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ASSOCIATION (90) Built in 1697, Portsmouth.
Wrecked in 1707.

  • 1702 Capt. William BOKENHAM. With Sir George ROOKE at the Anglo-Dutch attack on French and Spanish ships at Vigo.
  • In September 1701 Vice Ad. BENBOW had sailed to the West Indies under orders to detain the Spanish plate galleons. His captains declined to fight a strong French force and V. A. BENBOW died of wounds on 4 November. Capt HARDY in PEMBROKE, lying in Lagos Bay learned that the galleons had arrived at Vigo on 16 Sept. Gales prevented him from passing on this information to Ad. Sir George ROOKE before 6 October. ROOKE immediately quitted Cadiz and the fleet arrived off Vigo on 11 October in very hazy weather to find the enemy ships lying up the river in Redonella harbour.
  • The passage into the anchorage was covered on the north side by a battery of eight brass and twelve iron guns, and on the south side twenty brass and twenty iron guns together with a stone fort, with a breastwork and a deep trench, garrisoned by 500 men with ten guns. A boom composed of yards and top-masts lashed with 3 inch rope and strengthened with chains, was stretched across the entrance and anchored at each end to a 70 gun ship, BOURBON and ESPERENCE. The boom was covered by the broadsides of five ships of between 60 and 70 guns each. It was resolved that the admirals would go in with the squadron so the flags were accordingly removed to 3rd. Rates, Sir George ROOKE going to from the ROYAL SOVEREIGN (100), to SOMERSET (70). On the 12th. the Duke of Ormond landed 2500 men in a bay about six miles from Vigo and detached 500 grenadiers under Lord Shannon to march directly on the fort at the end of the boom. The grenadiers advanced, driving a party of the enemy before them and captured the battery in front of the fort. The French governor, M.de Sorel, ordered the gates to be opened, intending to charge his way through, but he was met by a charge in the opposite direction as the grenadiers swept in and took 300 French seamen and 50 Spaniards prisoners. As soon as the English colours were seen flying over the fort the signal was given to weigh. Vice Ad. Thomas HOPSON, who had removed from St. GEORGE to TORBAY, crowded on all sail and broke through the boom, coming to anchor between BOURBON and ESPERANCE. The Dutch Vice Ad. VAN DER GOES, who followed, made himself master of BOURBON. The French launched a merchant vessel as a fireship which set TORBAY's rigging and sails on fire, but these were extinguished by the fireship's cargo of snuff when it blew up. 115 men were killed or drowned and nine wounded, some 60 men had jumped overboard as soon as they were grappled by the fireship. HOPSON removed his flag to MONMOUTH. ASSOCIATION meanwhile lay with her broadside against a battery of 17 guns on the north side of the harbour entrance and soon disabled it. As soon as the boom was broken the enemy started to desert their ships.
  • To quote Ad. ROOKE's journal:-
  • "Two or three of their ships acquitted themselves honourably. M. Chateaurenault (Chaleaureneuitt in ROOK's writing) behaved himself like a Spanish Admiral, for he had hardly fired his guns once, before he left his ship on fire, and run away as fast as he could. ...I sent a message to his Grace the Duke of Ormond with my humble opinion, that if he would be pleased to march the forces in Ronondella, he might probably find a considerable quantity of plate and other rich goods, upon which, his Grace continued his march thither. At break of day this morning (13th. Oct.) I went up to Ronondella's and gave the necessary orders for securing the ships of war prizes that were afloat - and for getting off those that lay on shore without any hopes of their being saved, to get out the brass guns of those that were lost, and to preserve the goods of the galleons as well as those afloat as those that were on shore, from any kind of embezzlement - and that the plate that could be found in the bottoms of the burnt galleons, might be preserved and secured for the use and service of her Majesty. I was all this day on this business, and returned late at night on board, being very much indisposed with sharp symptoms of a fit of the gout."
  • Of the 17 French ships; 7 were burnt, 4 taken by the English and 6 taken by the Dutch. Three Spanish men of war, carrying 178 guns were destroyed and of 13 Spanish galleons; 6 were taken by the English, 5 by the Dutch and the rest destroyed. Besides the losses in TORBAY, ASSOCIATION had her fore-mast shot and two men killed, KENT had her fore-mast shot and the boatswain wounded. BARFLEUR had her main-mast shot, two men killed and two wounded. In the land forces two lieutenants and about 40 soldiers were killed and four colonels and about 30 soldiers wounded.
  • It was reckoned that the galleons, when they arrived, had on board 20 millions of pieces of eight besides merchandise of equal value. Fourteen millions had been removed previous to the attack but about two million in silver and and five in goods were taken away by the English and Dutch.
  • 1703 Capt. Richard CANNON, flag of Vice Ad. Sir S. Fairbourne, with the fleet of Ad. Sir Cloudsley SHOVELL, who had been appointed to execute a grand scheme to annoy the enemy. He waited until the middle of June for the Dutch, and was then joined by only 12 ships of the line but adverse winds prevented him getting off the coast until mid July with a convoy of more than 230 merchantmen in company. He arrived off the rock of Lisbon on 24 July and held a council of war to determine the best place to land in Spain. Altea in the kingdom of Valentia being decided on, EAGLE and HAMPTON COURT were ordered in ahead of the fleet. They were fired upon by two cannon in a tower, but these were soon silenced.
  • When the fleet arrived on the 31st., FLAMBOROUGH covered the landing of 2,500 marines who were put into a camp and a message was sent to the governor, and through him to the Viceroy of Valentia, that they came as friends and would support all Spaniards who would swear allegiance to Archduke Charles of Austria, and throw off the yoke of France. The population expressed great hatred of the French and brought plenty of provisions for the fleet for which they were paid ready money. Sir Cloudsley sailed on 3 September for Leghorn (Livorno) where they arrived on the 19th. Here they learned that the Archduke had been proclaimed at Vienna on the 12th. as Charles III, King of Spain. The Dutch having orders for a speedy return, Sir Cloudesly contented himself with sending Rear Ad. BYNG to Algiers and Capt. SWANTON of EXETER (acting as commodore of a small squadron - PEMBROKE, TARTAR, FLAMBOROUGH and a fireship) to Tunis and Tripoli, to renew the peace with those States. Capt. SWANTON was ordered to continue on to Scanderoon to join Capt. JUMPER who had been sent there with a convoy.
  • Unable to do more Sir Cloudesly arrived off Altea on 22 September and soon after sailed for England.
  • 1706 Capt. Edmund LOADES (1st. captain) Capt. Samuel WHITAKER (2nd captain.) Flagship of Sir Cloudesly SHOVELL, who took the 3rd. lieutenant, James GUNMAN, out of ROYAL SOVEREIGN and made him 1st. lieutenant of ASSOCIATION and then appointed him to the command of the WEAZLE sloop.
  • In July and August Sir Cloudesley assisted in the siege of Toulon but, being obliged to lift the siege he left Sir Thomas DILKES at Gibraltar and sailed for England. On the morning of 22 October LENOX, VALEUR and PHOENIX were detached from the fleet under orders to proceed to Falmouth, and the following night they found themselve among the Scilly Islands. The first two anchored for the night but PHOENIX struck and had to be beached, she was re-floated some days later. The same night the ASSOCIATION and several other ships of the fleet were lost on the rocks of the Scilly Is. The Admiral, Capts. LOADES and WHITAKER, and between 800 and 900 officers and men lost their lives. The Admiral's body was first buried on Agnes but was disinterred and identified by Capt. Matthew SANSOM of PHOENIX before reburial in a church on St. Mary's.


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