Rainbow

Posted by Jon Miller on Thursday 28th of May 2026 02:49

London, 20 April 1752: The Rainbow man of war lately arrived from Lisbon, is ordered to be paid off at Woolwich. [Kentish Post, 22 April 1752]

Posted by Jon Miller on Thursday 28th of May 2026 02:35

London, 16 April 1752: Commodore Rodney arrived last Friday at Woolwich, who set out in the beginning of June last in the Rainbow, accompanied with the Drake, from Plymouth to his station at Newfoundland. He had orders to look out, by the way, for an island which the Master of a merchant ship and his Mate had sworn they had seen about the Latitude of 49 Degrees 50 Minutes. The Commodore kept coursing for ten days, sometimes eastward, and sometimes westward in that Latitude, as nearly as the stormy winds, which then blew towards the end of June, would allow him; and the men at the topmast-head were more than once deceived with what the sailors call fog-banks, being fogs which represent land. About the sixth or seventh day of this course, the crew observed a branch of trees with their leaves on, flights of gulls, with pieces of shipwrecks, which are generally regarded as certain signs of an adjacent shore; but notwithstanding all their diligence, they could not discover it. [Kentish Post, 18 April 1752]

Posted by Jon Miller on Monday 25th of May 2026 20:26

Portsmouth, 3 June: His Majesty’s ship Rainbow, Commodore Rodney, with the Boston, and two men of war snows are ready to sail the first fair wind for the Isle of Mare, lately discovered in Lat 55 N 500 leagues from the Lizard. The ships are doubly manned in order to leave sufficient force to take possession thereof, and are provided with all manner of necessaries for their support. ’Tis not as yet known whether inhabited or not, or what the produce, the person who discovered it last summer not landing thereon, by reason of the wind being high, and the shore unknown. The Commodore is expected this night from London, where he has been to receive his final instructions. I thought proper by this to undeceive the publick, who were imposed upon in the former accounts. [Kentish Post, 8 June 1751

Posted by Jon Miller on Monday 25th of May 2026 16:51

London, 3 June 1751: Yesterday Commodore Rodney set out for Portsmouth, to go on board the Rainbow, man of war, and proceed on his voyage. [Kentish Post, 5 June 1751]

Posted by Brian Stephens on Sunday 4th of May 2014 17:12

The Gentleman's magazine. v.47 1777.
Extract of a letter from Sir George Collier, commander of his Majesty's ship the Rainbow, to Mr. Stephens dated at Halifax July 12. giving an account of his falling in, on the 6th of the same month, with three sail, to which he immediately gave chase, and, after a pursuit of more than 39 hours, came up with and took a rebel frigate, fitted out by the Congress, called the Hancock, of 32 guns, mostly twelve pounders, with about 229 men on board. Her complement is 290 men; the remainder were in the Fox. She is a very large frigate, quite new of the stocks; and though from her foulness and their mismanagement they came up with her, yet she is one of the fastest sailing ships ever built. While he was in pursuit, he was fortunately joined by the Flora frigate and Mr. Manley who commanded the Hancock, informed Capt. Collier, that the ship the Flora was in chase of, was his Majesty's ship the Fox, of 28 guns, which he had lately taken on the Banks of Newfoundland; and that the other frigate was the Boston, of 30 guns, commanded by McNeal. He found Capt. Fotheringham, late commander of the Fox, and 40 of his people, on board the Hancock; but his officers, and some of his men, were put on board the Boston frigate and the remainder sent in a fishing vessel to Newfoundland.