HMS Kingston (1697)
Encyclopedia

HMS Kingston was a 60-gun fourth 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 Frame in Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...

 and launched on 13 March 1697. She had an eventful career, taking part in numerous engagements.

Career

During the War of Spanish Succession, Kingston took part in the engagements of Gibraltar
History of Gibraltar
The history of Gibraltar portrays how The Rock gained an importance and a reputation far exceeding its size, influencing and shaping the people who came to reside here over the centuries.-Prehistoric:...

 (1704) under the command of Edward Acton, Vélez Málaga (1709) and Gaspé
The Walker Expedition to Quebec
The Quebec Expedition, or the Walker Expedition to Quebec, was a British attempt to attack Quebec in 1711 in Queen Anne's War, the North American theatre of the War of Spanish Succession...

 (1711).

She was rebuilt for the first time according to the 1706 Establishment
1706 Establishment
The 1706 Establishment was the first formal establishment of dimensions for ships built for the Royal Navy. Two previous sets of dimensions had been established, though only for particular shipbuilding programmes; the 1706 Establishment was intended to be permanent.-Origins:Dimensions for ships had...

 at Portsmouth Dockyard, and relaunched on 9 May 1719. She was rebuilt for a second time at Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...

 according to the 1733 proposals of the 1719 Establishment
1719 Establishment
The 1719 Establishment was the first formal 'Establishment' laid down to govern the construction of all ships built or rebuilt down to those of 20 carriage guns, whether in the Royal Dockyards or by commercial contractors...

, and relaunched on 8 October 1740. Kingston was present at the Battle of Toulon
Battle of Toulon (1744)
The naval Battle of Toulon or Battle of Cape Sicié took place on 22 February 1744 in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Toulon, France. A combined Franco-Spanish fleet fought off Britain's Mediterranean fleet...

 in 1744.

During the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...

, the ship was part of Admiral John Byng
John Byng
Admiral John Byng was a Royal Navy officer. After joining the navy at the age of thirteen he participated at the Battle of Cape Passaro in 1718. Over the next thirty years he built up a reputation as a solid naval officer and received promotion to Vice-Admiral in 1747...

's squadron sent to relieve Fort St. Philip (Port Mahon
Mahon
Mahón is a municipality and the capital city of the Balearic Island of Minorca , located in the eastern part of the island. Mahon has the second deepest natural harbor in the world: 5 km long and up to 900m. wide...

) in 1756, besieged by a French amphibious force who had invaded the island of Minorca
Minorca
Min Orca or Menorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. It takes its name from being smaller than the nearby island of Majorca....

. The squadron set sail from England on 10 April. On 2 May, it arrived at Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...

, departing on 8 May. On 19 May, it came into sight of Fort St. Philip. The French fleet then advanced to meet Byng. On 20 May, the squadron fought the Battle of Minorca
Battle of Minorca
The Battle of Minorca was a naval battle between French and British fleets. It was the opening sea battle of the Seven Years' War in the European theatre. Shortly after Great Britain declared war on the House of Bourbon, their squadrons met off the Mediterranean island of Minorca. The fight...

 where several British ships were seriously damaged but none was lost on either side. On 24 May, after a council of war, Byng gave orders to return to Gibraltar, abandoning Minorca to its fate. The squadron arrived at Gibraltar on 19 June.

In 1757, the ship was part of Admiral Holbourne's squadron which left Ireland on 5 May for the planned expedition against Louisbourg. By 10 July, the entire squadron was finally at anchor before Halifax where it made its junction with Hardy's squadron. However in August, when the combined fleet was ready to set sail, Louisbourg had already been reinforced by three French squadrons and Governor Loudon cancelled the whole enterprise. Holbourne's squadron stayed off Louisbourg until 25 September when it was dispersed by a storm, forcing it to return to Great Britain in a very bad condition. On 20 November 1759, Kingston took part in the Battle of Quiberon Bay
Battle of Quiberon Bay
The naval Battle of Quiberon Bay took place on 20 November 1759 during the Seven Years' War in Quiberon Bay, off the coast of France near St. Nazaire...

 where the French navy suffered a great defeat.

As the Lord Clive

The ship was sold to privateers linked to the East India Company on 14 January 1762 and renamed Lord Clive.

The same year during the Spanish-Portuguese War, 1761-1763
Spanish-Portuguese War, 1761-1763
The Spanish-Portuguese War between 1761 and 1763 was fought as part of the Seven Years' War. Because no major battles were fought, even though there were numerous movements of troops, the war is known in the Portuguese history as the Fantastic War , or War of the Pacte de Famille.When the Seven...

, these privateers, fighting on the side of Portugal, had plans to conquer Spanish territory in South America and organised a raid on Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...

 and Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...

.

Their squadron, under the command of Robert McNamara from the East India Company, consisted of the Lord Clive (60), the Ambuscade (40), two Portuguese ships (among which were the frigate Gloria (38)) transporting 500 foot soldiers, and five storeships. On 2 November, the squadron sailed from Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...

 towards the mouth of the Río de la Plata
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...

 but soon abandoned the project because Spanish defenders on both cities were fully alerted and well prepared.

On January 6, 1763, McNamara decided to attack and retake Colonia do Sacramento also in Spanish hands. 60-gun Lord Clive and the 40-gun HMS Ambuscade along with 38-gun Portuguese Gloria anchored near the city and started bombardment , but they received unexpected strong resistance from the city gun battery. After three hours of fire exchange, a fire declared on the Lord Clive , it quickly extended and ship's santabarbara blew up , it sunk immediately . There were 272 fatalities on board, including the expedition's commander Captain Robert McNamara. HMS Ambuscade and Gloria were badly damaged too , and retired from combat.
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