Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean--roll!
Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain;
Man marks the earth, with ruin--his control
Stops with the shore;--upon the watery plain
The wrecks are all thy deed, nor doth remain
A shadow of man's ravage, save his own,
When, for a moment, like a drop of rain,
He sinks into thy depths with bubbling groan,
Without a grave, unknell'd, uncoffin'd, and unknown.
BYRON'S _Childe Harold_.
In the Preface to this work it has been stated that it is not our
intention to give a detailed account of every wreck that has happened
in the Royal Navy from the year 1793, to the present time, but only of
a few of those which appear to be most interesting. We therefore pass
over the first two years, giving only a catalogue of the wrecks that
occurred during that time; because the calamities that befel the
British Navy in 1793 and 1794 were but slight in comparison with those
of a later date. The first loss that we have to record is that of the
BOYNE, of 98 guns, bearing the flag of Vice-Admiral Peyton, and
commanded by Captain George Grey. This ship took fire as she lay at
anchor at Spithead, on the 1st of May, 1795.
The origin of the fire has never been correctly ascertained; but it is
supposed that some of the lighted paper from the cartridges of the
marines, as they were exercising and firing on the windward side of
the poop, flew through the quarter gallery into the admiral's cabin,
and set fire to the papers or other inflammable materials that were
lying there. Be this as it may, the flames burst through the poop
before the fire was discovered, and, notwithstanding the united
efforts of both officers and men, they soon wrapt the vessel in a
blaze fore and aft.
Upon the discovery of the fire, all the boats from the different ships
put out to the Boyne's assistance, and the crew, with the exception of
eleven, were saved.
The Boyne's guns, being loaded, went off as they became heated, and
much injury would have been done to the shipping and those on board,
had not the Port-Admiral, Sir William Parker, made signals for the
vessels most in danger to get under weigh. As it was, two men were
killed, and one wounded on board the Queen Charlotte.
About half-past one in the afternoon, the burning ship parted from her
cables, and blew up with a dreadful explosion. At the time of the
accident, Admiral Peyton and Captain Grey were attending a court
martial in Portsmouth Harbour.