HMS Augusta (1763)

HMS Augusta was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 13 July 1763 by shipbuilding contractors Thomas Stanton and William Wells at Rotherhithe, London, and completed on 12 August 1763 at Deptford Dockyard

First commissioned in May 1763 under Captain Matthew Whitwell, the Augusta was initially fitted at Chatham Dockward as a guard ship, and served in that role at Sheerness in 1764, at Chatham 1765–68, and back to Sheerness in 1769. She was fitted at Chatham for Channel service in October 1770, but paid off into Ordinary (Reserve status) in May 1771. She sailed for North America on 28 March 1777 under the command of Captain Francis Reynolds. After running aground in the Delaware River Augusta was accidentally destroyed by fire on 23 October 1777 during the Battle of Red Bank.

Loss

On the evening of 22 October 1777, the Augusta, still under the command of Captain Reynolds, had sailed up the Delaware River with several other warships to a point a short distance below some chevaux de frise obstructions in order to fire at Fort Mercer the following day. As the tide fell, both Augusta and the sloop HMS Merlin (16) went aground on one of the several sandbars around that location. Despite attempts during the night by HMS Roebuck (44) to free Augusta from its predicament, the warship remained hard aground.

About 9:00AM on 23 October, a general action started with HMS Pearl (32) and HMS Liverpool (28) joining other vessels in the bombardment. The British ships were engaged by Fort Mifflin and the Pennsylvania Navy, under the command of Commodore John Hazelwood, launched four fire ships. At about 2:00 PM, the Augusta caught fire near its stern, according to an American eyewitness.