HMS Defiance was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line

Ship of the line

A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...

 of the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

, built by Phineas Pett II at Chatham Dockyard

Chatham Dockyard

Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional...

, and launched in 1675.

In the summer of 1678, Defiance was under the command of John Ernle

John Ernle (naval officer)

Sir John Ernle, or Ernele , of Burytown, Broad Blunsdon, Wiltshire, served as a Royal Navy captain in the Third Anglo-Dutch War, and was briefly Member of Parliament for Calne....

.

She was rebuilt at Woolwich Dockyard

Woolwich Dockyard

Woolwich Dockyard was an English naval dockyard founded by King Henry VIII in 1512 to build his flagship Henri Grâce à Dieu , the largest ship of its day....

 in 1695, again as a 64-gun ship.

Defiance was part of a squadron under Vice-Admiral John Benbow

John Benbow

John Benbow was an English officer in the Royal Navy. He joined the navy aged 25 years, seeing action against Algerian pirates before leaving and joining the merchant navy where he traded until the Glorious Revolution of 1688, whereupon he returned to the Royal Navy and was commissioned.Benbow...

 in August 1702. In an action

Action of August 1702

The Action of August 1702 took place from 19–25 August 1702 O.S. between an English squadron under Vice-Admiral John Benbow and a French under Admiral Jean du Casse, during the War of the Spanish Succession. Benbow vigorously attacked the French squadron, but the refusal of most of his captains to...

 between Benbow's squadron and the squadron of the French

Kingdom of France

The Kingdom of France was one of the most powerful states to exist in Europe during the second millennium.It originated from the Western portion of the Frankish empire, and consolidated significant power and influence over the next thousand years. Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, developed a...

 Admiral Jean du Casse

Jean du Casse

Jean Baptiste du Casse was a French Buccaneer and Admiral.In his youth, he was not allowed into the French Navy because his parents were Huguenots...

, Defiance under Captain Richard Kirkby was one of the ships that refused to engage. Along with , Defiance bore away from the French squadron after only two or three broadsides, and stood out of range. At his court-martial

Court-martial

A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...

, Captain Kirkby was convicted of cowardice and sentenced to be shot.

In 1707 she was rebuilt for a second time, relaunching from Deptford Dockyard as a 66-gun third rate.

Defiance was reduced to a fourth rate in 1716, and was hulked in 1743. She was broken up in 1749.