HMS Hussar (1763)

HMS Hussar (1763)

HMS "Hussar", a ship built in England in 1763, was part of the British fleet in North America.

During the American Revolution, "Hussar" sailed as a dispatch boat on the North American station. By mid-1779, the British position in New York was precarious as a French army had joined forces with General George Washington's troops north of the city. When Admiral Sir George Brydges Rodney took his twenty ships of the line south in November, it was decided that the army's payroll be moved to the anchorage at Gardiners Bay on eastern Long Island. On November 24, 1779, against his pilot's better judgment, "Hussar's" Captain Charles Pole decided to sail from the East River through the treacherous waters of Hell Gate between Manhattan Island and Long Island.

Just before reaching Long Island Sound, "Hussar" was swept onto Pot Rock and began sinking. Pole was unable to run her aground and she sank in 16 fathoms (29 m) of water. The British immediately denied there was any gold aboard the ship, but despite the difficulty of diving in the waters of Hell Gate, reports of $2 to $4 million in gold were the catalyst that prompted many salvage efforts over the next 150 years. This continued even after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers "blew the worst features of Hell Gate straight back to hell" with 56,000 pounds (25 t) of dynamite in 1876. "Hussar's" remains, if any survive, are now believed to lie beneath landfill in the Bronx.

References

* Hepper, British Warship Losses.
* Rattray, Perils of the Port of New York.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • HMS Hussar (1763) — HMS Hussar HMS Hussar Служба …   Википедия

  • HMS Hussar — Десять кораблей Королевского флота назывались HMS Hussar (гусар). HMS Hussar 28 пушечный корабль 6 ранга; спущен на воду в 1757; захвачен французами в 1762 после посадки на мель у Кап Франсуа, Эспаньола из за ошибок лоцмана и мастера. HMS Hussar… …   Википедия

  • HMS Hussar — Ten ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Hussar , after the hussar.*The first Hussar was a 28 gun sixth rate launched in 1757 and captured by the French in 1762 after running aground off Cuba. *The second Hussar was a 28 gun sixth rate… …   Wikipedia

  • HMS Chatham (1758) — HMS Chatham HMS Chatham …   Википедия

  • List of frigate classes of the Royal Navy — Ships of the Royal Navy A – B – C – D – E – F – G H – I – J – K – L – M&# …   Wikipedia

  • Война за независимость США на море — Naval operations in the American Revolutionary War Война за независимость США …   Википедия

  • List of shipwrecks — Contents 1 Africa 1.1 East Africa 1.2 North Africa 1.2.1 Algeria …   Wikipedia

  • Вест-Индский театр войны за независимость США — Вест Индский театр Война за независимость США …   Википедия

  • Sir Thomas Pasley, 1st Baronet — Infobox Military Person name= Sir Thomas Pasley lived= 2 March, 1734 ndash; 29 November, 1808 placeofbirth= Langholm, Dumfriesshire placeofdeath= Winchester, Hampshire caption= nickname= allegiance= flagicon|United Kingdom United Kingdom… …   Wikipedia

  • Eliab Harvey — Infobox Military Person name= Sir Eliab Harvey lived= 5 December 1758 ndash; 20 February 1830 placeofbirth= Rolls Park, Chigwell, Essex placeofdeath= Rolls Park, Chigwell, Essex caption= Sir Eliab Harvey nickname= allegiance= United Kingdom… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”