English ship Vanguard (1586)

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

History
English FlagEngland
NameVanguard
Launched1586
FateBroken up, 1630
Notes
General characteristics as built
Class and type32-gun galleon
Tons burthen500
Armament32 guns of various weights of shot
General characteristics after 1599 rebuild
Tons burthenUnknown
General characteristics after 1615 rebuild[1]
Class and typeGreat ship
Tons burthen665 tons
Length102 ft (31 m) (keel)
Beam35 ft (11 m)
Sail planFull-rigged ship

Vanguard[Note 1] was a 32-gun galleon of the English Tudor navy, launched in 1586 from Woolwich, and was the first ship of the navy to bear the name.

She played a key part in the action against the Spanish Armada in 1588.

George Beeston anchored the ship in the Forth at Leith on 1 June 1589. One of his crew, the trumpeter, was killed ashore in Edinburgh in a fight with Spanish sailors.[2][3]

She was commanded by Martin Frobisher in 1594 and by Sir Robert Mansell in 1596.

She was taken to pieces in 1599 and rebuilt for the first time. In 1615 she was rebuilt for a second time, at Chatham, as a great ship.[1]

During actions against Algerian pirates in 1620, Vanguard flew the flag of Sir Richard Hawkins.

Vanguard was broken up in 1630. Some of her timbers were used in the construction of the next Vanguard, launched the following year, and officially recorded as a rebuild of the first Vanguard.[1]

  1. ^ a b c Lavery, Ships of the Line vol.1, p158.
  2. ^ Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 10 (Edinburgh, 1936), pp. 98-9.
  3. ^ Papers of the Master of Gray (Edinburgh, 1835), p. 163.


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