HMS St Michael (1669)

HMS St Michael was a 90-gun second rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built by John Tippetts of Portsmouth Dockyard and launched in 1669.[1]

Marlborough after the Battle of Toulon (1744)
History
Great Britain
Name	HMS St Michael
Builder	Tippetts, Portsmouth Dockyard
Launched	1669
Renamed	HMS Marlborough, 1706
Fate	Wrecked, 29 November 1762
General characteristics as built[1]
Class and type	90-gun second rate ship of the line
Tons burthen	1101 bm
Length	125 ft (38 m) (keel)
Beam	40 ft 8+1⁄2 in (12.408 m)
Depth of hold	17 ft 5 in (5.31 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Armament	90 guns of various weights of shot
General characteristics after 1706 rebuild[2]
Class and type	90-gun second rate ship of the line
Tons burthen	1,579 long tons (1,604.3 t)
Length	162 ft 8 in (49.58 m) (gundeck)
Beam	47 ft 4 in (14.43 m)
Depth of hold	18 ft 6 in (5.64 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Armament	90 guns of various weights of shot
General characteristics after 1732 rebuild[3]
Class and type	1719 Establishment 90-gun second rate ship of the line
Tons burthen	1,567 long tons (1,592.1 t)
Length	164 ft (50 m) (gundeck)
Beam	47 ft 2 in (14.38 m)
Depth of hold	18 ft 10 in (5.74 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Armament	90 guns: Gundeck: 26 × 32 pdrs Middle gundeck: 26 × 18 pdrs Upper gundeck: 26 × 9 pdrs Quarterdeck: 10 × 6 pdrs Forecastle: 2 × 6 pdrs

St Michael was rebuilt at Blackwall Yard in 1706, at which time she was also renamed HMS Marlborough.[2] On 5 April 1725 Marlborough was ordered to be taken to pieces and rebuilt at Chatham. She was relaunched on 25 September 1732.[3]

On 11 February 1744 during the Battle of Toulon. Marlborough and Namur bore the brunt of the Spanish fire, her captain James Cornewall, and 42 crew were killed and 120 wounded out of her crew of 750 men.[4] Command passed to his distant cousin, Frederick Cornewall, the First Lieutenant, who was severely wounded and lost his right arm. Cornewall was buried at sea.

Marlbrough, 74 Guns commanded by Sir John Bentley 1744, sketched by his clerk, John Hood

Marlborough was reduced to a 68-gun ship in 1752.[3]

Marlborough shown here as a member Sir George Pocock's Blue Squadron, circa 1762

She formed part of Sir George Pocock's fleet at the taking of Havana from the Spanish in 1762. Whilst making her way back to Britain she was caught in very heavy weather, and on 29 November 1762 her crew were forced to abandon ship, all of her crew being taken off by a passing HMS Antelope before she sank.[5] Her Captain Thomas Burnett was court martialled as a result, and although exonerated would not regain a command until 1770.[6]