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HMS Royal George - Triumph and Tragedy. Part Two. On the 29th of August 1782, the greatest fleet ever assembled in British waters lay off Spithead. Apart from the two 100 gun ships of the line - HMS Royal George and HMS Victory, there were 50 warships, plus 300 merchant ships. In fear of desertions all shore leave was cancelled for the crew of the Royal George, with the exception of 60 marines. However, also aboard were 400 extra people who were crew families, merchants, and prostitutes. This was for the traditional 'Wedding Garland' which was the traditional farewell for the crew prior to sailing. All these extra people created an additional weight of 70 tons though. The Royal George was the flagship of Admiral Kempenfeldt However, Captain Waghorn decided against all advice to carry out a minor repair to a seacock which provided sea water to wash the gun decks after action. To do this repair entailed heeling the ship slightly so as to bring the seacock in question above the waterline. To achieve this, the cannons had to be moved to the other side of the ship so as to provide the required heel. Worse all the usual officers who would oversee such an operation were ashore - the Master, the Boatswain, and the Gunner. So nobody would be supervising the operation below decks. Even worse, Captain Waghorn ordered that the lower gun ports should stay open so as to quicken the loading of supplies. This again flew in the face of standard procedure which required the gunports to be CLOSED when heeling a ship.🤦‍♂️ The open gun ports were already only a foot above the water which was now starting to seep in. At 9am the cutter Lark started loading rum supplies through the open gun ports, and ominously rats and mice were seen leaving the Royal George and boarding the Lark. The weight of the barrels of rum was such that it caused water to flood in through the open gun ports. Seeing this, the ship's Carpenter rushed up to the officer of the watch - a Lieutenant Hollins Hollingbery, asking for the ship to be righted. This was snootily dismissed by Hollingbery. The Carpenter returned below to see things were now even worse. In despair he returned to the deck and again requested Lt. Hollingberry to right the ship. He was again dismissed this time with the words "Damn Sir! If you can manage the ship better than I, then you had better take command!" In despair, the Carpenter went straight to Captain Waghorn himself who actually listened, and sent the First Officer to investigate. Horrified by what he saw, the First Officer reported to Captain Waghorn who gave the order to right the ship. However, at that moment the ship started to capsize. In desperation men went below to move the guns but such was the angle, that even 18 men could not move a single gun. Water now poured in through the starboard gun ports killing the hundreds of men below - only 3 of whom would survive. Captain Waghorn ran to the cabin of Admiral Kempenfeldt to warn him but it was too late, the door was jammed and the Admiral drowned. Captain Waghorn jumped into the water but his son drowned. The Royal George heeled over to starboard then heeled over to port. Then she sank almost immediately leaving only her masts sticking out of the water. She had sunk completely upright. Of the 1200 people aboard, only 255 survived making this the greatest loss of life on a British sip prior to the Titanic. Of the lost 300 were women and 60 were children. People reported seeing the mast of the sunken Royal George completely decorated. The 'decorations' were in fact dead bodies. The ensuing cover up by the Royal Navy would be nothing short of breathtaking. Part Three to follow. @uk_sf_writer @TheNorskaPaul @offgriddesigner @MindInMotion93 @Raymond82310289 @GatesheadLad23 @GeorgeKedge @UkandNIbackup @AngelaTokell @scobjen @SammieJack3 @enochscowll @DeBarsham @loopzy78 @FkkkTheUN @CilComLFC

DaveKent101's tweet photo. HMS Royal George - Triumph and Tragedy.
Part Two.

On the 29th of August 1782, the greatest fleet ever assembled in British waters lay off Spithead. Apart from the two 100 gun ships of the line - HMS Royal George and HMS Victory, there were 50 warships, plus 300 merchant ships.

In fear of desertions all shore leave was cancelled for the crew of the Royal George, with the exception of 60 marines. However, also aboard were 400 extra people who were crew families, merchants, and prostitutes. This was for the traditional 'Wedding Garland' which was the traditional farewell for the crew prior to sailing.
All these extra people created an additional weight of 70 tons though. The Royal George was the flagship of Admiral Kempenfeldt

However, Captain Waghorn decided against all advice to carry out a minor repair to a seacock which provided sea water to wash the gun decks after action. To do this repair entailed heeling the ship slightly so as to bring the seacock in question above the waterline. To achieve this, the cannons had to be moved to the other side of the ship so as to provide the required heel.

Worse all the usual officers who would oversee such an operation were ashore - the Master, the Boatswain, and the Gunner. So nobody would be supervising the operation below decks.
Even worse, Captain Waghorn ordered that the lower gun ports should stay open so as to quicken the loading of supplies. This again flew in the face of standard procedure which required the gunports to be CLOSED when heeling a ship.🤦‍♂️
The open gun ports were already only a foot above the water which was now starting to seep in.

At 9am the cutter Lark started loading rum supplies through the open gun ports, and ominously rats and mice were seen leaving the Royal George and boarding the Lark.
The weight of the barrels of rum was such that it caused water to flood in through the open gun ports.
Seeing this, the ship's Carpenter rushed up to the officer of the watch - a Lieutenant Hollins Hollingbery, asking for the ship to be righted. This was snootily dismissed by Hollingbery. The Carpenter returned below to see things were now even worse. In despair he returned to the deck and again requested Lt. Hollingberry to right the ship.
He was again dismissed this time with the words "Damn Sir! If you can manage the ship better than I, then you had better take command!"

In despair, the Carpenter went straight to Captain Waghorn himself who actually listened, and sent the First Officer to investigate. Horrified by what he saw, the First Officer reported to Captain Waghorn who gave the order to right the ship.
However, at that moment the ship started to capsize.
In desperation men went below to move the guns but such was the angle, that even 18 men could not move a single gun.

Water now poured in through the starboard gun ports killing the hundreds of men below - only 3 of whom would survive.
Captain Waghorn ran to the cabin of Admiral Kempenfeldt to warn him but it was too late, the door was jammed and the Admiral drowned.
Captain Waghorn jumped into the water but his son drowned.

The Royal George heeled over to starboard then heeled over to port. Then she sank almost immediately leaving only her masts sticking out of the water. She had sunk completely upright.
Of the 1200 people aboard, only 255 survived making this the greatest loss of life on a British sip prior to the Titanic. Of the lost 300 were women and 60 were children.

People reported seeing the mast of the sunken Royal George completely decorated. The 'decorations' were in fact dead bodies.
The ensuing cover up by the Royal Navy would be nothing short of breathtaking.

Part Three to follow.

@uk_sf_writer
@TheNorskaPaul
@offgriddesigner
@MindInMotion93
@Raymond82310289
@GatesheadLad23
@GeorgeKedge
@UkandNIbackup
@AngelaTokell
@scobjen
@SammieJack3
@enochscowll
@DeBarsham
@loopzy78
@FkkkTheUN
@CilComLFC

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