HMS Magnificent (1806)

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

History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Magnificent
Ordered	31 January 1805
Builder	Perry, Wells & Green, Blackwall
Laid down	April 1805
Launched	30 August 1806
Fate	Sold, 1843
General characteristics [1]
Class & type	Repulse-class ship of the line
Tons burthen	1732 3⁄94 (bm))
Length	174 ft (53 m) (gundeck)
Beam	47 ft 4 in (14.43 m)
Depth of hold	20 ft (6.1 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Armament	74 guns: Gundeck: 28 × 32 pdrs Upper gundeck: 28 × 18 pdrs Quarterdeck: 4 × 12 pdrs, 10 × 32 pdr carronades Forecastle: 4 × 12 pdrs, 2 × 32 pdr carronades Poop deck: 6 × 18 pdr carronades

HMS Magnificent was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 30 August 1806 at Blackwall Yard. ^[1]

Service

On 21 March 1810, she participated in the expedition against the island of St Maura in the Adriatic.

From June to August 1812, she was off the coast of Northern Spain, in support of operations to expel Bonapartist forces from Spain. From 30 July to 1 August, she launched an attack on Santander. ^[2]

She was among a convoy of vessels that had departed from Cork and Portsmouth in September, which arrived at Jamaica on 12 November 1814. ^{[3] [4]} With the departure of Vice Admiral Cochrane on 29 November 1814, she was the most senior vessel in Jamaica, her commanding officer Willoughby Lake was deputised to carry on the duties of Senior officer on the Jamaica station. ^[5] She was among a convoy of vessels that had departed the West Indies on 1 May 1815, having paused at Havana, then stopped at Castletownbere on 3 July, arrived at Deal on 10 July 1815. ^{[6] [7] [8] [9]} She was paid off on 8 August 1815. ^[10]

She was hulked in 1825, and eventually sold out of the service in 1843. ^[1]

References

1. Lavery (1983), p. 188.
2. James (1902), p. 62.
3. "The Marine List" . Lloyd's List. 25 October 1814. p. 1. Retrieved 12 December 2016– via British Newspaper Archive. The fleet which sailed from Spithead on, the 1st, and from Cork 7th ult. for the West Indies, &c. under convoy of his Majesty's ships Magnificent, Rinaldo, Chanticleer, and Brisk, was getting under weigh from Madeira on 29th [September].
4. "Shipping Intelligence" . Royal Gazette of Jamaica. 19 November 1814. p. 18. Retrieved 5 March 2020– via British Newspaper Archive. The London and Cork fleets, whose arrival [on 12 November 1814] we announced in our last [on page 17], consisted of 180 sail.. The following is a list of vessels for this island, which sailed with the Magnificent.
5. O'Byrne (1849), p. 626.
6. "The Marine List" . Lloyd's List. 26 May 1815. p. 1. Retrieved 12 December 2016– via British Newspaper Archive. The Magnificent was appointed to sail from Negril Bay, Jamaica, 1st inst. for England, with such Ships as would avail themselves of her protection.
7. "Shipping Intelligence" . Royal Gazette of Jamaica. 10 June 1815. p. 18. Retrieved 5 March 2020– via British Newspaper Archive. The Magnificent, Talbot post-sloop, of 20 guns, and Moselle and Adder left the Havanna on the 16th[, having arrived on 15 May], with 100 sail for Europe..
8. "Castletown, Beerhaven, July 3" . Belfast news-Letter. 14 July 1815. p. 4. Retrieved 22 May 2024– via British Newspaper Archive. Magnificent, of 74 guns, Capt. Lake; and Talbot sloop of war, anchored in this harbour, with part of a fleet from the West Indies, last from Negril Bay, composed of ahout 106 sail.
9. "Port news" . Saint James's Chronicle. 11 July 1815. p. 4. Retrieved 27 June 2020– via British Newspaper Archive.
10. O'Byrne (1849), p. 625.

Bibliography

• James, William (1902). The naval history of Great Britain (1813–1827). Vol. 6 (New six volume ed.). London: Macmillan.
• Lavery, Brian (1983) The Ship of the Line - Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650–1850. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN   0-85177-252-8.
• O'Byrne, William Richard (1849). "Lake, Willoughby Thomas"  . A Naval Biographical Dictionary  . John Murray – via Wikisource.