HMS Duke (1777)

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

Duke
History
Royal Navy EnsignGreat Britain
NameHMS Duke
Ordered18 June 1771
BuilderPlymouth Dockyard
Laid downOctober 1772
Launched18 October 1777
FateBroken up, 1843
General characteristics [1]
Class and typeDuke-class ship of the line
Tons burthen194328⁄94 (bm)
Length177 ft 6 in (54.10 m) (gundeck)
Beam50 ft (15 m)
Depth of hold21 ft 2 in (6.45 m)
PropulsionSails
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Armament
  • 98 guns:
  • Gundeck: 28 × 32 pdrs
  • Middle gundeck: 30 × 18 pdrs
  • Upper gundeck: 30 × 12 pdrs
  • Quarterdeck: 8 × 12 pdrs
  • Forecastle: 2 × 12 pdrs
The Battle of the Saints, 12 April 1782, by Nicholas Pocock. Dominating the left foreground the ‘'Duke'’ is moving in to break the line and engage two French ships

HMS Duke was a 98-gun second rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 18 October 1777 at Plymouth.[1]

She was named after the Duke of Cumberland of Culloden fame and had a figurehead of the Duke.[2]

She was at the Battle of Ushant in July 1778 and the Battle of the Saintes' (known to the French as the Bataille de la Dominique), or Battle of Dominica, that took place 9 April 1782 – 12 April 1782, during the American Revolutionary War. Under command of Captain Alan Gardner (later Baron Gardner) she served in the white squadron under overall control of Admiral George Rodney.[2]

Duke was employed on harbour service from 1799, and was broken up in 1843.[1]

  1. ^ a b c Lavery, Ships of the Line, vol. 1, p. 179.
  2. ^ a b Famous Fighters of the Fleet, Edward Fraser, 1904, p.111