HMS Grafton (1771) explained

HMS Grafton was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built by Adam Hayes launched on 26 September 1771 at Deptford Dockyard. One of the largest ships in the navy she had a crew of 550 men.

Service history

May, 1778 under command of Capt. Andrew Wilkinson.^[1]

In 1779 she fought at the head of the British line at the Battle of Grenada, and in 1780 she was part of Rodney's fleet at the Battle of Martinique.

From 1792 Grafton was on harbour service, and she was broken up in 1816.

Notable Commanders

• Captain Thomas Collingwood briefly in 1779
• Captain William Affleck briefly in 1780
• Captain Frederick Lewis Maitland briefly in 1782
• Captain Stair Douglas briefly in 1782
• Sir John Hamilton 1782/3

References

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

Notes and References

1. Web site: NAVAL DOCUMENTS OF The American Revolution . history.navy.mil . 19 November 2021.