HMS ''Defiance'' was a 64-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 by

Phineas Pett II Phineas () is a masculine given name. Notable people with the name include: * Phineas, an Anglicized name for the priest Phinehas in the Hebrew Bible * King Phineas, the first king of the Beta Israel in Ethiopia * Phineas Banning (1830–1885), Am ...

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, ...

, and launched in 1675. In the summer of 1678, ''Defiance'' was under the command of

John Ernle Sir John Ernle (1620 – June 1697) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1654 and 1695. He was one of the longest-serving Chancellors of the Exchequer, a position he held from 2 May 1676 to 9 April 1 ...

. She was rebuilt at

Woolwich Dockyard Woolwich Dockyard (formally H.M. Dockyard, Woolwich, also known as The King's Yard, Woolwich) was an English Royal Navy Dockyard, naval dockyard along the river Thames at Woolwich in north-west Kent, where many ships were built from the early 1 ...

in 1695, again as a 64-gun ship. ''Defiance'' was part of a squadron under Vice-Admiral

John Benbow Vice-Admiral John Benbow (10 March 16534 November 1702) was an English officer in the Royal Navy. He joined the navy aged 25 years, seeing action against Algerian pirates before leaving and joining the merchant navy where he traded until the ...

in August 1702. In an

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

between Benbow's squadron and the squadron of the French Admiral

Jean du Casse Jean-Baptiste du Casse (2 August 1646 – 25 June 1715) was a French privateer, admiral, and colonial administrator who served throughout the Atlantic World during the 17th and 18th centuries. Likely born 2 August 1646 in Saubusse, near Pau ...

, ''Defiance'' under Captain

Richard Kirkby Richard Kirkby (c. 1625 – 9 September 1681) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1661 to 1681. Kirkby was the son of Roger Kirkby or Kirby of Kirkby Ireleth, Lancashire and his wife Agnes Lowther, sister of Sir Jo ...

was one of the ships that refused to engage. Along with , ''Defiance'' bore away from the French squadron after only two or three broadsides, and stood out of range. At his

court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

, Captain Kirkby was convicted of cowardice and sentenced to be shot.Ships of the Old Navy, ''Breda'' (1692) In 1707, she was rebuilt for a second time, relaunching from

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 ...

as a 66-gun third rate. ''Defiance'' was reduced to a

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 ...

in 1716. On 30 August 1739, command of her was given to Captain John Trevor.'Office of the Lord High Admiral to Captain John Trevor', 30 August 1739, ADM 7/781, The National Archives at Kew She was hulked in 1743 and was broken up in 1749.Ships of the Old Navy, ''Defiance'' (1675)

Notes

References

*Lavery, Brian (2003) ''The Ship of the Line - Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850.'' Conway Maritime Press. . *Michael Phillips
''Breda'' (70) (1692)
Michael Phillips' Ships of the Old Navy. Retrieved 9 December 2007. *Michael Phillips
''Defiance'' (64) (1675)
Michael Phillips' Ships of the Old Navy. Retrieved 9 December 2007. *'Office of the Lord High Admiral to Captain John Trevor', 30 August 1739, ADM 7/781, The National Archives at Kew Ships of the line of the Royal Navy 1670s ships {{UK-line-ship-stub