HMS ''Grafton'' was a 74-gun
third-rate 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, built by
Adam Hayes
Adam Hayes (1710–1785) was an 18th century shipbuilder to the Royal Navy. A great number of his models survive.
He was responsible for the selection of the ship the "Earl of Pembroke" and was the wright who converted it into HMS Endeavour ...
launched on 26 September 1771 at
Deptford Dockyard.
One of the largest ships in the navy she had a crew of 550 men.
Service history
May, 1778 under command of Capt. Andrew Wilkinson.
In 1779 she fought at the head of the British line at the
Battle of Grenada, and in 1780 she was part of
Rodney's fleet at the
Battle of Martinique.
From 1792 ''Grafton'' was on harbour service, and she was broken up in 1816.
Notable Commanders
*Captain
Thomas Collingwood
Thomas Collingwood (c.1730 – 1780) was a British Royal Navy commander, who served on , , and , among others. Collingwood played an important role in the Battle of Grenada and the Battle of Martinique (1780).
Life and career
Thomas Col ...
briefly in 1779
*Captain William Affleck briefly in 1780
*Captain
Frederick Lewis Maitland briefly in 1782
*Captain
Stair Douglas
Admiral John Erskine Douglas (c. 1758 – 25 July 1847) was a senior British Royal Navy officer of the early nineteenth century who served in a number of vessels and participated at the destruction of the French ship of the line ''Impétueux' ...
briefly in 1782
*
Sir John Hamilton 1782/3
Citations and notes
References
* Lavery, Brian (2003) ''The Ship of the Line - Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850.'' Conway Maritime Press. .
External links
*
Ships built in Deptford
Albion-class ships of the line (1763)
1771 ships
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