HMS Bombay Castle (1782)

HMS Bombay Castle was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 14 June 1782 at Blackwall Yard. She grounded on 21 December 1796 in the shoals of the Tagus River's mouth.

Bombay Castle
History
Great Britain
Name: Bombay
Namesake: Bombay Castle
Ordered: 14 July 1779
Builder: Perry, Blackwall Yard
Laid down: June 1780
Launched: 14 June 1782
Renamed: HMS Bombay Castle (17 February 1780)
Fate: Wrecked, 1796
General characteristics [1]
Class and type: Elizabeth-class ship of the line
Tons burthen: 1628,[2] 16281994 bm
Length: 168 ft 6 in (51.4 m) (gundeck); 138 ft 3 18 in (42.1 m)
Beam: 47 ft 1 in (14.4 m)
Depth of hold: 19 ft 9 in (6.02 m)
Propulsion: Sails
Sail plan: Full-rigged ship
Armament:
  • Gundeck: 28 × 32-pounder guns
  • Upper gundeck: 28 × 18-pounder guns
  • QD: 14 × 9-pounder guns
  • Fc: 4 × 9-pounder guns
HMS Bombay Castle, in two positions, in the Channel off Dover, by Thomas Whitcombe

Origins

The British East India Company (EIC) funded the construction of Bombay Castle as a contribution to the war effort.[1][2] Similarly, the EIC also paid for the construction of HMS Carnatic and HMS Ganges.

Loss

Bombay Castle was under the command of Captain Thomas Sotheby when she entered the Tagus, having taken a pilot on board. In attempting to avoid the storeship Camel, which had grounded ahead of Bombay Castle, Bombay Castle too grounded. During the subsequent week, attempts were made to float her off after boats had removed her guns and stores, but without success. The navy abandoned her as a wreck on 27 December.[3]

Citations and references

Citations

  1. Winfield (2008), pp.55-56.
  2. Hackman (2001), p.225.
  3. Hepper (1994), p.82.

References

  • Hackman, Rowan (2001). Ships of the East India Company. Gravesend, Kent: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-96-7.
  • Hepper, David J. (1994). British Warship Losses in the Age of Sail, 1650-1859. Rotherfield: Jean Boudriot. ISBN 0-948864-30-3.
  • Winfield, Rif (2008). British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793–1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth. ISBN 1-86176-246-1.


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