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WARWICK
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(60) |
4th rate
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Built in 1733, Plymouth.
Broken up in 1761. |
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- 1734 Capt. Edward BROOKE, Channel fleet.
- 1739 Capt. John TOLLER, with Rear Adm. HADDOCK in the Mediterranean.
- 1742 Capt. Temple WEST, from the DARTMOUTH, on the same station. She took part in the action with the combined Franco-Spanish fleets off Toulon in February 1744. WARWICK was the second ship in the British van division; when the enemy attempted to weather the head of the British line and, by tacking, fire on them from both sides, Capt. WEST, and the captains of STIRLING CASTLE and NASSAU, successfully countered this movement, but, as they had acted without orders, they were all brought before courts martial, Capt. WEST at Deptford on 13 December 1745, and sentenced to be dismissed the service. He was restored to his rank by order of council on 12 May 1746.
- 1745 Capt. Roger JOYCE. 1747 Capt. Robert ERSKINE. In July he was ordered to America with Capt. CROOKSHANK of the LARK to convoy thirteen merchant ships. They fell in with a Spanish warship, the GLORIOSO of 70 guns on two decks, which escaped from them.
- From the Journal of an officer on board WARWICK:-
- July 14th. 1747. In the morning we saw a sail, and the LARK having the command, made the signal to chase. Being both indifferent sailors, though we gained on the chase we would probably have lost her in the night if it had not been for captain Conolly, who being in a small vessel in the ordnance service, and a prime sailor, kept her in sight all night, and by firing guns and showing false fires, directed us how to proceed. Next morning we got sight again of the enemy, he appeared a very large ship at four or five miles distance, and all things were prepared to engage accordingly. Meantime captain Conolly gave us no small diversion, though he durst not venture very near her, for two or three of her guns would have torn him all to pieces; but he kept to windward, and every now and then popped his four pounders at her, under English colours, hoping to make her shew hers, cut some of her rigging, or provoke her to bear towards him, and so retard her course. The enemy nevertheless (for then we were sure she was one) would not hoist a colour but now and then returned the fire and stood on. About eleven at night, being nearly abreast of the enemy to leeward, and the Lark a little way ahead of us, at about half a mile distance, we gave the enemy a broadside, which she briskly returned under Spanish colours; the Lark then stood on and we lost sight of her. In ten minutes captain Erskine, being nearer, gave her his starboard broadside, raked her fore and aft, and clapping about again stood within pistol-shot, when he discharged his starboard broadside into her, with a volley of small arms, as we passed; all which the enemy smartly returned and stood on. During the whole action he seemed to be upon the defensive, and to want rather to get away than fight. As soon as possible the Warwick racked after her, ran alongside of her within pistol-shot and began to engage large, sometimes before the wind, and all the time after that within pistol shot, so that the wadding of the enemy's guns fell thick upon our decks, and threatened to set fire to our sails and rigging.
- Our people seeing the enemy a much larger ship than the Warwick, with a great number of guns, which she played well, the Lark, keeping at a great distance, and giving them no manner of assistance, were somewhat discouraged; but then again reflecting that, if they could make the enemy strike without the assistance of the Lark the greater would be their glory, they expressed the highest resolution and bravery, continuing a dreadful fire till three in the morning, firing in the whole between twenty-five and thirty broadsides: the Warwick at that time torn and mattered to pieces in her masts, yards, sails and rigging, and the ship lying like a wreck, not in a condition to make a farther attack, nor to retreat, fell off to the southward; which the enemy no sooner observed than he hawled to the northward. The number of our men killed and wounded was not very great, which is imputed partly to the enemy's firing chiefly at our rigging and sails, and partly to their overshooting their guns, for we found a vast many of their shot sticking in the sides of our ship, having few come through. We wanted between forty and fifty men of our complement; many were raw and inexperienced, and ten of them were boys. When the engagement was over we found in our ship the enemy's shot double-headed fifty-eight pounders, round twenty-five twenty and fifteen; whereas the Warwick's guns are only twenty-four pounders on the lower deck, nine pounders on the main-deck, and six on the quarter.
- The Lark joined us about six in the morning, but did not think fit to pursue the enemy, who was still in sight, as we were incapable of going along with him. About noon we were informed by one of the convoy, who had run close to the enemy after the engagement, that she was likewise in a very shattered condition, with her fore-mast gone and her sails and rigging cut to pieces. This seemed to give the captain of the Lark some courage, and he proposed to captain Erskine to go after her again, which that brave and prudent commander did as soon as he could clear ship and put her into some sort of order; but the favourable opportunity was lost, and we could not get sight of her again. Thus, by the unaccountable bad behaviour of the Lark, both her company and the Warwick's have lost immense riches; for had not the Lark left the Warwick in the beginning of the action, or had she joined her any time when she was engaged, the enemy must certainly have fallen into our hands.
- On their arrival at Louisburgh Capt. CROOKSHANKS was placed under arrest on a charge preferred by Capt. ERKINE and dismissed the service by the sentence of a court martial, president Capt. Digby DENT. Commodore KNOWLES appointed Capt. ERSKINE to command CANTERBURY, on which he had hoisted his broad pennant.
- 1747 Capt. George DARBY, appointed in September, he removed to the ALDBOROUGH in December.
- 1748 Capt. Thomas INNES 1756 Capt. Molyneux SHULDHAM from the SEAFORD. He was ordered to the West Indies and cruising off Martinique where he had taken several French prizes, he fell in with the PRUDENTE (74), who had in company with her a sixty gun ship and a frigate of 36 guns. The WARWICK, perceiving herself to be overmatched, endeavoured to escape by making a running fight and had actually got clear of the large ships, when the frigate, being ordered to chace, came up under her stern raked her terribly and kept her in play until the PRUDENTE came up and Capt. SHULDHAM was forced to strike.
- She was recaptured by PRUDENTE in the Mediterranean on 24 January 1761. Both ships had about 14 men killed and 30 wounded. WARWICK lost her main-mast and her fore-top mast and was not considered worth repairing.
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