''Bahama'' was a

74-gun The "seventy-four" was a type of two- decked sailing ship of the line, which nominally carried 74 guns. It was developed by the French navy in the 1740s, replacing earlier classes of 60- and 62-gun ships, as a larger complement to the recently-de ...

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

Spanish Navy The Spanish Navy or officially, the Armada, is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation, ...

. She was built in Havana on plans originally drawn by Ignacio Mullan for the 64-gun , completed as a project of Gautier. She was later rebuilt as a 74-gun.

Career

In 1784, ''Bahama'' was under Captain Félix del Corral y Jaime, with Commander Francisco de la Bodega y Cuadra as first officer. She departed Havana on 5 January 1785 in the fleet under Admiral

Francisco de Borja Francisco de Borja y Navarro de Alpicat (1441 – 4 November 1511) was a Spanish cardinal, and the seventh of ten cardinal-nephews created by Pope Alexander VI. Biography Borja was born in 1441 in Xàtiva, Kingdom of Valencia, from the Aragones ...

, bound for Cadiz, where she arrived on 2 March. On 3 June 1788, she entered drydock number 3 of Carraca arsenal for a refit and rebuilt as a 74-gun.

Battle of Trafalgar

''Bahama'' took part in the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (180 ...

on 21 October 1805, under Commodore

Dionisio Alcalá Galiano Dionisio Alcalá Galiano (8 October 1760 – 21 October 1805) was a Spanish naval officer, cartographer, and explorer. He mapped various coastlines in Europe and the Americas with unprecedented accuracy using new technology such as chronomete ...

. She was part of the vanguard of the Franco-Spanish fleet, at the 6th position in the second division of the reconnaissance squadron under Admiral Gravina, and came under intense fire from British ships. ''Bahama'' suffered 75 killed and 65 wounded, among whom Galiano, who died from his wounds after a cannonball struck him. Aaron in the wildwoods (1898) (14732719946)

Aaron in the wildwoods (1898) (14732719946)

The British captured ''Bahama'' and sailed her to Gibraltar for repairs. She then sailed to England, where she was hulked and used as a

prison ship A prison ship, often more accurately described as a prison hulk, is a current or former seagoing vessel that has been modified to become a place of substantive detention for convicts, prisoners of war or civilian internees. While many nation ...

. She was scrapped in

Chatham Chatham may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Chatham Islands (British Columbia) * Chatham Sound, British Columbia * Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi * Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...

in 1814.There are some doubts as to whether the ship scrapped in Chatham was ''Bahama'', as her characteristics might not fit hers.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * *
''Militares y Navíos Españoles que participaron en Trafalgar (1)'' de Luís Aragón Martín

''Militares y Navíos Españoles que participaron en Trafalgar (2)'' de Luís Aragón Martín

External links

Batalla de Trafalgar, página web del bicentenario
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bahama 1783 ships Ships built in Spain Ships of the line of the Spanish Navy