HMS ''America'' was a 60-gun

fourth rate In 1603 all English warships with a compliment of fewer than 160 men were known as 'small ships'. In 1625/26 to establish pay rates for officers a six tier naval ship rating system was introduced.Winfield 2009 These small ships were divided i ...

ship of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two colu ...

of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

, built for service during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

against France and Spain. Commissioned in 1757, ''America'' was assigned to the British fleets blockading French ports in the Atlantic and Mediterranean and played an active role in the

Battle of Lagos The naval Battle of Lagos took place between a British fleet commanded by Sir Edward Boscawen and a French fleet under Jean-François de La Clue-Sabran over two days in 1759 during the Seven Years' War. They fought south west of the Gulf of C� ...

in 1759. After a refit in 1760, she was sailed to the East Indies for combat against Spanish forces in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. ''America'' was returned to England at the end of the war, and was broken up in 1771.Winfield 2007, p.132Rankin, Stuart (2004)
''Maritime Rotherhithe – History Walk – Walk B: Shipyards, Granaries and Wharves.''
p22. Southwark Council.

Seven Years' War

''America'' was stationed off the southwestern coast of England throughout the winter of 17571758, on patrol for French

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

s. On 9 December she recaptured ''John Galley'', an English

Merchantman A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are u ...

from the port of

Bolton Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish people, Flemish weavers settled in the area i ...

which had been seized by French. With the assistance of a

prize crew A prize crew is the selected members of a ship chosen to take over the operations of a captured ship. Prize crews were required to take their prize to appropriate prize courts, which would determine whether the ship's officers and crew had sufficie ...

from ''America'', the recaptured vessel was sailed to

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

for return to her original owners. ''America'' remained at her station, and on 18 December captured a French merchantman, ''Neptune'', bearing a load of fish. The French crew were held aboard as prisoners, and the vessel sent into Plymouth as a

prize A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.

. An engagement on the following day proved less successful for ''America''s crew. In the morning of 19 December the ship was in company with when they came within range of ''Diamond'' a 14-gun French

snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...

carrying a cargo of Quebecois furs. The French vessel turned to flee, firing her stern chasers at ''Brilliant'' as she went. Shortly afterward the cannon fire ignited the snow's powder magazine and she exploded and sank. Only 24 of her 70 crew escaped the wreck to be rescued by the British vessels, and most of these subsequently died of their burns. Four days later, ''America'' ran across another French privateer, the 24-gun ''Dragon'', and defeated her after a 90-minute battle. From 1758 to 1760, ''America'' was under the command of a Captain James Kirke.Ships of the Old Navy, ''America''. She was broken up in 1771.

Notes

References

* Ships of the line of the Royal Navy 1757 ships {{UK-line-ship-stub