HMS Somerset (1748)

HMS Somerset (1748) was a 70-gun third-rate ship of the line built for the Royal Navy during the War of the Austrian Succession. Constructed to the dimensions of the 1745 Establishment, she served for three decades, participating in notable conflicts including the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War. Her career ended when she was wrecked off Cape Cod in 1778, an event that remains a significant maritime archaeological site.

Construction and specifications

HMS *Somerset* was ordered on 12 June 1746 and built at Chatham Dockyard under the supervision of Master Shipwright John Lock. Her design adhered strictly to the standardized dimensions and armament prescribed by the Admiralty's 1745 Establishment, which aimed to produce more uniform and cost-effective warships. Launched on 18 July 1748, she measured 1424 tons burthen with a gundeck length of 162 feet, a beam of 46 feet 6 inches, and a draught of 19 feet 9 inches. Her primary armament consisted of twenty-six 32-pounder guns on the lower gundeck, complemented by twenty-eight 18-pounders on the upper deck, with lighter 9-pounder guns on the quarterdeck and forecastle. She required a crew of approximately 520 men, including officers, Royal Marines, and sailors, to operate her complex sailing rig and formidable broadside.

Service history

Commissioned in late 1748 under Captain George Edgcumbe, *Somerset* initially served in the English Channel and the Bay of Biscay following the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748). During the Seven Years' War, she saw extensive service, including participation in the Raid on Rochefort in 1757 and the pivotal Battle of Quiberon Bay in 1759 under Admiral Edward Hawke. In the 1760s, she was stationed in the Mediterranean Sea and later at Portsmouth. With the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, *Somerset* was deployed to North America, where she blockaded colonial ports and supported British army operations. She was notably involved in the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775, providing naval gunfire support to troops under General William Howe, and later patrolled the coast of New England.

Capture and loss

In late October 1778, while cruising off the coast of Massachusetts, *Somerset* encountered a severe nor'easter storm. Under the command of Captain George Ourry, the ship was driven towards the treacherous shoals of Cape Cod. Despite efforts to anchor and ride out the gale, the vessel struck the infamous Peaked Hill Bars off what is now Provincetown during the night of 2 November 1778. The pounding surf quickly broke up the ship's hull. Although many of the crew managed to abandon ship, at least 21 sailors drowned, while over 400 survivors were captured by local militia forces and became prisoners of war. The wreck was a significant material and propaganda victory for the Continental Congress.

Legacy and wreck site

The wreck of HMS *Somerset* became an immediate source of salvage for local inhabitants and a symbol of colonial resilience against the Royal Navy. Artifacts, including cannon, shot, and personal effects, were recovered for decades afterward. In the 20th century, the site gained archaeological significance. Sporadic discoveries, including a large section of the ship's hull uncovered by a storm in 1973, have been studied by organizations like the National Park Service and the Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources. The wreck site, located within the Cape Cod National Seashore, is protected under both state and federal law, including the Abandoned Shipwreck Act of 1987. The story of the *Somerset* is interpreted at the Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum, and her loss remains a poignant chapter in the naval history of the American Revolutionary War.

Category:1748 ships Category:Ships of the line of the Royal Navy Category:Maritime incidents in 1778 Category:American Revolutionary War shipwrecks