British Fourth Rate ship of the line 'Preston' (1757)

Three Decks' Forum

Come and ask, answer or inform.

Recent updates

Recent Comments



Preston ➡ 1785 Preston Hulk

615
Nominal Guns50BWAS-1714
NationalityGreat Britain
OperatorRoyal Navy
Ordered28.3.1751BWAS-1714
Keel Laid Down13.6.1751BWAS-1714
Named25.4.1751BWAS-1714
Launched7.2.1757BWAS-1714
First Commissioned18.1.1757BWAS-1714
How acquiredPurpose builtBWAS-1714
ShipyardDeptford Dockyard - Deptford BWAS-1714
Ship Class1745 Establishment 50-Gunner (1745)BWAS-1714
Designed by
Joseph AllinBritish
Ship Builder
Dockyard Staff
Service 1695-1715
BWAS-1714
Constructor
Adam HayesBritish
Designer
Ship Builder
Dockyard Staff
Service 1748-1785
BWAS-1714
CategoryFourth RateBWAS-1714
Ship TypeShip of the LineBWAS-1714
Sailing RigShip RiggedBWAS-1714
Broken Up1.1815BWAS-1714

Dimensions


DimensionMeasurementTypeMetric EquivalentBWAS-1714
Length of Gundeck143' 3"Imperial Feet43.5882 
Length of Keel115' 4"Imperial Feet35.0588 
Breadth41' 3"Imperial Feet12.573 
Depth in Hold17' 3"Imperial Feet5.1925 
Burthen1,043 81⁄94Tons BM 

Armament


7.2.1757Broadside Weight = 414 Imperial Pound ( 187.749 kg)BWAS-1714
Lower Gun Deck22 British 24-Pounder
Upper Gun Deck22 British 12-Pounder
Quarterdeck4 British 6-Pounder
Forecastle2 British 6-Pounder

Crew Complement


Date# of MenNotesSource
1745350Design Complement

11 Ship Commanders


DatesRankNameSource
18.1.1757 - 6.5.1763Captain
John EvansBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1733-1793
ADM 6/18/345ADM 6/1819.5.1766 - 11.5.1769Captain
Alan GardnerBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1755-1808
Transfered ADM 6/20/121BWAS-171411.5.1769 - 2.10.1769Captain
Basil KeithBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1747-1751
ADM 6/20/259
Issued by
William ParryBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1728-1778

Confirmed 18.10.1769BWAS-171410.1.1771 - 26.1.1774Captain
Evelyn SuttonBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1765-1802
ADM 6/20/333ADM 6/2026.1.1774 - 8.4.1776Captain
John RobinsonBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1747-1794
ADM 6/21/11BWAS-17148.4.1776 - 28.7.1779Captain
Samuel UpplebyBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1745-1764
Transfered ADM 6/21/178BWAS-171428.7.1779 - 23.10.1780Captain
William TruscottBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1747-1797
ADM 6/22/196
Issued by
John ByronBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1746-1780
, North America
Confirmed 10.11.1780BWAS-171413.3.1781 - 13.8.1781Captain
Alexander GraemeBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1760-1813
ADM 6/22/261BWAS-17145.8.1781 - 6.9.1781Acting Captain
James SaumarezBritish
Naval Sailor
ODNB6.9.1781 - 17.3.1783Captain
Patrick LeslieBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1745-1783
ADM 6/22/333BWAS-171417.3.1783 - 3.4.1784Captain
George MartinBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1865
ADM 6/23/192
Issued by
Joshua RowleyBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1747-1787
, Jamaica - Greater Antilles
Confirmed 21.2.1784ODNB

4 Flag Officers


DatesRankNameSource
22.5.1759 - 4.7.1761Commodore
William BoysBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1717-1774
Discharged ADM 6/19/67BWAS-17141767 - 1769Rear-Admiral of the Blue
William ParryBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1728-1778
BWAS-17141.1774 - 2.1776Vice-Admiral of the Blue
Samuel GravesBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1732-1783
ADM 107/3/136BWAS-17144.1776 - bef.23.10.1780Commodore
William HothamBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1754-1805
BWAS-1714

10 Commissioned Officers


DatesRankNameSource
5.4.1757 - 15.4.1761Third Lieutenant
James BuckinghamBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1747-1779
Transfered ADM 6/18/381ADM 6/1812.4.1761 - 6.5.1763Third Lieutenant
Anthony ParreyBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1761-1783
ADM 6/19/419
Issued by
Charles SaundersBritish
Naval Sailor
Marine
Service 1727-1773

Confirmed 23.6.1762ADM 6/194.5.1763 - 6.5.1763First Lieutenant
Joseph RobartsBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1740-1766
ADM 6/19/491ADM 6/1926.1.1774 - 14.11.1775Second Lieutenant
Alexander GraemeBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1760-1813
ADM 6/21/11ADM 6/2122.12.1780 - 9.2.1781Second Lieutenant
Augustus MarkettBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1774-1793
Transfered ADM 6/22/216ADM 6/2215.1.1782 - 5.4.1782Second Lieutenant
Thomas FloydBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1766-1784
ADM 6/22/398ADM 6/225.4.1782 - 3.4.1784First Lieutenant
Thomas FloydBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1766-1784
ADM 6/22/443ADM 6/2219.4.1782 - 19.11.1783Third Lieutenant
Sir George William Farmer (1st Baronet of Mount Pleasant)British
Naval Sailor
Service 1782-1794
Transfered ADM 6/22/454ADM 6/2222.8.1783 - 3.4.1784Second Lieutenant
Horace PineBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1783-1794
ADM 6/23/218
Issued by
Joshua RowleyBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1747-1787
, Jamaica - Greater Antilles
Confirmed 7.6.1784ADM 6/238.1.1784 - 3.4.1784Fourth Lieutenant
Daniel GuerinBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1783-1793
ADM 6/23/204
Issued by
Joshua RowleyBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1747-1787
, Jamaica - Greater Antilles
Confirmed 21.4.1784ADM 6/23

1 Warrant Officer


DatesRankNameSource
7.1.1779 - 25.7.1781Purser
Titus LivieBritish
Naval Sailor
Dockyard Staff
Service 1777-1790
Transfered ADM 6/22/310ADM 6/22

4 Petty Officers


DatesRatingNameSource
2.1774 - 1774Midshipman
Alexander John BallBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1772-1783
ref:133627.2.1774 - 28.9.1774Midshipman
Cuthbert CollingwoodBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1748-1810
NAO29.9.1774 - 17.6.1775Master's Mate
Cuthbert CollingwoodBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1748-1810
NAO6.1775 - 11.1775Midshipman
Philip d'AuvergneBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1769-1814
ref:616

1 Crewman


DatesRatingNameSource
7.6.1766 - 13.11.1766Surgeon's Servant
Thomas Legal YatesBritish
Naval Sailor
Dockyard Staff
Service 1766-1828
ADM 29/8

Service History


DateEventSource
18.12.1757Sailed for the Levant with a convoyBWAS-1714
21.5.1759Sailed for the MediterraneanBWAS-1714
6.5.1763

Paid off

ADM 33
6.1764Began small repair at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth BWAS-1714
4.1765Completed small repair at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth at a cost of £4987.14.5dBWAS-1714
5.1766RecommissionedBWAS-1714
2.8.1766Sailed for JamaicaBWAS-1714
1767Flagship at JamaicaBWAS-1714
1768Flagship at JamaicaBWAS-1714
1769Flagship at JamaicaBWAS-1714
2.10.1769

Paid off

ADM 33
1.1772Began large repair at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth BWAS-1714
7.1773Completed large repair at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth at a cost of £20124.13.7dBWAS-1714
1.1774RecommissionedBWAS-1714
1.1774Began fitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth BWAS-1714
4.1774Completed fitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth at a cost of £3724.1.6dBWAS-1714
29.4.1774Sailed for North AmericaBWAS-1714
30.1.1776

At Boston

ADM 106
11.3.1776

The Preston is to be cleaned, graved and refitted for a voyage to North America. The Plymouth Officers ask if she is intended to be fitted for the reception of a Flag or as a private ship, so the accommodations for the Officers are fitted accordingly Plymouth

ADM354
6.5.1776Sailed for North AmericaBWAS-1714
12.1776Sailed to Rhode IslandBWAS-1714
6.12.1776Occupation of Rhode Island
22.7.1778At Sandy HookBWAS-1714
4.11.1778Sailed to the Leeward IslandsBWAS-1714
14.12.1778Battle of St. Lucia
1779In the Leeward IslandsBWAS-1714
1780In the West Indies and home to pay offBWAS-1714
23.10.1780

Paid off

ADM 34
11.1780Began small repair at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham BWAS-1714
5.1781Completed small repair at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham at a cost of £11282.0.4dBWAS-1714
5.8.1781Battle of Dogger Bank
8.6.1782Sailed for JamaicaBWAS-1714
3.4.1784

Paid off

ADM 34
1785Renamed Preston HulkBWAS-1714
4.1785Began fitting at Woolwich Dockyard - Woolwich BWAS-1714
10.1785Refitted as a Other Vessels Sheer Hulk
10.1785Completed fitting at Woolwich Dockyard - Woolwich BWAS-1714
1788RecommissionedBWAS-1714
1.1815Broken up at WoolwichBWAS-1714


Fleets

DatesFleetFleet CommanderSource
1.1.1775-1.1.1775North American Squadron on the 1st of January 1775
Samuel GravesBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1732-1783
 
 
Previous comments on this page

Posted by Timothy Krueger on Thursday 14th of March 2024 20:08

The Preston returned home in early 1776, not 1775 as listed above. When Admiral Samuel Graves was relieved of command of the North American Station in early January, he sailed for home on January 27, arriving a month later. See historical fiction novel "Distant Thunder" by Timothy J. Krueger for an account of Samuel Graves' time in Boston.

Posted by Robert Hubler on Sunday 2nd of January 2022 23:44

Preston paid off in October 1769 and started a middling to large repair in January 1772. Captain Evelyn Sutton listed as in command from October 1771 to January 1774. Was Preston recommissioned in October 1771 and was he in command during most of a major repair?

Posted by Tim Oakley on Sunday 12th of August 2018 10:54

HMS Preston: assigned 'Captain Basil Keith', 'Robert Reid' and 'Ja[me]s Keating'; 11 May to 2 October 1769; West Indies
ADM 346/21/30

Make a comment about this page






Recent comments to other pages

Date postedByPage
Saturday 13th of June 2026 12:37Jon Miller
British Third Rate ship of the line 'Puissant' (1793) (74) 1793-1816
British 74 Gun
3rd Rate Ship of the Line
Saturday 13th of June 2026 12:33Jon Miller
British sloop 'Stork' (1796) (16) 1796-1816
British 16 Gun
Unrated Sloop
Saturday 13th of June 2026 12:28Jon Miller
David HotchkisBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1779-1797
Saturday 13th of June 2026 12:21Jon Miller
British Second Rate ship of the line 'Sandwich' (1759) (90) 1759-1810
British 90 Gun
2nd Rate Ship of the Line
Saturday 13th of June 2026 12:18Jon Miller
British Third Rate ship of the line 'Bedford' (1775) (74) 1775-1817
British 74 Gun
3rd Rate Ship of the Line
Copyright © Cy Harrison 2010-2026, all rights reserved
GDPR Statement