Revenge History

The History of the Ships Named H.M.S. REVENGE.

Battle Honours:

The First ‘Revenge’ :-

Built at Deptford in 1577. 440 ton . 46 guns.

Flagship of Sir Francis Drake during the battles against the Spanish Armada. Captured a rich Spanish prize the ship, the Huestra Senora Del Rosari.

Lisbon Expedition. Drake attacked Vigo and Lisbon, causing great damage but failing to obtain the throne of Portugal for Dom Antonia.

1591 Lord Howard was sent, with 16 ships, including ‘Revenge’ under the command of Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Grenville, to intercept Spanish treasure vessels returning from the West Indies.

A Spanish fleet of 53 ships was sent out against Howard, who escaped with 5 ships, but Grenville remained to take his sick men aboard.

In the battle that ensued, Grenville attempted to run through the entire fleet, and surrendered after 15 hours, when he was mortally Wounded, and his ship’s complement had been reduced to only 20 able-bodied men.

According to Sir Walter Raleigh’s account, Grenville “commanded the master gunner, whom he knew to be a most resolute man, to split and sitik the ship, that thereby nothing might remain of glory in victory to the Spaniards, seeing in so many hours they were not able to take her, having had 15 hours time, 15,000 men, and 53 sail of men-of-war to perform it withal.”

Sir Richard Grenville was taken aboard the Spanish flagship, the San Pablo, where he died a few hours later.

A Spanish prize crew was put aboard ‘Revenge’, but on the journey a violent storm was encountered and the ship was dashed to pieces. All the prize crew members were drowned.

The Second ‘Revenge’:-

1654 Built at Limehouse and named ‘Newbury’. 766 tons. 62 guns.

1660 Renamed ‘Revenge’ Fought in the battle of Lowestoft, 1665, and the battle of the North Foreland 1666, giving Britain command of the Channel over the Dutch.

Gained victory over Algerian pirates at Bulgia Bay 1671, under the flag of Sir Edward Spragge.

1678 considered unserviceable and scrapped.

The Third ‘Revenge’:-

1699 Built at Deptford. 1065 tons. 70 guns. Rated 3^rd rate.

Took part in the war of the Spanish Succession, and was in action against the French. 1 705 Repulse of French attack on Gibraltar.

1708 Capture of Minorca. English fleet in command of the Mediterranean.

1711 Ship was renamed ‘Buckingham’.

The Fourth ‘Revenge’:-

1699 Built at Deptford and named ‘Swiftsure’. 1065 tons. 70 guns.

1715 Renamed ‘Revenge’

1740 Scrapped.

The Fifth ‘Revenge’:-

1742 Built at Deptford. 1250 tons. 64 guns.

Took part in the war of Austrian Succession.

Took part in the indecisive battle of Toulon.

1756 Took part in the Seven year’s war. Action off Minorca. Admiral Byng courtmartialled.

1758 With the aid of ‘Berwick’( 60 guns), captured the French ship, ‘L’Orphee’(64 guns).

1759 Battle of Quiberon Bay. The battle was fought in a heavy gale, and ‘Revenge’ was one of the first to come into contact. with the French. The battle resulted in complete defeat for the French, three quarters of their fleet being destroyed, and left Britain as complete masters of the sea.

1787 ‘Revenge’ was sold.

The Sixth ‘Revenge’:-

1805 Built at Chatham. 1909 tons. 74 guns.

The Napoleonic Wars.

1805 Blockade of Cadiz, afterwards joining up with Nelson on his return from the West Indies.

Battle of Trafalgar 21^st October – ‘Revenge’ in Collingwood’s line attacking the rear of the enemy fleet.

1806 ‘Revenge’ boats assist in the capture of the French ship ‘Cesar’

1808 Blockade of Brest.

1809 Took part in the destruction of the French fleet in Basque roads.

1810 Assisted in attack on 8 French frigates in La Hogue roads. One frigate destroyed.

1832 Blockade of Dutch coast.

1840 Blockade of Syrian coast. Bombardment of Acre.

1849 ‘Revenge’ scrapped.

The Seventh ‘Revenge’:-

1850 Built at Pembroke. Screw steamship. 5,600 tons. 28 guns.

1890 Transferred to the Clyde Industrial Ship Association and renamed ‘Empress’.

The Eighth ‘Revenge’:-

1892 Built at Jarrow. 14,500 tons. 4 x 13.5" guns and 10 x 6" guns.

1896 Flagship of particular Service Squadron.

1898 Flagship in the Cretan Operations.

1914-5 Took part in bombardment of German positions in support of tile Allied armies.

1915 Renamed ‘Redoubtable’ to allow new battleship to be named ‘Revenge’. ‘Redoubtable’ was used as accommodation ship at Portsmouth.

The Ninth ‘Revenge’:-

1915 Built at Jarrow. 28,100 tons. 8 x 15" guns. 12 x 6" guns. 4 x twin 4" H.A. guns. 2 x multiple Pom-poins, plus Lewis guns. Commissioned 1916.

1916 Battle of Jutland. 31^st May. ‘Revenge’ was the second ship of the 1^st Battle Squadron which was commanded by Vice-Admiral Sir Cecil Burney in H.M.S. Marlborough. When ‘Marlborough’ was damaged by torpedo, Vice- Admiral Burney transferred his flag to ‘Revenge’. ‘Revenge’ was in action for one and a half hours during which she sustained no damage or casualties.

1916 to 1924 Flagship of the 1^st Battle Squadron Atlantic Fleet.

1919 June2l^st German Admiral Ludwig von Reuter issued the order to scuttle the entire German fleet of 74 ships interned at Scapa Flow. Admiral Von Reuter was brought to the quarterdeck of H.M.S. Revenge, flagship of Admiral Freemantle, and accused of a breach of Naval Honour.

Admiral Von Reuter replied, “I am convinced that any English Naval Officer, placed as I was, would have acted in the same way.” No charges were brought against him.

January 1920. 1^st Battle Squadron detached to the Mediterranean because of the Near East crises, and ‘Revenge’ took part against Turkish Nationalists at Constantinople, and remained in the Black Sea until July 1920, when she rejoined the Atlantic Fleet.

May 1921. On re-organisation, ‘Revenge’ became 2^nd Flag of the 1^st Battle Squadron.

September 1922. ‘Revenge’ again sent to the Mediterranean, together with ‘Ramillies’, ‘Resolution’ and ‘Royal Sovereign’, to reinforce the Mediterranean Fleet during further trouble in the Near East. Stationed at Constantinople, and the Dardanelles.

March 1923 . Rejoined the Atlantic Fleet.

1^st November 1924. ‘Revenge’ became Fleet Flag, Atlantic Fleet, on transfer to the Mediterranean of the Queen Elizabeth class.

October 1927. Relieved as Flag by ‘Nelson’, and became private ship in the 2^nd Battle Squadron.

11^th January 1928. Paid off at Devonport for refit until January 1929.

2^nd January 1929. Recommissioned at Devonport for the Mediterranean Fleet.

Mediterranean Fleet:

	1929 Flagship of the 1^st Battle Squadron.
	June 1929 2^ndFlag of the 1^stBattle Squadron
	16^th July 1935. Jubilee Review at Spithead.
	Stationed at Alexandria in the latter half of 1935 during the Italo-Abbyssian crises.
	6^th February 1936. Paid off at Portsmouth for extensive refit until March 1937.

HOME FLEET:

	1^st June 1937. Recommissioned at Portsmouth for 2^nd Battle Squadron, Home Fleet.
	Employed as Seagoing Training Ship for Boys and R.N.R. Officers, with special complement, for some months during 1937.
	30^th July 1939. Ship recommissioned at Devonport.
	9^th August 1939. Present at the Portland Review of the Fleet, by H.M.the King. August 1939. Assigned to the Channel Force (Portland) under War Organisation.

CHANNEL FORCE (HOME FLEET COMMAND PORTLAND):

	1^stOctober 1939. ‘Revenge’ordered to join South Atlantic Command (Freetown), following the sinking of the S.S.Clement, by the ‘Graf Spee’.
	5^th October. Order cancelled, and ship transferred to North Atlantic Escort Force (Halifax), with ‘Resolution’, for convoy duty.

NORTH ATLANTIC ESCORT FORCE:

	5^th October. Left England carrying gold bullion to Canada.
	December 1939. ‘Revenge’ is unit of escort for 1^st and 2^nd Troop Convoys to the U.K.
	1940 Convoy duties continued and ‘Revenge’ also transported over 40 million pounds worth of gold to Canada.
	July 3^rd. Boarding and taking over the French Battleship ‘Paris’, and with the submarine’Thames’, taking the French submarine ‘Surcouf’ at Plymouth.The ‘Surcouf’ was the largest submarine in the world, and had twin 8"guns. Leading Seaman Webb, our Sailmaker (and ‘Snob’), was shot dead when boarding the ‘Surcouf’ and it was said that he was the only fatal casualty of the entire world wide operation of taking the French Fleet.
	August. ‘Transferred to Plymouth Command because of anticipated German invasion.

PLYMOUTH COMMAND (Base ship, Devonport):

	October 10^th. Bombardment of Cherbourg, from 15,700 yards.
	November. Rejoined North Atlantic Escort Force.

NORTH ATLANTIC ESCORT FORCE:

	October 11^th .Portsmouth. Big air raid, much fire damage in city, but no damage sustained by ship.
	December. At sea searching for German sea raider ‘Admiral Hipper’, but only encountered bad weather.
	1941. Convoy duties. Brief stay at Bermuda for gunnery shoot.
	May 23rd. Ordered out of Halifax to provide extra cover for convoy H X 128, to guard against attack by German battleship ‘Bismark’, which was sunk by the Home Fleet on May 26^th.
	June - October.
	Convoy duties, including troop convoy to Cape Town, South Africa.
	November-December. Refit at Durban.
	December. Nominated for service in the East Indies Fleet based in Ceylon.
	1942 January. Passage to Ceylon.

EASTERN FLEET:

	March 26h. Joined Eastern Fleet, 3^rd Battle Squadron.
	April 6^th. Detached, along with ‘Ramillies’ ‘Resolution’, and ‘Royal Sovereign’ for the defence of Indian Ocean convoys, based at Kilindini, Mombasa.
	January 1943. Returned to Trincomalee, Ceylon.
	1943. Continued defence of Indian Ocean convoys.
	February 1943. Unit of escort for large convoy carrying Australian Division to Australia.
	March. Nominated for return to the U.K.
	September. Passage to the U.K. for refit.
	October. Withdrawn from operational service.
	Reduced to Reserve status.

RESERVE:

	September. Employed as Stoker’s Training ship in the Clyde.
	November. Sir Winston Churchill, in a memo to the First Lord, commented that the ship should be put to a higher use. Ship was detached that month, leaving the Clyde on 14^th to take Churchill to Malta, en route to the Cairo and Teheran , arriving in Malta on 17^th
	January 1944. Ship transferred to Portsmouth Command at Southampton.
	May 1944. Main armament removed to provide spare guns for ‘Warspite’, ‘Ramillies’, and monitors of the Normandy Bombardment Force.
	17^th December 1944. Attached to Imperieuse Training Establishment, Devonport.
	8^th March 1948. Ship placed on the disposal list.
	July. Ship sold to the British Iron & Steel Co. Ltd., and allocated to T.W.Ward &,
	Co. Inverkeithing, for scrapping.
	5^th September 1948. Ship arrived in Inverkeithing.

The Tenth ‘Revenge’:

1968. Nuclear submarine, built at Birkenhead, by Cammell Lairds.

1970. Entered service. Armed with intercontinental ballistic missiles, but no details available because of security during the period of the ‘cold war’. Eventually withdrawn from service

NOTE:

When, in 1950, Professor Bernard Lovell , together with his colleague, Consulting Engineer, H.C. Husband, were considering the problem of how to steer the proposed Mark 1. 250-ft. aperture radio telescope, it was suggested to them that naval gunnery experts might be able to help them.

They arranged to visit the Admiralty’s Gunnery Establishment at Teddington, and as a result of this visit , Dr. Husband went to the breaker’s yard in Inverkeithing, where he bought the 15inch gun turret racks of ‘Royal Sovereign’ and ‘Revenge’. These were placed in store, and were finally assembled to the telescope structure at the end of September 1955. So the good old ‘Revenge’ which did such sterling work during our war, carries on the good work well into the space age:

Research by Jack Martin who was ship’s company on ‘Revenge’ in second world war.

Sent in by George Ward.