HMS Stirling Castle (1775)

HMS Stirling Castle was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 28 June 1775 at Chatham.[1]

The unfortunate Loss of His Majesty's Ship Stirling Castle - after having been dismasted in the Great Hurricane Octr 6th 1780 - was wrecked near the Silver Keys, off the NE end of Island Hispaniola, by William Elliott and Valentine Green
History
Great Britain
Name:	Stirling Castle
Ordered:	12 October 1768
Builder:	Chatham Dockyard
Laid down:	October 1769
Launched:	28 June 1775
Fate:	Wrecked, 5 October 1780
General characteristics [1]
Class and type:	Worcester-class ship of the line
Tons burthen:	1377 ​^21⁄94 (bm)
Length:	159 ft (48 m) (gundeck)
Beam:	44 ft 6 in (13.56 m)
Depth of hold:	19 ft 10 in (6.05 m)
Propulsion:	Sails
Sail plan:	Full-rigged ship
Armament:	64 guns: Gundeck: 26 × 24 pdrs Upper gundeck: 26 × 18 pdrs Quarterdeck: 10 × 4 pdrs Forecastle: 2 × 9 pdrs

She was wrecked on 5 October 1780 on the Silver Keys, off Cap François, off the coast of Cuba with the loss of most of her crew.[2] As the Massachusetts ship Aurora was sailing from Boston to Port-au-Prince she came upon the wreckage of Stirling Castle and was able to save a midshipman and four seamen.[3]

Citations and references

Citations

1. Lavery, Ships of the Line vol.1, p181.
2. "The Marine List". New Lloyd's List (1247). 6 March 1781.
3. Hepper (1994), p.59.

References

• Hepper, David J. (1994) British Warship Losses in the Age of Sail, 1650–1859. (Rotherfield: Jean Boudriot). ISBN 0-948864-30-3
• 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.