HMS Ramillies (1785)

HMS ''Ramillies'' was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 12 July 1785 at Rotherhithe.

French Revolutionary Wars

On 4 April 1796, ''Ramilies'' ran down and sank the hired armed lugger ''Spider'' while maneuvering.

In 1801, ''Ramilies'' was part of Admiral Sir Hyde Parker's reserve squadron at the Battle of Copenhagen, and so did not take an active part in the battle.

Expedition to occupy the Danish West Indies (1807)

In 1807 ''Ramillies'' was in the West Indies as part of a squadron under the command of Rear-Admiral Alexander Cochrane, who sailed in ''HMS Belleisle''. The squadron, which included ''HMS Prince George'', ''HMS Northumberland'', ''HMS Canada'' and ''HMS Cerberus'', captured the ''Telemaco'', ''Carvalho'' and ''Master'' on 17 April 1807.

Following the concern in Britain that neutral Denmark was entering an alliance with Napoleon, in December ''Ramillies'' participated in Cochrane's expedition that captured the Danish islands of St Thomas on 22 December and Santa Cruz on 25 December. The Danes did not resist and the invasion was bloodless.

War of 1812

In August 1812, Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy took command of ''Ramillies'' and was sent to North America at the outbreak of the War of 1812. Hardy led the fleet in ''Ramillies'' that escorted and transported the army commanded by John Coape Sherbrooke which captured significant portions of eastern coastal Maine (then part of Massachusetts), including Fort Sullivan, Eastport, Machias, Bangor, and Castine.

On 4 December 1813 ''Ramilies'' and ''Loire'' recaptured the whaler , J.Bowman, master, which the United States Navy had captured in the South Pacific. Her captors sent ''Policy'' into Halifax, Nova Scotia.

However, on 10 August 1814, a landing party from ''Ramillies'' was defeated at Stonington, Connecticut. The party was to have burned Stonington Borough and the shipping, but was repulsed.

During the Battle of North Point, a composite battalion of Royal Marines were landed from HMS , HMS ''Ramillies'', HMS ''Albion'', and HMS ''Royal Oak'', under the command of Brevet Major John Robyns. The two fatalities were from HMS Ramillies. From Baltimore ''Ramillies'' sailed to New Orleans where her boats participated in the battle of Lake Borgne in December 1814. At the end of January 1815, the prisoners of war from the Battle of Lake Borgne were transported to the Caribbean in HMS Ramillies. In 1847 the Admiralty issued a clasp (or bar) marked "14 Dec. Boat Service 1814" to survivors of the boat service who claimed the clasp to the Naval General Service Medal.

Post-war

In June 1815 ''Ramillies'' was under the command of Captain Charles Ogle. In November, Captain Thomas Boys replaced Ogle, while Rear-Admiral Sir William Hope raised his flag in her at Leith.Winfield (2008), pp.60-1.

In June 1818 ''Ramillies'' was at Sheerness, being fitted as a guardship. Captain Aiskew Hollis took command in September as ''Ramillies'' took up a post as guardship at Portsmouth. While at Portsmouth she employed a HMS ''Viper'' as a tender. On 30 November 1820 and 6 February 1821, ''Viper'' made some captures, presumably of smugglers, that resulted in a payment of prize money not only to the officers and crew of ''Viper'', but also of ''Ramillies''.

In August 1821, ''Ramillies'' came under the command of Captain Edward Brace and served in the Downs on the Coastal Blockade. She then underwent repairs between May 1822 and June 1823, and was fitted for a guardship at Portsmouth again. In May 1823 Captain William M'Cullock took command. In November 1825 Captain Hugh Pigot replaced M'Cullock. The Admiralty ordered ''Ramillies'' to the Reserve for Harbour Service in 1830, and ''Ramillies'' was on harbour service from 1831.

In June 1831 ''Ramillies'' was at Chatham Dockyard, being fitted as a lazaretto, a hospital for quarantine. She then moved to Sheerness to serve in that capacity. ''Ramillies'' was eventually broken up at Sheerness in February 1850.

Footnotes

Notes

Citations

References

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* Lavery, Brian (2003) ''The Ship of the Line - Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850.'' Conway Maritime Press. .
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramillies (1785)
Ships of the line of the Royal Navy
Culloden-class ships of the line
1785 ships
Ships built in Rotherhithe
War of 1812 ships of the United Kingdom