HMS ''Winchester'' 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

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

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 ...

, launched at

Bursledon Bursledon is a village on the River Hamble in Hampshire, England. It is located within the borough of Eastleigh. Close to the city of Southampton, Bursledon has a railway station, a marina, dockyards and the Bursledon Windmill. Nearby villages i ...

on 11 April 1693. On 24 September 1695, ''Winchester'' foundered on

Carysfort Reef Carysfort is a coral reef located within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. It lies to the east of Key Largo, within the Key Largo Existing Management Area, which is immediately to the east of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. This re ...

in the

Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and e ...

and was lost.

Scurvy Scurvy is a disease resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, feeling tired and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, decreased red blood cells, gum disease, changes to hair, and bleeding ...

had killed or incapacitated almost all of the 350 crewmen; only seven were still capable of working the

bilge pump A bilge pump is a water pump used to remove bilge water. Since fuel can be present in the bilge, electric bilge pumps are designed to not cause sparks. Electric bilge pumps are often fitted with float switches which turn on the pump when the bilge ...

s when a hurricane drove the ''Winchester'' onto the reef. Just eight of the crew were rescued. ''Winchester'' had been in company with ''Dunkirk'' and ''Experiment'', when poor weather caused them to separate from the English squadron sailing from the West Indies to England. In the night lookouts sighted breakers ahead, but her crew was so debilitated by disease that she was unable to avoid hitting a reef. Captain Soales died on shore some days later,before being rescued. The subsequent court martial judged that the current had sent them further north than calculated. The remains of the wreck were discovered in 1938 or 1939 lying approximately southwest of the

Carysfort Reef Light Carysfort Reef Light is located approximately six nautical miles east of Key Largo, Florida. The lighthouse has an iron screw-pile foundation with a platform, and a skeletal, octagonal, pyramidal tower, which is painted red. The light is above ...

. Cannons, cannonballs, wrought iron fittings, and a couple of sundials have been recovered from the wreck.Diving at dive site Carysfort Reef South and HMS ''Winchester''
Greatest Dive Sites. Retrieved 7 November 2008.

Citations

References

* * * Lavery, Brian (2003) ''The Ship of the Line - Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850''. Conway Maritime Press. .

External links

* Pictures of artifacts recovered from ''Winchester'' wreck
Remains of portable sundial retrieved from the ''Winchester'' shipwreck
Ships of the line of the Royal Navy 1690s ships Ships built on the River Hamble {{UK-line-ship-stub