HMS Breda (1692)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Breda.

History
Royal Navy EnsignGreat Britain
NameHMS Breda
Ordered1690
BuilderLawrence, Woolwich Dockyard
Launched23 April 1692
FateBroken up, 1730
Notes
General characteristics [1]
Class and type70-gun third rate ship of the line
Tons burthen109475⁄94 (bm)
Length150 ft (45.7 m) (gundeck)
Beam40 ft 5 in (12.3 m)
Depth of hold16 ft 8 in (5.1 m)
PropulsionSails
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Armament70 guns of various weights of shot

HMS Breda was a 70-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Woolwich Dockyard on 23 April 1692.[1] She was named after the Declaration of Breda made in 1660 by Charles II of England.

In 1701, under Captain Christopher Fogg, she became the flagship of Vice-Admiral John Benbow. His squadron left for the West Indies on 2 September 1701 as the War of the Spanish Succession began.[2]

During the action of August 1702, Breda, under Benbow's command, was one of only two ships in the squadron to effectively engage the French. After several days, the contumacy of Benbow's captains in refusing to fight, and his own injuries, forced him to return to Port Royal, where several were convicted of cowardice at a court-martial.[2]

In 1718, Breda was commanded by Captain Barrows Harris, and took part in the Battle of Cape Passaro.[2] During the Blockade of Porto Bello (1726–7) she served as flagship for Vice-Admiral Hosier, who died aboard her in 1727.[3] She was broken up in 1730.[1]

  1. ^ a b c Lavery, Ships of the Line, vol. 1, p. 163.
  2. ^ a b c Ships of the Old Navy, Breda.
  3. ^ From William Byrd, (1674–1744), aristocrat of Colony of Virginia, diary entry for 1 Oct 1732, published in A Progress to the Mines in the Year 1732, commenting on Admiral Hosier's mission