British Third Rate ship of the line 'Cambridge' (1755)

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Cambridge	281
Nominal Guns	80	BWAS-1714
Nationality	Great Britain
Operator	Royal Navy
Launched	21.10.1755	BWAS-1714
First Commissioned	22.10.1755	BWAS-1714
How acquired	Purpose built	BWAS-1714
Shipyard	Deptford Dockyard - Deptford	BWAS-1714
Designed by	Joseph Allin (d.1759)	BWAS-1714
Constructor	Adam Hayes (d.1785)	BWAS-1714
Category	Third Rate	BWAS-1714
Ship Type	Ship of the Line	BWAS-1714
Sailing Rig	Ship Rigged	BWAS-1714
Broken Up	7.1808	BWAS-1714

Dimensions

DimensionMeasurementTypeMetric EquivalentBWAS-1714
Length of Gundeck166' 0"Imperial Feet50.5968
Length of Keel139' 3"Imperial Feet42.3692
Breadth47' 0"Imperial Feet14.3256
Depth in Hold20' 0"Imperial Feet6.096
Draught Forward12' 8"Imperial Feet3.7592
Draught Aft16' 9"Imperial Feet4.9149
Burthen1,636 ¹⁷⁄₉₄Tons BM

Armament

21.10.1755Broadside Weight = 761 Imperial Pound ( 345.1135 kg)BWAS-1603
Lower Gun Deck26 British 32-Pounder
Middle Gun Deck26 British 18-Pounder
Upper Gun Deck22 British 9-Pounder
Forecastle4 British 6-Pounder

Crew Complement

Date# of MenNotesSource
1706520Design Complement

19 Ship Commanders

DatesRankNameSource
22.10.1755 - 5.11.1756CaptainSir Piercy Brett (c.1710-1781) Transfered ADM 6/18/204BWAS-17145.11.1756 - 5.5.1757Captain William Gordon (1705-1769) Transfered ADM 6/18/319BWAS-17145.5.1757 - 5.3.1760Captain Thomas Burnett (1724-1783) Transfered ADM 6/18/394BWAS-171412.12.1759 - 1.7.1762Captain William Goostrey (d.1762)† Discharged Dead ADM 6/19/118BWAS-17146.1.1761 - 22.1.1761Captain Arthur Usher (d.1763) Transfered ADM 6/19/556
Issued by Charles Holmes (1711-1761)
Confirmed 16.12.1763ADM 6/192.7.1762 - 24.8.1763Captain John Lindsay (1737-1788) TransferedW02929.7.1762 - 16.12.1762Captain Richard Carteret (c.1716-1780) ADM 6/19/176BWAS-171417.11.1770 - 23.5.1771Captain Thomas Graves (1725-1802) ADM 6/20/315BWAS-171414.7.1778 - 21.2.1780Lieutenant John Ball (c.1719-?) Superannuated ADM 6/21/435ADM 10621.2.1780 - 12.4.1781Captain Broderick Hartwell (c.1714-1784) ADM 6/22/91BWAS-171412.4.1781 - 25.6.1781Captain John Elphinstone (1722-1785) ADM 6/22/275ADM 6/224.3.1782 - 17.6.1782Captain John Holloway (1747-1826) Transfered ADM 6/22/417BWAS-171417.6.1782 - 30.12.1782CaptainThe Hon. Keith Stewart (1739-1795) ADM 6/22/481BWAS-171430.12.1782 - 22.4.1783Captain Stair Douglas (c.1735-1789) ADM 6/22/567BWAS-171412.5.1790 - 24.3.1791Captain William Locker (1731-1800) ADM 6/24/28BWAS-171424.3.1791 - 3.9.1791Captain Thomas Hickes (1731-1801) Discharged ADM 6/24/111BWAS-171426.12.1792 - 18.4.1799Captain Richard Boger (1739-1822) ADM 6/24/187BWAS-171418.4.1799 - 17.4.1800Captain John Wickey (1750-1833)BWAS-171410.1.1801 - 12.5.1802Captain Charles Henry Lane (d.1807)BWAS-1714

8 Flag Officers

DatesRankNameSource
5.5.1757 - 13.1.1760Commodore John Moore (1717/18-1779) ADM 6/18/393BWAS-171414.1.1760 - 21.11.1761Rear-Admiral of the White Charles Holmes (1711-1761)† Discharged Dead ADM 107/3/53BWAS-171412.5.1790 - 24.3.1791Vice-Admiral of the Blue Thomas Graves (1725-1802) ADM 6/24/474BWAS-171424.3.1791 - 9.1791Rear-Admiral of the WhiteSir Richard Bickerton (1^st Baronet Bickerton of Upwood) (1727-1792)BWAS-17141793Vice-Admiral of the Red Thomas Graves (1725-1802) ADM 107/3/474BWAS-17141794Vice-Admiral of the Blue Rowland Cotton (c.1740-1794)BWAS-17141.1795 - 1799Vice-Admiral of the RedSir Richard King (1^st Baronet of Bellevue) (1730-1806)BWAS-17145.1799 - 1802Admiral of the BlueSir Thomas Pasley (Baronet Pasley of Craig) (1734-1808)BWAS-1714

6 Commissioned Officers

DatesRankNameSource
12.12.1759 - 22.7.1761First Lieutenant Thomas Prescott (c.1718-1808) ADM 6/19/118ref:84912.12.1759 - 16.4.1761Second Lieutenant William Marshall (d.1776) ADM 6/19/118ref:84911.2.1760 - 24.7.1761Acting Fourth Lieutenant William Francis Bourke (c.1727-1802) ADM 6/19/135ref:8493.1797 - 5.1801Flag Lieutenant John Baker (1770-1845)NBD18494.3.1798 - 9.11.1798Acting Lieutenant Thomas James Dobson (1771-?)12.2.1802 - 3.1802Lieutenant Alexander BorthwickNBD1849

2 Warrant Officers

DatesRankNameSource
1.1.1793 - 5.8.1795Master Alexander PhillipsADM 29-16.8.1799 - 30.6.1802Boatswain William CunninghamADM 29-1

6 Petty Officers

DatesRatingNameSource
6.3.1760 - 2.2.1761Midshipman Stephen Parker (d.1808) TransferedHCA2613.8.1790 - 5.1.1791Midshipman William Gordon Rutherford (1765-1818)NAO29.3.1791 - 3.9.1791Midshipman William Gordon Rutherford (1765-1818)NAO1.9.1793 - 29.9.1793Midshipman William Gordon Rutherford (1765-1818)NAO19.12.1800 - 26.2.1801Midshipman Robert Bastin (1780-1854)NAO1802 - 1801Midshipman Archibald Black (1770-1852)NBD1849

3 Crewmen

DatesRatingNameSource
3.1782 - 25.4.1783Boy Fletcher Christian (1764-1793)E-WIKI30.10.1782 - 6.12.1782Ordinary Seaman William SpencerADM 29/825.4.1801 - 9.5.1801SupernumeraryThe Hon. William Cathcart (1782-1804)B125

Service History

DateEventSource
15.1.1756Completed at Deptford Dockyard - Deptford at a cost of £43974.10.3dBWAS-1714
1757fitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth at a cost of £3351.10.2dBWAS-1714
29.6.1757Sailed for the Leeward islandsBWAS-1714
1.1759Present in attack on MartinqueBWAS-1714
16.1.1759Attack on Martinique
20.1.1759Capture of Guadeloupe
26.3.1760Sailed for JamaicaBWAS-1714
6.1762Operations against HavanaBWAS-1714
6.6.1762Operations against Havana
11.6.1762Siege of El Morro
10.1762Began middling repair at Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth BWAS-1714
16.12.1762Paid offADM 51
7.1.1763SurveyedBWAS-1714
9.1765Completed middling repair at Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth at a cost of £19308.13.7dBWAS-1714
23.5.1771Paid offADM 51
6.1778Began fitting at Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth BWAS-1714
7.1778Completed fitting at Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth at a cost of £3144.11.0dBWAS-1714
2.1780Commissioned for harbour service at PlymouthBWAS-1714
3.1780Began fitting at Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth BWAS-1714
8.1780Completed fitting at Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth at a cost of £1967.3.6dBWAS-1714
6.1781Began fitting at Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth BWAS-1714
3.1782Completed fitting at Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth at a cost of £27493.7.10dBWAS-1714
20.10.1782Battle of Cape Spartel
22.4.1783

Paid off

BWAS-1714
5.1783Began fitting at Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth BWAS-1714
6.1783Completed fitting at Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth BWAS-1714
1785At GuadeloupeBWAS-1714
3.1790Commissioned as a receiving shipBWAS-1714
12.1792fitting at Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth at a cost of £6302.0.0dBWAS-1714
26.12.1792Refitted as a Third Rate Receiving Ship ADM 6/24
1793Harbour Service
1.1793Commissioned as a guard and receiving shipBWAS-1714
12.5.1802

Paid off

BWAS-1714
23.2.1805Took the Frigate La Ville de Milan (40) off Bermuda
7.1808Broken up at DeptfordB066

Fleets
Dates	Fleet	Fleet Commander	Source
9.1782-12.1782	Fleet for the relief of Gibraltar 1782	Lord Richard Howe (4^th Viscount Howe) (1725/26-1799)

Sources

IDNameAuthorType

BWAS-1714Rif Winfield, Book

BWAS-1603Rif Winfield, Book

ADM 6/19 Archive

W029Richard Couture, Web Site

ADM 106 Document

ADM 6/22 Archive

ref:849Samantha Cavell, Thesis

ref: Book

NBD1849O'Brien, Digital Book

ADM 29-1 Document

HCA26Authority, Web Site

NAOVarious, Web Site

E-WIKIVarious, Web Site

ADM 29/8 Archive

B125John Knox Laughton, Book

ADM 51 Archive

ADM 6/24 Archive

B066Brian Lavery, Book

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