HMS Illustrious (1789)
{{short description|74-gun Royal Navy ship of the line}}
{{other ships|HMS Illustrious}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2017}}
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{{Infobox ship image |Ship image=Buckler's Hard Maritime Museum 25 - HMS Illustrious.jpg |Ship caption=Model of HMS Illustrious at Buckler's Hard }} {{Infobox ship career |Hide header= |Ship country=Great Britain |Ship flag=File:Naval Ensign of Great Britain (1707-1800).svg |Ship name=HMS Illustrious |Ship ordered=31 December 1781 |Ship builder=Henry Adams, Bucklers Hard |Ship laid down=September 1784 |Ship launched=7 July 1789 |Ship acquired= |Ship commissioned= |Ship decommissioned= |Ship in service= |Ship out of service= |Ship renamed= |Ship struck= |Ship reinstated= |Ship notes=*Participated in: |Ship captured= |Ship fate=Wrecked, 1795 }} {{Infobox ship characteristics |Hide header= |Header caption=Winfield, p.79 |Ship class={{sclass|Arrogant|ship of the line}} |Ship tons burthen=1,615 {{fraction|51|94}} tons burthen |Ship length={{convert|168|ft|2|in|m|abbr=on}} (gundeck) |Ship beam={{convert|46|ft|11|in|m|abbr=on}} |Ship draught={{convert|12|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}} |Ship hold depth={{convert|19|ft|9|in|m|abbr=on}} |Ship sail plan=Full-rigged ship |Ship propulsion=Sails |Ship complement= |Ship armament=*74 guns:
|Ship notes= }} |
HMS Illustrious was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 7 July 1789 at Bucklers Hard under the direction of Henry Adams.Lavery, Ships of the Line, vol. 1, p. 180.{{cite book |last=Winklareth |first=Robert |date=2000 |title=Naval Shipbuilders of the World From the Age of Sail to the Present Day |publisher=Chatham |pages=85–87 |isbn=9781861761217}} She participated in the Battle of Genoa after which she was wrecked.
Service
In 1793, Illustrious was involved in the Siege of Toulon. In 1795, she earned a Battle Honour in the Battle of Genoa. Illustrious was badly damaged in the engagement with the van of the French fleet.
Loss
After the battle, {{HMS|Meleager|1785|2}} was towing Illustrious when she broke free of her tow. Then the accidental firing of a lower deck gun damaged the ship so that she took on water.Gossett (1986), p.7. She attempted to anchor in Valence Bay (between Spezia and Leghorn) to ride out the bad weather that had descended upon her. Her cables broke, however, and she struck on rocks and had to be abandoned. Lowestoffe and {{HMS|Tarleton|1782|2}} took off her stores, and all her crew were saved. Her hull was then set on fire.Ships of the Old Navy, Illustrious.
Notes
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References
{{refbegin}}
- {{cite book|last=Gossett|first=William Patrick|year=1986|title=The lost ships of the Royal Navy, 1793-1900|publisher=Mansell|isbn=0-7201-1816-6}}
- Lavery, Brian (1983) The Ship of the Line - Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850. Conway Maritime Press. {{ISBN|0-85177-252-8}}.
- Michael Phillips. [http://www.ageofnelson.org/MichaelPhillips/info.php?ref=1189 Illustrious (74) (1789)]. Michael Phillips' Ships of the Old Navy. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
- {{cite book | last = Winfield| first = Rif|title = British Warships of the Age of Sail 1714{{ndash}}1792: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates | publisher = Seaforth| location=Barnsley, United Kingdom|year = 2007|isbn=9781844157006}}
{{refend}}
{{Arrogant class ship of the line}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Illustrious (1789)}}
Category:Ships of the line of the Royal Navy
Category:Arrogant-class ships of the line