HMS Ranelagh (1697)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Princess Caroline.

HMS Ranelagh was a three-decker 80-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Deptford Dockyard on 25 June 1697.^[1] She took part in a number of actions during the War of the Spanish Succession, including the Battle of Vigo in 1702 and the Battle of Vélez-Málaga in 1704.

History
Great Britain
Name	HMS Ranelagh
Ordered	30 May 1695
Builder	Fisher Harding, Deptford Dockyard
Launched	25 June 1697
Renamed	HMS Princess Caroline, 1728
Fate	Broken up, 1764
Notes	Participated in: Battle of Vigo Battle of Vélez-Málaga
General characteristics as built[1]
Class and type	80-gun third rate ship of the line
Tons burthen	1199 bm
Length	158 ft 8 in (48.4 m) (gundeck)
Beam	41 ft 8.75 in (12.7 m)
Depth of hold	17 ft 4 in (5.3 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Complement	476
Armament	80 guns of various weights of shot
General characteristics after 1731 rebuild[2]
Class and type	1719 Establishment 80-gun third rate ship of the line
Tons burthen	1353 bm
Length	158 ft (48.2 m) (gundeck)
Beam	44 ft 6 in (13.6 m)
Depth of hold	18 ft 2 in (5.5 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Armament	80 guns: Gundeck: 26 × 32 pdrs Middle gundeck: 26 × 12 pdrs Upper gundeck: 24 × 6 pdrs Quarterdeck: 4 × 6 pdrs

On 20 August 1723 she was ordered to be taken to pieces and rebuilt according to the 1719 Establishment at Woolwich. She was renamed HMS Princess Caroline in 1728 (while rebuilding).^[1] She was relaunched on 15 March 1731.^[2]

Princess Caroline was Admiral Edward Vernon's flagship at the Battle of Cartagena de Indias during his second Spanish Caribbean campaign, in the War of Jenkins' Ear. George Washington's half-brother, Lawrence Washington, served on Princess Caroline as a captain of the Marines in 1741,^[3] and named his estate Mount Vernon in honour of his commander.^[4]

The Princess Caroline continued in service until 1764, when she was broken up.^[2]

Notes

1. Lavery, Ships of the Line vol.1, p163.
2. Lavery, Ships of the Line vol.1, p169.
3. Captain Lawrence Washington letter dated 30 May 1741 from Kingston, Jamaica, to his father, Augustine Washington, in Fredericksburg, Virginia. MVLA archives, PS-835
4. Ranft, Brian, editor. The Vernon Papers. Naval Records Society, vol. 99. London: 1958

References

• Lavery, Brian (2003) The Ship of the Line – Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-252-8.