HMS Royal James was a 102-gun first 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 English Royal Navy, built by Sir Anthony Deane at Portsmouth Dockyard at a cost of £24,000, and launched on 31 March 1671.

She was one of only three Royal Navy ships to be equipped with the Rupertinoe

Rupertinoe

The Rupertinoe was an advanced naval gun designed by, and named after, Prince Rupert of the Rhine in the 17th century.-Details:Naval warfare in the Restoration period placed an emphasis on naval fire power; as one writer has put it, warships had evolved into "floating artillery emplacements". The...

 naval gun.
She fought at the Battle of Solebay

Battle of Solebay

The naval Battle of Solebay took place on 28 May Old Style, 7 June New Style 1672 and was the first naval battle of the Third Anglo-Dutch War.-The battle:...

 on 7 June 1672 (28 May 1672 O.S.) as Admiral Edward Montagu

Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich

Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich, KG was an English Infantry officer who later became a naval officer. He was the only surviving son of Sir Sidney Montagu, and was brought up at Hinchingbrooke House....

's flagship. She was attacked by first Dolfijn, and then Groot Hollandia, before finally coming under attack by Dutch

Dutch Republic

The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...

 fireships. Royal James was destroyed by the fire and sank. Montagu died, although the ship's Captain, Richard Haddock

Richard Haddock

Sir Richard Haddock was an officer of the Royal Navy. He served during the Anglo-Dutch Wars, eventually rising to the rank of Admiral in August 1690.-Family and early life:...

, survived and went on to hold a distinguished career in the Navy. She had seen barely four months service.