More information : Wreck Site and Archaeological Remains:
Found by Alexander McKee 07-JUNE-1965, 'an immense mound with much shingle and some concreted ironwork still protruding, sited on a fairly firm seabed, sweep searches were carried out in a north-east arc from the mound in excellent visibility with no evidence of any other wreck.' (17)
She was located again in 1965 by Alexander McKee...[who] did not expect to find much of the ROYAL GEORGE as the Royal Engineers' liberal use of explosives in the course of raising her cannon...had been well documented. But he did find her burial mound - of shingle standing some two or three metres above the seabed complete with 32-pounder cannonball and pottery... (2)
Items recovered from the ROYAL GEORGE site in Spithead Anchorage in 1965 and 1995 and passed on to the MARY ROSE museum. (Droit A/3861) (16)
Cannonballs recovered from the wreck of the ROYAL GEORGE. (Droit 220/02) (25)
A wooden pulley block recovered from the wreck of HMS ROYAL GEORGE. (Droit 083/03) (26)
Wreck Event and Documentary Evidence:
'London, Aug. 31. The ROYAL GEORGE, of 100 guns, having on her last cruize made more water than usual, which had not decreased when she came into harbour, an order was given on Saturday last for her to come into dock; but the carpenter and other persons, on a strict survey, found it was not more than two feet below the water mark and was supposed to be occasioned by the rubbing off the copper sheathing. It was then resolved, in order to save time, to heave her down at Spithead. This is then generally accomplished by bringing the ship's guns to one side, and heeling her till the place where the damage is supposed to be appears above water. On Thursday morning at 6 o'clock, the weather being moderate, this business was commenced, and the ship by 10 was got to a proper situation for discovering the leak, but in order to take off some further sheets of copper, she was ordered to be lowered another streak. During this business, a great part of the crew, which were within 60 of her real complement (970 men) were at breakfast, the messes having been just served out; on a sudden, by a gust of wind, as is reported, the ship fell on one side, and the lower deck ports being open, she filled in about 8 minutes, and then went to the bottom.
'At this shocking moment there were upwards of 1200 souls on board, including 216 women and several children, chiefly belonging to the seamen, who had been permitted to go on board when the ships cast anchor at Spithead, and to remain there until the order for sailing arrived. The people who were on watch upon deck, to the number of 230, were mostly saved by the several boats that came to their assistance; but these were delayed for a few minutes, by the swell occasioned by the sinking of so large a body, and which occasioned a momentary whirlpool in the water. About 70 more of the people, who rose after the ship disappeared, were also picked up, viz. 4 lieutenants, 11 women, and the rest seamen.
'She had all her guns and common stores on board, but her victualling and watering had been delayed on account of her being leaky.
'It is with the most sincere concern we must in this dreadful narrative announce the death of that able and gallant officer Admiral Kempenfelt. He was writing in his cabin at the instant, and being unable to gain the deck, suffered in common with the rest...
'Captain Waghorn, the Admiral's first captain, was luckily on deck, his son (a lieutenant) was lost.
'The ROYAL GEORGE man of war, lately lost, is the oldest 1st rate in the service; she was built at Woolwich, her keel was laid down in 1751, and she was hauled out of the dock in July 1755, it being unusual to build such large ships on slips to launch; she was pierced for 100 guns, but having lately had 2 additional ports, including the carronades, mounted 108 guns; she was rather short and high, as all the old 1st rates are, but so good a sailer, that she has had more flags on board her than any vessel in the service...She carried the tallest masts and squarest canvas of any English-built ship in the navy, and originally the heaviest metal, viz. 52, 40 and 28pdrs, but they were lately changed on account of her age to 40, 32 and 18pdrs.
'The depth in which she now lies (about 14 fathom) is not considerable, yet it is the general opinion, that she cannot be raised, as no purchase can be obtained equal to the immense weight...at this critical period, the loss of so many brave and able seamen is irremediable. There was on board nearly the full complement of 850 seamen, the marines, of which the whole was on board, and many of the officers went of for Portsmouth the preceding evening. There was also a body of carpenters from the dock, to assist in careening the ship; and as usual on board all ships of war in the harbour, a very large number of women, probably near 400. Of these, the bulk were of the lowest order of prostitutes; but not a few of the wives of the warrant and petty officers. A most poignant scene of anguish and distress was exhibited by a respectable-looking old woman, whose daughter and five children had gone on board the same morning to see their father...
'Numbers of dead bodies were seen floating about the ships at Spithead after the ROYAL GEORGE went down, which exhibited a scene too shocking for description...
'Buoys are placing over the ROYAL GEORGE, as well for marks at high and low water, to know her exact situation, as for the saving of any of her stores, if it is practicable.
'From the best accounts we learn, the number of officers and marines saved...amounts only to about 320.
'The naval people say, she can be weighed up, if the weather proves favourable, in the course of a month. A very able mathematician and mechanic is gone this morning to Spithead, in company with two naval surveyors, to determine the practicability of the attempt to weigh up the ROYAL GEORGE, for which service he is said to demand 20,000 l.' (18)
'Extract of a letter from an officer on board the PEGASE, in Portsmouth Harbour, to a gentleman in Bath: "There were about 1000 men and 300 women on board the ROYAL GEORGE when she sunk. My old friend the Admiral was writing in his cabin; he jumped out of the stern gallery and got on a hen-coop, and was seen sitting on it with one private marine; the marine held fast, and was saved; the Admiral let go, I suppose tired, being 70 years of age; he was an exceeding good swimmer; the master of the BUFFALO in a boat once laid hold of his hand, but there being a great swell in the sea, he could not keep it; he held up his hand to be saved, and immediately went down - so perished the brave Admiral Kempenfelt...
"A signal was made last night for every ship to deliver into the DILIGENTE the number of men they had saved, when it amounted to 275 seamen and marines." ' (18)
'Portsmouth, September 2. A machine is making in the dock for a man to go down into the ROYAL GEORGE, to sling the guns and stores that they might be saved.' (18)
'London, Sept. 6...It appears from the report of an officer from Portsmouth, that the ROYAL GEORGE cannot be raised to the water's edge, by any powers whatsoever, in a perpendicular direction, but that the design is to drag her into shallow water; that a machine capable of holding 4 men was formed, to enable them to fix hooks to her beams, which, when effected, they were in hopes to draw her, by the assistance of 4 ships appointed for that purpose.' (19)
'Extract of a letter from Portsmouth, Sept. 3. "The extraordinary accident at Spithead carried me down to the spot, and I have no doubt that the disaster was occasioned by carelessness, as the ship was heeled beyond all former practice, with all her guns out. Upon her first being perceived to go, an officer ran up hastily to Captain Waghorn, and imparted his suspicions, who immediately ordered him to pipe all hands, and right ship - The Admiral's cockswain, at the same instant, ran into the great cabin with the same intelligence; but the water followed him with so much rapidity, that he was forced to take to the stern gallery, from whence he swam ashore...A black went down on Saturday for two minutes, and came up with a dismal account of the dead bodies, not one of which (notwithstanding what has been said) has yet appeared on the surface. 100 l is offered for the body of the Admiral." ' (19)
'Portsmouth, Sept. 6. A court-martial will be held on Captain Waghorn, for the loss of the ROYAL GEORGE, on Monday next. It is assigned as the principal cause of her going down with that sudden and violent rapidity, that as she lay on her side, her whole tier of water casks, on the opposite side, gave way, and gave her the unfortunate overbalance so much lamented...Yesterday and this day a number of the unfortunate people who perished in the ROYAL GEORGE were taken up at Spithead, among whom is Mr Curry, a lieutenant of marines belonging to her. The Admiral is not yet found.
'Yesterday the ROYAL GEORGE most surprisingly righted, so much that half of her lower masts are now out of water. This circumstance is rather extraordinary; but some people apprehend, the lee side must have given way, and that part of her guns and stores are gone overboard.
'The return of seamen lost, exclusive of marines and boys, amounts to 470.' (19)
'London, Sept. 19. The following account is given upon the credit of a gentleman of veracity: When the ROYAL GEORGE overset, the live stock upon deck were naturally left floating upon the water; among these were two sheep, who swam to Ryde in the Isle of Wight, and brought on shore with them a little boy in petticoats, seemingly between 2 and 3 years old, having an arm over each of their necks. The child is likely to do well; and having lost both its parents in that unhappy catastrophe, a naval officer who was present, intimated an intention of adopting it.' (20)
Capsized at Spithead on 19-AUG-1782 with the loss of almost 900 lives. It appears that it was necessary to repair a fitting just underwater. An attempt was made to heel the ship to bring the leaking point above water. Her guns were moved from one side to the centre of the ship. Simultaneously stores were being loaded and people crowded on board. The load on one side of the ship was too great and she went over. (2)(21)(22)
ROYAL GEORGE was heeled over for repair when her gunports flooded and she capsized. She was subject to salvage work, notably by the Deane Brothers in 1836, and dispersal with explosives in the nineteenth century.
...It was during the fitting out of this [Gibraltar] expedition that on 29-AUG the lamentable disaster to the ROYAL GEORGE occurred. She was an old ship...It was found necessary to heel the ship in order to get an underwater fitting, and to do this her guns were all run over to one side. Shortly it was noticed that the list was too great for safety, but before any steps could be taken to right her, she heeled suddenly, bringing the weight of her guns against the lee side. The strain was too much for her rotten structure and a great part of the ship's side seems to have fallen out bodily. She sank with amazing rapidity, taking down with her some 800 people. The number of lives lost cannot be accurately computed, for the ship being in port there were - as was the custom of the age - a great many women on board. Rear-Admiral Kempenfelt was among the drowned. The wreck lay in a position dangerous to shipping, and the question of raising her was at once mooted. Attempts were made in the same year by William Tracy, but the Navy Office thwarted and hindered his efforts, with the result that he suffered considerable loss and effected nothing. Two years later Messrs. Braithwaite took up the work, but did little beyond getting her sheet anchor and a few details of her equipment. A survey in 1834 found that the ship was rotten, and in 1839 Colonel Pasley began operations for the removal of the wreck, the recovery of her guns, copper, and what else could be salved. In this he was so far successful that all that is now left of her is embedded in the mud. (8)
...Captain Waghorn gave orders for the lower deck larboard guns to be run out and the starboard guns pulled back to the combings. This did not achieve a sufficient heel, so upper deck and three middle deck guns were run across...to give the ship a sufficient list for the shipwrights to go over the side and commence work...Waghorn was walking on the upper deck when...the carpenter reappeared, claiming the ship was settling in the water. The captain immediately ordered the guns to be run back in, and the weather side guns run out to right the ship...Only minutes after this the ship sank very suddenly, not heeling over at all...Over 300 people survived, including the Captain, but a large number...drowned, the numbers never accurately known because of the dockyard workers and visitors on board. The cause was uncertain, but the court martial heard that surveys of the ship had revealed several rotten timbers and beams, and part of her frame giving way under the stress of the heel was the most likely cause of her sinking. (9)
1813:
'The hull of the ROYAL GEORGE being daily found more dangerous to the anchorage at Spithead, the Privy Council have directed another attempt to be made for weighing her, for which the necessary apparatus is preparing by a skilful engineer, who has undertaken to effect it.' (24)
1840:
'Wreck of the ROYAL GEORGE - Portsmouth Dockyard July 3rd, Notice is hereby given, that the sale of old firewood, which is to take place at this yard on Wednesday 15th inst. will include 10 lots of about three fathoms each of wood recovered from the wreck of the ROYAL GEORGE.' (15)
Built: 1756 (9)(10)(11)
Design: Joseph Allin (23)
Where Built: Woolwich Dockyard (9)(10)(11)
Commanding Officer: Captain Martin Waghorn[e] RN (9)(10)(11)
Crew: 910 (7)(18)
Crew Lost: 470 seamen (19)
Passengers: 280 (7); 300 (18); nearly 400 (18)
On board: 1200+ (18)
Lives Lost: circa 800 to 900 (all accounts vary)
Armament: 100 guns (9)(10)(11); 108 guns [40, 32 & 18pdr] (18)
Armament: LD - 30 x 32pdr, MD - 28 x 24pdr, UD -30 x 12pdr, QD- 10 x 6pdr; QD - 12 x 12pdr, Fc - 2 x 12pdr + 2 x 24pdr carronade (23)
Owner: Royal Navy [all sources]
Date of Loss Qualifier: Actual date of loss
Additional sources cited in Shipwreck Index of the British Isles:
Notable Shipwrecks, Hardy, pp26-42; Shipwrecks and Tales of the Sea, Chambers, 1888, p198 (ill. p200) |