HMS Winchester (1693)

HMS Winchester was a 60-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the English Royal Navy, launched at Bursledon on 11 April 1693.[1]

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Winchester.

History
Royal Navy EnsignEngland
NameHMS Winchester
BuilderWyatt, Bursledon
Launched11 April 1693
FateFoundered, 24 September 1695
General characteristics [1]
Class and type60-gun fourth rate ship of the line
Tons burthen941
Length146 ft 2.5 in (44.6 m) (gundeck)
Beam38 ft 2 in (11.6 m)
Depth of hold15 ft 11 in (4.9 m)
PropulsionSails
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Armament60 guns of various weights of shot

On 24 September 1695, Winchester foundered on Carysfort Reef in the Florida Keys and was lost.[1] Scurvy had killed or incapacitated almost all of the 350 crewmen; only seven were still capable of working the bilge pumps when a hurricane drove the Winchester onto the reef. Just eight of the crew were rescued. Winchester had been in company with Dunkirk and Experiment, when poor weather caused them to separate from the English squadron sailing from the West Indies to England. In the night lookouts sighted breakers ahead, but her crew was so debilitated by disease that she was unable to avoid hitting a reef. Captain Soales died on shore some days later,before being rescued. The subsequent court martial judged that the current had sent them further north than calculated.[2]

The remains of the wreck were discovered in 1938 or 1939 lying approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) southwest of the Carysfort Reef Light. Cannons, cannonballs, wrought iron fittings, and a couple of sundials have been recovered from the wreck.[3][4]

Citations
  1. Lavery, Ships of the Line, vol. 1, p. 163.
  2. Hepper (1994), p. 19.
  3. Dean (1982), p. 24.
  4. Diving at dive site Carysfort Reef South and HMS Winchester. Greatest Dive Sites. Retrieved 7 November 2008.

References
  • Dean, Love (1982). Reef Lights: Seaswept Lighthouses of the Florida Keys. Key West, Florida: The Historic Key West Preservation Board. ISBN 0-943528-03-8.
  • 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.


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