HMS ''Thunderer'' was a 74-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 ...

ship of the line 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 ...

, launched on 19 March 1760 at

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thr ...

. She earned a battle honour in a single-ship action off Cadiz with the French ship ''Achille'' (64 guns) in 1761, 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 (175 ...

. She foundered in the

Great Hurricane of 1780 The Great Hurricane of 1780 was the deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record. An estimated 22,000 people died throughout the Lesser Antilles when the storm passed through the islands from October 10 to October 16. Specifics on the hurricane's tra ...

in the West Indies, reportedly 90 miles east of Jamaica on the Formigas Banks with the loss of all 617 on board.Tippin, pp. 45–50 Among the lost sailors were the Captain,

Robert Boyle-Walsingham Captain The Hon. Robert Boyle-Walsingham (March 1736 – 5 October 1780) was an Irish Royal Navy officer and member of parliament. He was killed in the Great Hurricane of 1780 while serving as a commodore in HMS ''Thunderer''. Early life and f ...

(1736–1780), and Midshipman Nathaniel Cook (1764–1780), the second child of Captain James Cook. Two

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

s attributed to the ship are displayed at a

rum cake A rum cake or black cake is a type of dessert cake which contains rum. In most of the Caribbean, rum cakes are a traditional holiday season dessert, descended from the holiday puddings (such as figgy pudding). Traditionally, dried fruit is soa ...

factory on

Grand Cayman Island Grand Cayman is the largest of the three Cayman Islands and the location of the territory's capital, George Town. In relation to the other two Cayman Islands, it is approximately 75 miles (121 km) southwest of Little Cayman and 90 miles (1 ...

. A plaque states that they were recovered in 1984 by the research vessel ''Beacon''.

Notes

External links

References

* * Ships of the line of the Royal Navy Hercules-class ships of the line Ships built in Woolwich 1760 ships Shipwrecks in the Caribbean Sea Maritime incidents in 1780 {{UK-line-ship-stub