the Royal Navy despatched a fleet of 20 ships of the line to the Baltic with Admiral Charles Wager and Rear Admiral George Walton, to deter Russian intervention, while a second force of nine ships of the line under Admiral John Jennings to deter Spanish action, while a third force was sent to the Caribbean to stop Spain from sending silver from its American colonies back to Europe. Wager's force sailed from the Nore on 17 April 1826, joining up with a Danish squadron in May and proceeding to the Gulf of Finland. The deployment ended in the Autumn of 1726, Wager's fleet returning to England on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Deptford
Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, within the London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century to the late 19th it was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first of the Royal Navy Dockyard, Royal Dockyards. This was a major shipbuilding dock and attracted Peter the Great to come and study shipbuilding. Deptford and the docks are associated with the knighting of Francis Drake, Sir Francis Drake by Elizabeth I, Queen Elizabeth I aboard the ''Golden Hind'', the legend of Walter Raleigh, Sir Walter Raleigh laying down his cape for Elizabeth, James Cook, Captain James Cook's third voyage aboard HMS Resolution (1771), HMS ''Resolution'', and the mysterious apparent murder of Christopher Marlowe in a house along Deptford Strand. Though Deptford began as two small communities, one at the ford, and the other a fishing village on the Thames, Deptford's history and population ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most densely populated city in the United Kingdom, with a population last recorded at 208,100. Portsmouth is located south-west of London and south-east of Southampton. Portsmouth is mostly located on Portsea Island; the only English city not on the mainland of Great Britain. Portsea Island has the third highest population in the British Isles after the islands of Great Britain and Ireland. Portsmouth also forms part of the regional South Hampshire conurbation, which includes the city of Southampton and the boroughs of Eastleigh, Fareham, Gosport, Havant and Waterlooville. Portsmouth is one of the world's best known ports, its history can be traced to Roman times and has been a significant Royal Navy dockyard and base for centuries. Portsm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The True Story Of A Lone Genius Who Solved The Greatest Scientific Problem Of His Time
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the most frequently used word in the English language; studies and analyses of texts have found it to account for seven percent of all printed English-language words. It is derived from gendered articles in Old English which combined in Middle English and now has a single form used with pronouns of any gender. The word can be used with both singular and plural nouns, and with a noun that starts with any letter. This is different from many other languages, which have different forms of the definite article for different genders or numbers. Pronunciation In most dialects, "the" is pronounced as (with the voiced dental fricative followed by a schwa) when followed by a consonant sound, and as (homophone of pronoun ''thee'') when followed by a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dava Sobel
Dava Sobel (born June 15, 1947) is an American writer of popular expositions of scientific topics. Her books include ''Longitude'', about English clockmaker John Harrison, and '' Galileo's Daughter'', about Galileo's daughter Maria Celeste, and ''The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars''. Biography Sobel was born in The Bronx, New York City. She graduated from the Bronx High School of Science and Binghamton University. She wrote '' Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time'' in 1995. The story was made into a television movie, of the same name by Charles Sturridge and Granada Film in 1999, and was shown in the United States by A&E. Her book '' Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love'' was a finalist for the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography. She holds honorary doctor of letters degrees from the University of Bath and Middl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
HMS Eagle (1679)
HMS ''Eagle'' was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, builtat Portsmouth Dockyard during 1677/79. When completed she was placed in Ordinary for 10 years. She was in active commission during the War of the English Succession partaking in the Battle of Barfleur. She was rebuilt in 1699 at Chatham. She again played an active role in the early part of the War of Spanish Succession participating in the Capture of Gibraltar, and the Battle of Velez Malaga. She was wrecked in the Isles of Scilly in October 1707. She was the seventh vessel to bear the name Eagle since it was used for a careening hulk, an ex-merchantman, purchased in 1592, and sold at Chatham in 1683. HMS Eagle was awarded the Battle Honour Barfleur 1692,Thomas (1998), Section B, Barfleur Gibraltar 1704,Thomas (1998), Section G, Gibraltar and Velez-Malaga 1704.Thomas (1998), Section V, Velez Malaga Construction and Specifications She was ordered in April 1677 to be built at Portsmouth Dockyard und ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
HMS Romney (1694)
HMS ''Romney'' was a 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Blackwall Yard on 23 October 1694. Commanded by Captain William Coney, ''Romney'' was wrecked on the Scilly Isles on 26 October 1707Ships of the Old Navy, ''Romney''. when a disastrous navigational error sent Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell's fleet through dangerous reefs while on their way from Gibraltar to Portsmouth. Four ships (''Romney'', ''Association'', ''Firebrand'' and ''Eagle'') were lost, with nearly 2,000 sailors. ''Romney'' hit Bishop Rock and went down with all but one of her crew. The sole survivor was George Lawrence, who had worked as a butcher before joining the crew of ''Romney'' as quartermaster. The Scilly naval disaster was one of the greatest maritime disasters in British history. It was largely as a result of this disaster that the Board of the Admiralty instituted a competition for a more precise method to determine longitude Longitude (, ) is a geogra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
HMS Firebrand (1694)
''Firebrand'' was a Royal Navy fireship built at Limehouse in 1694, the first Royal Naval vessel to bear the name. Service ''Firebrand'' served in the Caribbean and Mediterranean. She is recorded as convoying five merchantmen in company with ''Winchester'' near Barbados in March 1695. Loss ''Firebrand'' was lost during the Scilly naval disaster of 1707 when a navigational error sent Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell's fleet through dangerous reefs west of Cornwall while on their way from Gibraltar to Portsmouth. On the night of 22 October 1707, ''Firebrand'', commanded by Captain Francis Percy, smashed into the Outer Gilstone Rock off the Isles of Scilly. She was lifted off by a huge wave first, and Percy managed to steer his badly damaged ship along the southern side of the Western Rocks between St Agnes and Annet, but she foundered in Smith Sound, sinking close to Menglow Rock and losing 28 of her crew of 40. Percy and a group of his men managed to get ashore by boat, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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