Prince of Orange (60)
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Origin and History
The ship was built by Richard Stacey at the Deptford dockyard and launched on September 5 1734. The vessel was initially a 70-guns 3rd rate ship of the line.
In 1747, her armament was reduced to 60 guns and she was re-classified as a 4th rate ship of the line.
During the Seven Years' War, the ship was under the command of:
- in 1759: captain Samuel Wallis
The ship was transformed into a sheer hulk in April 1772 and sold out of the navy in May 1810.
Service during the War
In February 1759, the ship sailed from Spithead in Great Britain as part of the fleet destined for the expedition against Québec. The voyage was long and tedious. On April 21, when the fleet finally reached Louisbourg, it was to find the harbour blocked with ice, so that the fleet made for Halifax instead. The fleet finally sailed for Louisbourg in May. From June 1 to 6, the fleet gradually left the harbour of Louisbourg and sailed for Québec. On June 23, Saunders' fleet made a junction with Durell's squadron at Isles-aux-Coudres. On June 26, the whole British fleet of vice-admiral Saunders was anchored safely off the southern shore of Isle-d'Orléans, a few km below Québec without loosing a single ship. Québec finally surrendered on September 18 1759. At the end of October, vice-admiral Saunders fired his farewell salute and dropped down the Saint-Laurent river with his fleet on his way to Great Britain. However, he also left captain lord Colville in command of a small squadron, including this ship, in North America.
From March to June 1761, the ship took part in the expedition against Belle-Isle. The island surrendered on June 7.
To do: more details on the campaigns from 1760 to 1762
Characteristics
| Guns | 60 (since 1747, so 1741 proposals assumed for guns)
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| Crew | approx. 440 men | ||||||||
| Length at gundeck | 151 ft (46.02 m) | ||||||||
| Width | 41 ft 6 in (12.65 m) | ||||||||
| Depth | 17 ft 4 in (5.28 m) | ||||||||
| Displacement | 1128 long tons (1,146 t.) |
References
Blasco, Manuel, HBMS Prince of Orange (1734)
N.B.: the section Service during the War is derived from our articles depicting the various campaigns, battles and sieges.
