Other ships named Prince of Wales and Repulse

*HMS Repulse,* Frigate, 32 guns. The British North American naval commander-in-chief can't be bothered with the task of convoying transports. VAdm Richard Lord Howe flew his flag from HMS Eagle (Capt. Henry Duncan, 64 guns, 520 men). HMS Eagle was commissioned 7 Feb 1776. She sailed alone about 11 May (she tried to leave 10 May but had to anchor). The 'gaggle' of ships which showed up off Sandy Point on the morning of 12 Aug 1776 comprised two basic groups: (1) Capt. William Hotham was given a broad pennant as Commodore with the specific task of escorting the British reinforcements for North America from his flagship HMS Preston (Capt. Samuel Uppleby, 50 guns, 365 men, commissioned 26 Jan 1774). His naval fleet included four Frigates (1 with 44 guns & 3 with 32 guns) plus a bomb vessel, a fireship and a hospital ship [HMS Jersey which was to become the infamous prison hulk]. This convoy departed 6 May 1776 and included the first part of the First Division or von Heister's Division of Hessians comprising the following units:
	UNIT		"Heads"
1.	Liebregiment/Guard Regiment		688
2.	Regiment Erbprinz/Hereditary Prince		698
3.	Regiment Prinz Carl/Prince Charles		690
4.	Regiment von Ditfurt		684
5.	Regiment von Donop		696
6.	Regiment von Loßberg		687
7.	Regiment von Knyphausen [4 companies]		525
8.	Regiment von Trümbach		677

1.	Grenadier-Bataillon von Linsing		548
2.	Grenadier-Battailon von Block		553
3.	Grenadier-Battailon von Minnigerode		555
	Jägerkompanie/Company of Chasseurs		138
	Artillery		242
Depending on the size of the transports employed, the number of transports required would be at least 27 but probably less than 54. In addition there was at least one ordnance ship and nine victuallers. The 11/14 May 1776 issue of the "London Chronicle" reproduced an extract of a letter from Plymouth dated 10 May: "Yesterday passed by this place all the fleet, amounting to upwards of 120 sail, with the Hessian troops and guards, and train of artillery on board, bound for America..." (2) Captain Henry Davis, HMS Repulse (32 guns, 220 men) sailed 26 May with the balance of the First or von Heister's Division of Hessians. Davis reported arriving with 25 sail. I do not know the number of ships that departed with the convoy but would estimate the Hessian transports numbered between 6 and 11. The Hessians included:
UNIT		"Heads"
Regiment von Knyphausen [1 company]		154
Regimentvon Mirbach [estimated at]		690
Grenadier-Regiment Rall [estimated at]		690
AND THE REST OF THE STORY: In a twist of fate so implausible that a novelist would reject it as being unbelieveable, but at sun-up on August 12th, HMS Preston and HMS Repulse awoke to find themselves within sight of each other a few miles SEbS of Sandy Hook. On 14 August VAdm Lord Howe reported to Admiralty: "... Commodore Hotham, whose distinguished Abilities gave for every favorable Expectation, arrived on the 12th with Eighty five Sail of his Convoy; completing with those few before arrived, the whole of the Hessian Embarkation that sailed from England under his Direction. He was joined off of this Port, by Captain David [sic, Davis] (whose Capacity and Diligence have been particularly exemplified on this Occasion) with the Transports under his care, that were able to accompany him out of the British Channel. The Reports delivered by those Officers are herewith enclosed. The Loss of the Hessian Troops by Sickness is most inconsiderable, Not exceeding ten or twelve, as I have yet heard; tho' for the last fourteen Days of their Passage, the Scurvy began to prevail; But amongst the Crews of the Ships of War in a greater Degree." [NDAR 6:183 citing PRO ADM 1/467] On 13 August Capt. Henry Davis (HMS Repulse) reported directly to Philip Stephens, First Secretary of the Admiralty: "Please to acquaint my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that His Majestys Ship *Repulse* with Twenty five Sail of the Convoy under my Command, arrived here yesterday; I have also great pleasure in acquainting their Lordships, that the Troops are in perfect health, having not lost a man during the Voyage; Inclosed you will receive a Return of the Convoy, that Saild from St Hellens with me, the 26th of May last...." [NDAR 6:170 citing PRO ADM 1/1706] Serles wrote: "This Morning, as soon as it was light, we were gladdened with the Sight of the grand Flight [sic, fleet] in the offing. The Joy of the Navy & Army was almost like that of a Victory.... The Fleet came up this Evening to the number of 107 sail. What is very extraordinary, they have lost but 8 men whole Passage of 14 Weeks; and just before they came to the mouth of the Harbor they fell in with Capt. Davis of the *Repulse, who convoyed the Remainder of the Embarkation from Portsmouth, though he sailed some Weeks after the Commodore [Hotham]. So large a Fleet made a fine Appearance upon entering the Harbor, with the Sails crouded, Colors flying, Guns saluting, and the Soldiers both in the Ships and on the Shore continually shouting...." > At this point Serle estimates 350 British ships in NY Harbor. When Boston was evacuated beginning 17 Mar 1776 the fleet for Halifax comprised approximately 140 sail of naval (Admiralty), transport (Naval Board), victualllers (Victualling Board), ordnance (Ordnance Board) and merchant (privately owned) ships. On 10 June 1776 VAdm Molynrex Shuldham in his flagship HMS Chatam* (Captain John Raynor, 50 guns, 370 men, commisioned 7 Mar 1772) together with seven smaller warships and 120 sail of transports departed Halifax for New York. She arrived with 112 transports on 29 June to find 8 transports had arrived the night before. HMS Flora (Captain John Brisbane, 32 guns, 220 men, commissioned 4 Dec 1775) escorted 33 vessels (30 transports, 2 supply ships & a hospital ship) carrying about 3,200 Higlanders (42nd & 71st Regts) departed about 27 April from the River Clyde (Greenock, Scotland) with orders for Boston [already evacuated]. Off Fastnet/Cape Clear in the first week of May, the convoy was caught in a gale with the result that it disintegrated into several small batches of ships or single ships. Five of the ships were captured by the Americans but the other 28 either attached to the fleet coming from Halifax or arrived a few days later. In addition to the approximately 120 transports arriving with VADM Shuldham and the 28 with HMS Flora noted above, on 1 August 1776 Commodore Sir Peter Parker returned from his failed attempt to take Charleston SC. He had some 40 to 50 transports with him. Then there were about another 40 to 50 warships in port. Yes, 350 sail is a reasonable estimate.

REPULSE (64) (1780 Deptford. Wrecked 1800)
1795	Capt. W.G.FAIRFAX, April/95, In 1797 she was one of the ships involved in the Mutiny at the Nore. On 9 June she managed to escape from the mutineers fleet, went aground, and was fired on by MONMOUTH and DIRECTOR. Several people were hit, including Lieut. George DELANOE who lost a leg.
1796	Capt. John ALMS, Nov./96. On 10 March 1800 she was wrecked off Ushant. Nearly all her people were saved. A court martial held at Portsmouth on 26 June determined that Mr Rothery, the First Lieutenant, and Mr Finn, the Master, had disobeyed the Captain`s orders and they were sentenced to be dismissed from his Majesty`s service and rendered incapable of serving again. Capt. Alms, his other officers and ships company, were honourably acquitted.
1799	Capt. James ALMS, Spithead. ,
1800	Capt. James ALMS Channel fleet. She was detached by Sir Alan GARDNER to cruise off the Penmarks to intercept vessels going into Brest and on 9 March she recaptured the Leeward Island packet PRINCESS R0YAL which had been taken by a privateer and was being carried into Nantes by the French prize-master. The third lieutenant and ten seamen were put on board her from REPULSE. 0n the same day Capt. ALMS was thrown down a companion ladder by the ship rolling in a sudden gale of wind and broke one of his ribs. The weather had been thick for some days and they had been determining the ship's position by dead reckoning but the current had driven them so far out that about 12 o'clock on the night of the 10th REPULSE struck a sunken rock while doing about 6 knots. She continued striking for about three quarters of an hour and the lower deck was flooded before she could be brought to wear. The ship was kept afloat long enough to approach the coast and Capt. ALMS and the ship's company managed to get ashore on one of the Glenan Islands from were they were sent as prisoners to Quimper. Five seamen were drowned when their boat upset getting ashore, two others were drowned owing to drunkenness and four more were so drunk that they could not get out of the ship and they perished with her. The first lieutenant, Mr R0THERSEY, another lieutenant, two midshipmen and eight seamen put some provisions into the large cutter and resolved to head for England rather than be taken prisoner. They managed to reach Guernsey after three days and nights in gale force winds with waves incessantly breaking over the boat so that four seamen were continually employed in baling. Lieut. R0THERSEY landed at Weymouth on the 16th and brought the news of the loss to the Admiralty.

REPULSE,74. (1803 Deptford. BU 1820)
1803	Capt. Hon. Arthur Kaye LEGGE, Channel fleet.
1805	With six sail of the line, he was senior officer at the blockade of Ferrol between the departure of COCHRANE for the West Indies in pursuit of the French Rochefort squadron and the arrival of Sir Robert CALDER on 1st March. Early in the year he captured a valuable Spanish merchantman off Ferrol. On 22 June she took part in CALDER`S action with Villeneuve`s fleet in foggy weather off Cape Finisterre
January 1806	She was with Vice Ad. WARREN`s squadron searching off Madeira for the French squadron that had left Brest the previous month.
1807	Mediterranean. On 17 January 1807, REPULSE, at Gibraltar, joined Vice Ad. Sir John DUCKWORTH`s squadron which then sailed for Malta. They left there on 4 February and arrived off Ternedos on the 10th with orders to force a passage through the Dardanelles to Constantinople. The British squadron entered the Straits on the 19th and REPULSE, aided by the boats of POMPEE , destroyed a Turkish line-of-battle ship, while the rest captured or destroyed the remainder of the Turkish ships. The squadron then moved up and anchored within eight miles of Constantinople while DUCKWORTH dithered for over a week and the Turks rebuilt their batteries in the Dardanelles. On the 27th REPULSE opened fire with grape on the island of Prota to deter the Turks from building a battery there. On 2 March DUCKWORTH took his squadron back through the Dardanelles, firing an unnecessary 13-gun salute on the 3rd. Thereafter the British ships were fired on by every gun that could bear, REPULSE lost 10 killed and 10 wounded.
February 1808	REPULSE was at Syracuse with Lord COLLINGWOOD, later in the year at Spithead. 1809. With Sir John STRACHAN`s squadron bombarding Flushing on 14 August.
August1810	Capt. John HALLIDAY, Mediterranean. On 31 August he saved the PHILOMEL brig from capture by three French frigates off Toulon by interposing REPULSE between them. PHILOMEL had been attempting to attack two French store ships. From Marshalls Naval Biography, Part II (1828, p. 444-446) Gardiner Henry Guion esq. We first find this officer serving under sir Joseph S. Yorke, as senior lieutnant of the Christian VII. And commanding her boats at the capture and destruction of twelve French merchantmen, laden with wines, brandies, &c. near Rochelle, in Jan. 1810. His spirited conduct in a subsequent affair with the enemy is thus officially described: "H.M.S. Christian VII. In Basque Roads, Feb. 13, 1810. "Three vessels, being part of a convoy of ten sail, laden with brandy, &c. that sailed last night in thick blowing weather, wind W.S.W. from the Charente, bound to Northward, having got on the reef that projects from the point of Chatelaillon, between Aix and Rochelle, I directed the boats to the squadron to destroy them. This was forthwith attempted to be executed, when the enemy made a movement to prevent it. Our boats were eight in number, and the enemy's nine; our's armed in the usual way, their's more formidable, all of them being gun-boats, each carrying a 12-pounder carronade and 6 swivels, and rowing from 20 to 30 oars. "Lieutnant Guion, who directed the operations, made a faint of retreating, to decoy the enemy from their shore defenses, when suddenly turning on them, they fled. The barge of this ship, in which he was, beeing the fleetest boat, advanced most gallantly along the rear of the enemy's line to their third boat; but finding from circumstances that the rear boat was the only one likely to be successfully attacked, he boarded and carried her sword in hand. Two others were closely pursued to the beach by Lieutnant Roberts, of the Armide, and must, from his steady fire within pistol-shot, have lost men. The gun-boat take by lieutnant Guion had 2 killed and three wounded; among the latter was her commander, severely. The vessels alluded to above were then burnt. (Signed) "Joseph S. Yorke" Lieutnant Guion was made a commander, and appointed to the Philomel brig of 18 guns, on the Mediterranean station, May 17, 1810. On the 31st Aug. Following, that vessel was chased by a French squadron, off Toulon, and rescued in the most noble manner by the Repulse 74, Captain John Halliday, now Rear-Admiral Tollemache. This affair not having been noticed as it deserved in our first volume, more from the modesty of that excellent officer than from any indifference on our part, we have much pleasure in now giving a full account of it. In the early part of August, three French store-ships, bound to Toulon, were chased into the anchorage of Porquerolle, one of the Hieres islands, and were there watched by Captain Guion. On the 26th, at day-light, they pushed out, one of them succeeded in getting to Toulon, covered by a division of the French fleet from the outer road: the other, however, were obliged to put backto their former place of shelter. On the 30th, they removed to the entrance of the Little Pass, preparatoty to a third attempt to reach their destined port. On the next morning, at day-light, the Toulon fleet was seen in motion; and at 8-30 A.M. the two store-shipswere again under weigh. At 9-30, the Philomel, still at her post, tacked, the wind blowing a light breeze from the E.S.E., and at 10-30 A.M. she exchanged a few distant shots with them, as they were rounding Point Escampebarion. In ten minutes afterwards, Captain Halliday, who was lying-to on the larboard tack, at some distance outside the brig, exchanged shots with the enemy's advanced frigates: meanwhile the store-ships, favored by the wind and protected by their friends, got into Toulon. Having accomplished this object, the French squadron, under Rear-Admiral Baudin, in the Majestueux of 120 guns, continued working out, in the hope, apparently, of capturing the Philomel, whose commander now made all possible sail to get clear of the enemy. At noon their two headmost frigates opened a fire on the brig, which she returned with her stern-chasers. About half an hour afterwards, the Repulse also commenced firng her stern guns; but finding that the shots of the frigates were passing over the Philomel, Captain Halliday instantly bore up to keep astern of her, and treated them with so heavy and well directed a fire, that, in the course of a quarter of an hour, they wore, and joined the line-of-battle ships, several of which were also, by this time, far advanced in the chase. By 5 P.M. the whole of Mons Baudin's division were again at anchor in the outer road. At the time this daring act was performed by Captain Halliday, the British fleet was out of sight to leeward, exept one 74 and a frigate, both of them were about 9 miles distantin the same direction. In a spirit of honorable gratitude, Captain Guion thus appropriately telegraphed the Repulse, "You repulsed the enemy, and noble saved us; grant me permission to return thanks." Captain Guion was posted into the Rainbow of 26 guns, Sept. 26, 1811; and we subsequently find him actively employed in co-operation with the patriots of Catalonia. His last appointment was, Nov. 29, 1822, to the Tribune frigate. Agents. - Messrs. Cooke, Halford, and Son.
1813	Capt. Richard Hussey MOUBRAY, Mediterranean. On 2 May the boats of REPULSE, VOLONTAIRE and UNDAUNTED brought out nine laden vessels from the port of Morgion while marines from the same ships were landed and blew up some batteries in the vicinity.
From the end of 1814	Out of commission at Plymouth.

*HMS Repulse*		Central Battery Ironclad			BULWARK Class
1868-89		Displacement: 5950 tons (also stated as 6190 tons)			Dimensions:252' x 58' x 25' 6".
Machinery: 1-shaft 6 boilers Penn engine 3350 ihp 12.5 knots		Complement: 860			Belt: 4.5" - 6" Battery: 8" Bulkheads: 4.5"
Launched: Woolwich 25th April 1868		Armament: 1868: 12 x 8" RML (8 in a protected battery amidships) 1880: 12 x 8" RML 4 x 16" TT
Notes: Converted on the stocks into a central battery Ironclad.
The last wooden capital ship built for the RN, she was laid down as a sailing 2 decker 'ship of the line' in 1859 but completed as an ironclad. Ship rigged, with a steam engine, she was reportedly a good sea-boat under both sail and steam
1870-72		She served as guardship at Queensferry (now Cobh) in Ireland
1873-77		Flagship on the Pacific station , based on the west coast of America, from Alaska to Patagonia
1877		When she returned home in 1877 she sailed around Cape Horn - the last British battleship to do so, and the only armoured one. According to Admiral Ballard, in his book 'The Black Battlefleet', during her passage home from the Pacific in 1877, the captain went mad; his insistence on sailing round the Horn was evidently thought eccentric, but he became increasingly odd. When the ship called at Rio de Janeiro, the ships surgeon had him certified as mentally ill, being 'seriously deranged'. He was put ashore and went home on a mail steamer, accompanied by a junior surgeon.
1878-80		In refit and reserve
1881-85		Guardship at Hull
From 1885		In reserve
1889		Sold for scrap
The following names are taken from the Census of 1881 - ROYAL NAVY SHIPS IN PORT 1881 Vessel: "H M S Repulse" at Portsmouth, Hampshire, England
Name	Marriage status		Age	Sex		Birthplace
Thomas BASKERVILLE	M		40	M		Plymouth, Devon, England Boatswain R N
John MC KAY	U		24	M		Stornaway, Scotland Private R M L I
Edward. HOLBROOK	U		24	M		Bathampton, Somerset, England Private R M L I
Ernest ROBERTS	U		20	M		Paddington, Middlesex, England Private R M L I
Alfred BARTHOLOMEW	U		18	M		Southsea, Hampshire, England Warrant Officers Servant R N

*Victor Emmanuel* ((2nd rate)	Originally named *Repulse*	JAMES WATT Class
Launched: 27th September 1855	4614 tons. Complement: 493.	Dimensions: 230' 3" x 55' 4" x 24' 6"
Machinery: 1-shaft Maudslay engine 2424 ihp 11.9 knots	Armament: 34 x 8" Shell Gun SBML 56 x 32 pdr. SBML 1 x 68 pdr. SBML 860
1858 - 1862	Sea service
1862	Paid off
1873 - 1874	Depot ship for the Ashanti War
1875	Receiving ship (Hong Kong)
1898	Sold for scrapping

*HMS Repulse*		Royal Sovereign Class Battleship
A twin-screw Battleship built in 1890 at Pembroke	2-shafts 8 boilers Humphreys & Tennant engines 11000 ihp 16.5 knots	410' 6" x 75' x 30'
1890: 4 x 67 ton 13.5" BL 10 x 6" QF 16 x 6 pdr. QF 12 x 3 pdr. QF 7 x 18" TT 1903: 4 x 67 ton 13.5" BL 10 x 6" QF 16 x 6 pdr. QF 12 x 3 pdr. QF 3 x 18" TT
Belt: 14 - 18" Turrets: 11" - 17" Casemates: 6" Bulkheads: 14" - 16" Deck: 3"		Displacement: 14150 tons Complement: 712
Keel laid: 1 Jan 1890	Launched: 27 Feb 1892	Commissioned: 21 Apr 1894
1903: Refitted and rearmed	To reserve: May 1910	Last Decommissioned: Aug 1910
1911: Sold for scrapping
Click here for more information, and also about one of the crew members.