HMS ''Buckingham'' (later renamed HMS Grampus) was a 70-gun

third-rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks (thus the related term two-decker). Years of experience proved that the third r ...

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 at

Deptford Dockyard Deptford Dockyard was an important naval dockyard and base at Deptford on the River Thames, operated by the Royal Navy from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. It built and maintained warships for 350 years, and many significant events a ...

by John Holland to the draught specified by the

1745 Establishment The 1745 Establishment was the third and final formal establishment of dimensions for ships to be built for the Royal Navy. It completely superseded the previous 1719 Establishment, which had subsequently been modified in 1733 and again in 1741 ...

, and in active 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� ...

with France.Winfield 2007, pp.54–55 With a crew of 520 she was one of the largest ships in the Navy at that time.

Service

She was launched at Deptford in May 1751 at a cost of £29,000 then taken to

Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham (at its most extensive, in the early 20th century, ...

for fitting out to

specification (including addition of guns) at a cost of around £8000. She was commissioned and formally brought into service in 1755 and put under command of Captain

Michael Everitt Michael John Everitt (born 26 August 1968, in Banbury) is a British Anglican priest. Early life and education Everitt was born on 26 August 1968 in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England. He was educated at Warriner School, Bloxham and Banbury School. ...

who sailed her to the Mediterranean with Admiral

John Byng Admiral John Byng (baptised 29 October 1704 – 14 March 1757) was a British Royal Navy officer who was court-martialled and executed by firing squad. After joining the navy at the age of thirteen, he participated at the Battle of Cape Passa ...

's fleet. On 20 May 1756 she took place in the

Battle of Minorca The island of Menorca in the Mediterranean Sea has been invaded on numerous occasions. The first recorded invasion occurred in 252 BC, when the Carthaginians arrived. The name of the island's chief city, Mahón (now Maó), appears to derive from t ...

. Immediately after the battle command passed to Captain Edward Pratten who took her to the

Leeward Islands french: Îles-Sous-le-Vent , image_name = , image_caption = ''Political'' Leeward Islands. Clockwise: Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Saint kitts and Nevis. , image_alt = , locator_map = , location = Caribbean SeaNorth Atlantic Ocean , coor ...

immmedialy after repairs at Chatham. In May 1757 command passed to

Richard Tyrell Rear-Admiral Richard Tyrell (1691–26 June 1766) was an Irish officer in the Royal Navy. Life He was born in Dublin in 1691 the son of James and Mary Tyrell. Tyrell was a nephew of Sir Peter Warren, and entered the Royal Navy rather late i ...

. In 1756/57

Temple West Vice-Admiral Temple West (1713 – 9 August 1757) was a British naval officer, best known for his role as second-in-command to Admiral John Byng during the Battle of Minorca in 1756. Early career and family West was a younger son of Rev. Dr. Ri ...

served as her Flag Officer. On 3 November 1758, ''Buckingham'' under the command of

joined with to engage three French warships off the coast of

Montserrat Montserrat ( ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about long and wide, with r ...

, the 74-gun ''Florissant'' and two

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

s (''Egrette'' and ''Atalante''), carrying 38 and 28 guns. The battle lasted for four hours with both ''Buckingham'' and ''Florissant'' taking considerable damage. ''Florissant'' was able to disentangle from ''Buckingham'' and sail off before the British could board her. In January 1759 she went to

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...

where on 16th she took part in the Battle of Martinique and capture of

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...

on 20th. A few days after command passed to Captain Lachlan Leslie and then passed to

Peter Parker Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August ...

in May. In 1771 ''Buckingham'' was converted to a

storeship Combat stores ships, or storeships, were originally a designation given to ships in the Age of Sail and immediately afterward that navies used to stow supplies and other goods for naval purposes. Today, the United States Navy and the Royal Nav ...

, and was renamed HMS Grampus, under Captain Ambrose Reddall. Her armament was reduced to 30 guns and her crew reduced to 230 men. American Revolution: On 15 April 1778 she sailed from

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

taking General

John Burgoyne General John Burgoyne (24 February 1722 – 4 August 1792) was a British general, dramatist and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1761 to 1792. He first saw action during the Seven Years' War when he participated in several batt ...

and some of his Officers back to England, arriving in early May. Early on in the voyage they recaptured a prize on the

Grand Banks The Grand Banks of Newfoundland are a series of underwater plateaus south-east of the island of Newfoundland on the North American continental shelf. The Grand Banks are one of the world's richest fishing grounds, supporting Atlantic cod, swordf ...

that had been taken by USS Revenge. Command passed in October 1778 to George Anson Byron, she sailed for

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

on 26 December 1778 to resupply the Royal Navy garrison. In April 1779 her command was transferred to Commander Thomas Stanhope Bennett, who sailed her to

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

to collect supplies of timber. She was leaking badly on her return voyage to England, and foundered on 11 November 1779 while crossing the North Atlantic Ocean. Commander Bennett and the crew perished.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Buckingham (1751) Ships of the line of the Royal Navy 1751 ships