HMS Yarmouth (1745)

On 7 March 1778 Yarmouth was attacked by the American frigate Randolph of 36-guns and the 20-gun sloop, General Moultrie. With fewer guns and of a smaller calibre, the frigate and sloop managed to cause some minor damage to two of Yarmouth's topmasts and a portion of her bowsprit, Randolph then attempted to rake (fire through the length of) the ship; Randolph was firing 3 broadsides to Yarmouth's one, however the 12 lb shot would have struggled to penetrate Yarmouth's hull, while Yarmouth's 18 and 32-pounder guns would have been able to penetrate any part of her comparatively lightly-planked opponents. Randolph exploded during the engagement, likely due to a shot penetrating her magazine, killing all but four of her crew. Part of her wreckage landed on Yarmouth's decks, including Randolph's ensign. Yarmouth had to repair two damaged topmasts but suffered no significant damage. Five men were killed and twelve wounded aboard HMS Yarmouth. General Moultrie fled following Randolph's destruction.[4][5]

On Thursday the following being in chase of a ship, a man at the mast-head of Yarmouth called down to the officer on the quarter-deck. He saw something in the water abaft the beam, but could not initially recognise what it was. With the help of a spy-glass he soon discovered 4 men seemingly standing on the water for what supported them was not visible. HMS Yarmouth took 2 to 3 hours to eventually reach the men who were standing on a small float, and were brought aboard. They turned out to be from the destroyed ship Randolph. The account they gave, was that they were in the quarter cabin and were thrown into the water when the ship blew-up. They managed to tie together a makeshift raft from the floating debris and were fortunate to survive by using a blanket to capture rainwater during their stranded five nights at sea.[4][5]