HMS Guardian (1784)

Distressing situation of the Guardian sloop, Capt. Riou, after striking on a floating Island of ice
History
Great Britain
Name	HMS Guardian
Ordered	11 August 1780
Builder	Robert Batson, Limehouse
Laid down	December 1780
Launched	23 March 1784
Completed	By 20 May 1784
Fate	Struck an iceberg on 24 December 1789 Destroyed by hurricane on 12 April 1790 Remains sold on 8 February 1791
General characteristics
Class and type	44-gun Roebuck-class two-decker fifth rate
Tons burthen	896 33/94 bm
Length	140 ft (42.7 m) (overall) 115 ft 6 in (35.2 m) (keel)
Beam	38 ft 2.5 in (11.6 m)
Depth of hold	16 ft 4 in (4.98 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Complement	300
Armament	Upper deck: 22 × 9 pdrs Lower deck: 20 × 18-pdrs Forecastle: 2 × 6 pdrs

HMS Guardian was a 44-gun Roebuck-class fifth-rate two-decker of the Royal Navy, later converted to carry stores. She was completed too late to take part in the American War of Independence, and instead spent several years laid up in ordinary, before finally entering service as a store and convict transport to Australia, under Lieutenant Edward Riou. In 1789 Riou sailed Guardian, loaded with provisions, animals, convicts and their overseers, to the Cape of Good Hope, where he took on more supplies. Nearly two weeks after his departure on the second leg of the journey, an iceberg was sighted and Riou sent boats to collect ice to replenish his water supplies. Before he could complete the re-provisioning, a sudden change in the weather obscured the iceberg, and Guardian collided with it while trying to pull away. She was badly damaged and in immediate danger of sinking. The crew made frantic repair attempts but to no apparent avail. Riou eventually allowed most of the crew to take to Guardian's boats, but refused to leave his ship. Eventually through continuous work he and the remaining crew were able to navigate the ship, by now reduced to little more than a raft, back to the Cape, a nine-week voyage described as "almost unparalleled". Riou ran Guardian aground to prevent her sinking, but shortly afterwards a hurricane struck the coast, wrecking her. The remains were sold in 1791.