HMS Romney (1694) facts for kids

Sir Cloudesly Shovel in the Association with the Eagle, Rumney and the Firebrand, lost on the rocks of Scilly
Quick facts for kids History
Great Britain
Name	HMS Romney
Builder	Johnson, Blackwall Yard
Launched	23 October 1694
Fate	Wrecked, 26 October 1707
General characteristics
Class and type	50-gun fourth rate ship of the line
Tons burthen	683 bm
Length	130 ft 0.5 in (39.6 m) (gundeck)
Beam	34 ft 4 in (10.5 m)
Depth of hold	13 ft 7 in (4.1 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Armament	50 guns of various weights of shot

HMS Romney was a 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Blackwall Yard on 23 October 1694. Commanded by Captain William Coney, Romney was wrecked on the Scilly Isles on 26 October 1707 when a disastrous navigational error sent Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell's fleet through dangerous reefs while on their way from Gibraltar to Portsmouth. Four ships (Romney, Association, Firebrand and Eagle) were lost, with nearly 2,000 sailors. Romney hit Bishop Rock and went down with all but one of her crew. The sole survivor was George Lawrence, who had worked as a butcher before joining the crew of Romney as quartermaster. The Scilly naval disaster was one of the greatest maritime disasters in British history. It was largely as a result of this disaster that the Board of the Admiralty instituted a competition for a more precise method to determine longitude.