£80 - £120
HMS Colossus, Isles of Scilly 1798 A lead cannon 'apron' cover, with some marine encrustation, 31X25cm. HMS Colossus was a Royal Navy, 74-gun, third rate ship of the line. Launched at Gravesend on 4th April 1787, and lost on 10th December 1798. During her years of service she participated in the Battle of Groix, the Battle of Cape St Vincent, and the Battle of the Nile.Her captain at this time was Sir George Murray KCB (1759 – 1819), with a distinguished service record and a particular friend of Nelson. After the Battle of Cape St Vincent, Murray was despatched to join Nelson in the Mediterranean. He rendezvoused with him at Naples, but the Colossus was so worn out that Nelson sent Murray back to Britain as a convoy escort, and carrying a cargo of artefacts from Sir William Hamilton's collection. The Colossus reached the Channel safely but a north-east gale blew up, forcing Murray to seek shelter in the waters off the Isles of Scilly. He initially anchored in St Marys Roads but the storm worsened and her anchors dragged, and on 7 December 1798 she ran onto a ledge of rocks and was wrecked. There was one casualty in the sinking, and many of Sir William Hamilton's treasures in his collection were lost with her. A court-martial was convened, at which Murray was honourably acquitted of blame.
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