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MEDWAY
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(60) |
4th rate
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Built in 1755, Deptford DY.
Broken up in 1811. |
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- 1755 Capt. Peter DENNIS. There are letters in town from on board his Majesty's Ship. the MEDWAY, belonging to Sir Edward HAWKE'S fleet, giving an account of their having taken several prizes, one of which is worth about 80,000 L sterling. We hear that the Agent of France has sent his court a list of ships taken by the English, of which he makes the number to be 110, and their value 400,000 L.
- 1760 Capt. John Blaydon TINKER. On 6th. March 1760 MEDWAY sailed from Portsmouth for the East Indies with AMERICA (60), Capt. HALDANE, the SOUTHSEA CASTLE and LIVERPOOL frigates, with eight East-Indiamen under convoy. Capt. TINKER took an active part in the siege of Pondicherry; on January 1st. 1761 the squadron under Rear Ad. Charles STEVENS in NORFOLK lying before the port was hit by a violent storm, first from the N. W. and then from the N. E. and, after a short period of calm, with renewed fury from the S. E. NORFOLK cut and stood out to sea; MEDWAY, along with AMERICA, FALMOUTH and PANTHER, were dismasted but rode out the storm; the SUNDERLAND, DUC D'AQUITAINE and the DUKE storeship were driven ashore and wrecked. General Lally in Pondicherry rejoiced that he was no longer blockaded by sea, but by the 7th. the English were back with eight ships, on the 15th. the walls had been breached, and, with only one day's provisions remaining, the city was handed up on the 16th.
- In November he was involved in the dispute with the governor of the Punto de Galle described in the following private letter:-
- "A few days after we got in, captain Tinkler, with a squadron of his majesty's ships appeared off; the Dutch immediately sent an officer out to acquaint captain Tinkler no men of war could be admitted, his orders being to fire on such as presumed it; captain Tinkler for answer, that he would not be the aggressor in any rupture, but that his majesty's ships should come within pistol-shot of his walls, and if a single shot was fired by the Dutch he would not leave one stone on another in Galle! This spirited answer changed their tone and they behaved with the greatest compliance during our stay. A Dutch admiral arrived in a sixty gun ship, Mr Tinkler sent his compliments, desiring the Dutch to give up the English subjects he might have in his crew; the Dutch admiral,seeing he could not help himself, gave up all he had, which were about twenty."
- Capt. TINKLER retained command of MEDWAY in India, latterly in command of the station, until 1764, when he returned to Europe in July. On 25th. March 1766 he faced a court martial on board SUPERB at Spithead investigating a complaint of misconduct while he held the chief command. He was honourably acquitted of the charge.
- 1775 Capt. Edmund AFFLECK, Mediterranean, under Vice Ad. MANN, with a small squadron of the peace establishment.
- 1787 receiving ship.
- 1802 renamed ARUNDEL
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