3rd Rate ships of the Royal Navy. 1793 to 1815.

[Bligh]

HMS Cumberland (1807)





Cumberland


HMS Cumberland was a revised Repulse Class 74 gun third rate ship of the line, ordered on the 24th of January,1805. Laid down in the August of that year, she was built at Northfleet by Thomas Pitcher and launched on the 19th of August,1807.

History
GREAT BRITAIN
Name:	HMS Cumberland
Ordered:	24 January 1805
Builder:	Pitcher, Northfleet
Laid down:	August 1805
Launched:	19 August 1807
Renamed:	1833
Name:	HMS Fortitude
Fate:	Sold, 1870
General characteristics
Class and type:	Revised Repulse third class ship of the line
Tons burthen:	1718 ​16⁄94 (bm)
Length:	174 ft (53 m) (gundeck)
Beam:	47 ft 4 in (14.43 m)
Depth of hold:	20 ft (6.1 m)
Propulsion:	Sails
Sail plan:	Full rigged ship
Armament:	·74 guns: ·Gundeck: 28 × 32 pdrs ·Upper gundeck: 28 × 18 pdrs ·Quarterdeck: 4 × 12 pdrs, 10 × 32 pdr carronades ·Forecastle: 4 × 12 pdrs, 2 × 32 pdr carronades ·Poop deck: 6 × 18 pdr carronades

Service.



HMS Cumberland was commissioned in the August of 1807 under Captain Philip Woodhouse who held the command until 1811. She sailed for the Med on the 30th of January, 1808 and was with Strachan’s squadron in the February of 1809. On the 25th of October in that year with Martin’s squadron, she took part in the Battle of Maguelone. which was a minor naval action occurring, during the Peninsular War. The action was between Baudin’s escort of a French convoy, composed of three ships of the line, the 80 gun La Robuste, and two 74s Le Lion and Boree, with the two 40 gun frigates, Calypso and Amelie, pitted against a 6-ship strong squadron of the Royal Navy which comprised HMS Canopus 80, and the 74’s Renown, Tigre, Sultan, Leviathan and Cumberland, herself. In a running battle, the French covered the retreat of the convoy and attempted to escape by sailing in shallow waters close to the shore of Maguelone. After two of the ships of the line ran aground, their crew evacuated them and scuttled them by fire after removing valuable equipment, including the artillery. The remaining ship and frigates made good their escape to Toulon. A British cutting-out party attacked the convoy in Rosas bay on the 31st of October, destroying most of it and capturing three ships.

In the August of 1811 Cumberland was placed under the command of Captain Otway. Defects were made good at Woolwich between the October and December of 1811 when she came under Captain Thomas Baker until 1815. During this period she served first in the North sea, and then removed to North America in the November of 1812.
On her return to Chatham further repairs were carried out from the February to the April of 1814. She the left for the East Indies and remained there until 1815.

On her return she was laid up at Chatham and then fitted as a convict ship between the October of 1829 and the March of 1830.

Fate.

Renamed Fortitude on the 15th of November1833, she was fitted as a coal depot at Chatham, which duty she carried out between the September of 1845 and the August of 1848.
She was eventually sold out of the service to H Castle and Son for £2,020, to be broken up at Charlton in the February of 1870.