HMS Burford (1722)

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

Burford
History
Royal Navy EnsignGreat Britain
NameHMS Burford
Ordered12 March 1720
BuilderRichard Stacey, Deptford Dockyard
Launched19 July 1722
Completed7 August 1722
Commissioned1726
Decommissioned1748
In service1722–1752
Out of service1752
Honours and
awards		Puerto Bello 1739
FateBroken up, 1752
General characteristics [1]
Class and type1719 Establishment 70-gun third rate ship of the line
Tons burthen1,14678⁄94 (bm)
Length
  • 151 ft 0 in (46.0 m) (gun deck)
  • 123 ft 2 in (37.5 m) (keel)
Beam41 ft 10 in (12.75 m)
Depth of hold17 ft 4 in (5.28 m)
PropulsionSails
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Complement440
Armament
  • 70 guns:
  • Lower Deck: 26 × 24-pdrs
  • Upper Deck: 26 × 12-pdrs
  • Quarterdeck: 14 × 6-pdrs
  • Forecastle: 4 × 6-pdrs

HMS Burford was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Deptford Dockyard to the 1719 Establishment, and launched on 19 July 1722.[1] Burford was notably the early posting of both John Forbes and John Byng,[2] both of whom rose to become admirals.

She was in commission as the flagship of Vice Admiral Edward Hopson during War with Spain in 1727 to 1729 and was repaired in 1737–1738. She served as the flagship of Edward Vernon at the capture of Puerto Bello in 1739 during the War of Jenkins' Ear under the command of Captain Thomas Watson,[3] before returning to Britain for repairs in 1741/42. Her next active duty was in the West Indies from 1742 to 1744 during which she took part in operations at La Guayra and Porto Cabello in 1743 (where she lost two captains in succession) before being stationed in the Mediterranean from 1744 to 1748. After her final decommissioning in 1748, she was broken up in 1752.[1][4]

  1. ^ a b c Lavery, Ships of the Line, vol. 1, p. 169.
  2. ^ RN Museum, John Byng.
  3. ^ Mallett Antiques, Nathaniel Dance etc at Puerto Bello.
  4. ^ Winfield, British Warships in the Age of Sail, vol. 2, p. 45.