SAN HERMENEGILDO ship-of-the-line

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Built as a three-decker ship-of-the-line at Havana, Cuba for the Spanish Navy.
20 January 1789 launched as the SAN HERMENEGILDO. Designed after plans of Romero Landa.
Tonnage 2,308 tons, dim. 56.14 x 15.5 x 7.4m.
Armament when built 62 – 24pdrs, 32 – 12pdrs, 18 – 8pdrs. guns
After completing under command of Captain Antonio O’Carol she sailed to Cadiz where she arrived on 11 August 1789.
After arrival joined the squadron and was based at El Ferrol where she arrived on 5 October that year.

1790 Under command of Marquis del Castañar, and was she flagship of Admiral Felipe López de Carrizosa in a squadron of 40 ships and 8 frigates which remained off the Galician coast after the Nootka Incident when the Spanish frigate PRINCESA captured in the waters from Canada the steamer ARGONAUT and the PRINCESS ROYAL. This incident was almost a war between the U.K and Spain.

Later based at Cadiz from where it sailed in 1791 to El Ferrol under command of Captain Adrián Valcárcel, after arrival in El Ferrol decommissioned.
09 April command was taken over by Brigadier Pedro de Obregón.

After war was declared with France, SAN HERMENEGILDO as flagship of Admiral Frederico Gravina and a squadron of three other ships sailed to the Mediterranean to join the fleet of Lángara.
She took part in the operations in Catalonia and the evacuation of Toulon along with the British squadron of Admiral Samuel Hood in 1793.
10 February 1794 under command of Brigadier Diego González Guiral.
Early May Gravina boarded the SAN HERMENEGILDO and left immediately for Catalonia, to take up the command of a squadron to assist the frontier towns Portvendres and Colliure, which were besieged by the French. On arrival off the Spanish town Rosas the fleet anchored off the town to find out of the town already was invaded.
Took also part in the evacuation of the town on 03 December 1794.

The she returned to Cartagena and then to Cadiz before she went to El Ferrol for a refit.
08 June 1795 she arrived at the shipyard in El Ferrol for a refit and strengthening, thereafter armed with 30 – 36pdrs., 32 – 24pdrs, 32 – 12pdrs, 18 – 8pdrs. guns.
05 August 1795 left the yard.
05 August 1795 repair completed.

December 1795 was at Cadiz together with the frigate EFIGENIA to transport French prisoners of war to Cadiz.
After peace was signed with France she returned to El Ferrol for decommission.

August 1796 when war broke out between Great Britain and Spain she was commissioned again under command of Captain Manuel Emparán and joined the Ferrol Squadron which was under command of Vice Admiral Juan Joaquin Moreno.
25 August 1800 the fleet of Admiral Warren, the British troops landed at Doñinos Beach near Ferrol to capture the town, the landing failed Part of the crew of SAN HERMENEGILDO were ashore to strengthen the garrison in the town.

20 April 1801Vice Admiral Moreno sailed out with the REAL CARLOS as flagship, SAN HERMENGILDO, SAN FERNANDO, ARGONAUTA and the SAN AGUSTIN bound for Cadiz where she arrived five days later.
09 July the squadron sails to Algeciras, where the frigate SABINA joined the squadron, thereafter the squadron protected the retreat of the French Vice Admiral Linois squadron.

The British fleet under command of Rear Admiral Saumarez were in pursuit, HMS SUPERB was the first British ship which opened fire around 11.20 p.m. on the REAL CARLOS when he was at a distance of about a cable and a half from her, he did give three broadsides, which brought down her foretopmast and she got on fire. The SUPERB moved onto engage the French 74-gun SAINTE ANTONINE who quickly surrendered.
The REAL CARLOS dropped astern, and began to fire with the two nearest Spanish ships, each in the darkness, mistook the others for an enemy.

SAN HERMENEGILDO get foul with the SAN HERMENEGILDO, she also got on fire. The fire spread on the REAL CARLOS where after she blew up,
The SAN HERMENEGILDO also on fire which in turn at about 12.30 a.m. on the 13th exploded, with the loss of most of her crew.
Of these two ships 38 were rescued by the SUPERB and 262 more were rescued by other ships, but about 1700 men of this two ships perished.

Paraguay 1987 3g sg?, scott2213c.

Source: http://www.todoababor.es/listado/navio- ... egildo.htm wikipedia http://3decks.pbworks.com/The%20Gut%20of%20Gibraltar