HMS Colossus (1787)

HMS "Colossus" was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She was launched at Gravesend on 4 April 1787 and lost on December 10 1798.

Early History

"Colossus" was launched at Gravesend on 4 April 1787. On 6 June 1793, in the Bay of Biscay, she captured "Vanneau", a tiny vessel with an armament of just 6 guns. The same year, she was part of a large fleet of 51 warships of numerous types, including a Spanish squadron, but commanded overall by Vice Admiral Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood.

Siege of Toulon

The Fleet arrived off Toulon on August 26 1793, with Lord Hood in the warship HMS "Victory". The objective was to keep the French Fleet in check. In Toulon's port were 58 French warships, and Lord Hood was determined not to allow such a potent and dangerous fleet to be taken over by French revolutionary forces. The Bourbons, the Royalists of France, had managed to retain control of Toulon, a vital Mediterranean port. Upon the arrival of the British Fleet, the Bourbons duly surrendered the town and ships to Hood.

Sailors and Royal Marines began to land at Toulon from the ships of the Royal Navy Fleet, with the objective of taking possession of the key forts, in which they succeeded in doing so. The French Republican forces quickly mobilised, and began the siege of Toulon on 7 September. By 15 December, the British and Spanish withdrew, taking with them 15,000 Royalists, as well as destroying the dockyards and a large number of French warships. The Royal Navy lost 10 ships after the French captured the heights overlooking the harbor.

In 1795, "Colossus" was once again part of a large fleet action, Battle of Groix. A fleet of 25 ships commanded by Admiral Lord Bridport on his flagship of "Royal George" fought a French fleet of 23 warships under the command of Rear-Admiral Villaret-Joyeuse. The battle was immense and chaotic, and raged across a vast area, yet it came to an indecisive end, when Lord Bridport ordered his Fleet to cease fighting at 7.15am, just four hours after the initial fighting had started. This decision allowed nine important French warships to escape. "Colossus" received damage, suffering three killed and thirty wounded. In total, British losses were 31 killed and 113 wounded. French losses are not known; it is estimated over 670 French sailors were killed or wounded, during skirmishes that resulted in the capture of three French warships.

Though "Colossus" was involved in much bitter fighting, her Scots captain, John Monkton, ordered his kilt-wearing piper to proceed to the maintop mast staysail netting and play the pipes throughout the battle, no doubt to the bemusement of the French sailors that witnessed it.

Battle of Cape St. Vincent

In 1797, "Colossus" (now commanded by Captain George Murrary) was involved in yet another large-scale clash of fleets in the Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1797). She was part of a 21-ship strong fleet (including 7 smaller craft) under the command of Admiral John Jervis in his flagship HMS "Victory", against a Spanish Fleet of 27 ships commanded by Lieutenant-General Don Jose de Cordova. "Colossus" sustained serious damage, her sails being virtually shot away. It looked inevitable that she would be raked by Spanish warships, until "Orion" headed for "Colossus" and covered her.

The battle was a major victory for the Royal Navy. Despite being outnumbered, it captured four Spanish ships and crippled seven, including the largest warship afloat at that time - the "Santísima Trinidad". Britain lost approximately 300 killed or wounded; the Spanish lost 1,092 killed or wounded, and 2,300 taken prisoner.

Other action

The following year, "Colossus" was part of a squadron commanded by Rear-Admiral Lord Nelson, in his flagship of HMS "Vanguard". They took part in the blockade of Malta(at that time under French occupation) and in the capture of Gozo, a small island near Malta. In the aftermath of the Battle of the Nile, "Colossus" was used as a transport, ferrying wounded soldiers from both sides, as well as captured treasure during the battle. Due to the damage that many British ships had received during the Battle of the Nile, "Colossus" and a number of other ships were 'cannabilised', with much of the ship's equipment was used to repair other ships.

Lord St. Vincent ordered "Colossus" to escort a convoy back to England. Strong gales having scattered the convoy, Murray took the remnants to St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly. On the night of December 10th, the gale increased, the anchor cable parted and the ship ran aground. One sailor drowned in this incident.

Modern discovery and protection

In the closing years of the 1960s, Roland Morris began diving on the site, searching for the antiquities that "Colossus" had been transporting. In 1974, he discovered "Colossus", as well as fragments from the collection of Sir William Hamilton "Colossus" had been transporting. Many of the items found were reconstructed and are now displayed at the British Museum in London.

In 2000, a report from amateur diver Todd Stevens alerted the Receiver of wreck to the existence of further remains. These new remains turned out to be the stern of the wreck which held a large carving from the stern port quarter gallery. The wreck site was designated on 4 July 2001 under the Protection of Wrecks Act. Diving or other interference with the site is not permitted without a licence. In August 2001 the Archaeological Diving Unit of the University of St Andrews obtained a survey licence and carried out a pre-disturbance survey of the site. The Colossus carving was recovered from the site in 2002 and is being conserved by the Mary Rose Trust.cite web
url=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Colossus_survey_report_2002.pdf
title=HMS Colossus Survey Report 2002
author=Kevin Camidge
date=2002
accessdate=March 15|accessyear=2008] Further extensive licenced surveys were carried out by the [http://www.cismas.org.uk Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Archaeological Society] from 2003 to 2005.

Exploration of the wreck is ongoing year on year by Survey Licence Holders and Island based divers IMAG- (The Islands Maritime Archaeological Group)

ee also

* List of shipwrecks of the Isles of Scilly

References

*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.

External links

* [http://www.hmscolossus.co.uk Wreck of Colossus]
* [http://www.cismas.org.uk/publications.htm The Search for Colossus - published by CISMAS]