HMS Europa (1765)

HMS Europa (1765) image
History
Great Britain
Name	HMS Europa
Ordered	16 December 1761
Builder	Henry Adams, Lepe
Laid down	February 1762
Launched	21 April 1765
Completed	By 5 May 1765
Renamed	HMS Europe on 9 January 1778
Fate	Broken up in July 1814
General characteristics [1]
Class and type	Exeter-class ship of the line
Tons burthen	1370 (bm)
Length	158 ft 9 in (48.39 m) (gundeck)
Beam	44 ft (13 m)
Depth of hold	19 ft 1 in (5.82 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Armament	Gundeck: 26 × 24-pounder guns Upper gundeck: 26 × 18-pounder guns QD: 10 × 4-pounder guns Fc: 2 × 9-pounder guns

HMS Europa was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 21 April 1765 at Lepe, Hampshire. She was renamed HMS Europe in 1778, and spent the rest of her career under this name.^[2]

Completed too late to see service in the Seven Years' War, most of Europe's service took place during the American War of Independence, supporting fleet movements and serving as the flagship for a number of admirals, including John Montagu, Molyneux Shuldham and Mariot Arbuthnot. During her time in North American waters she took part in the attack on Saint Pierre and Miquelon in 1778, and the battles of Cape Henry on 16 March and the Chesapeake in 1781.

Her last notable commanders as the war drew to a close were John Duckworth and Arthur Phillip, the latter taking her to the East Indies before returning after the conclusion of the war. Europe was then reduced to ordinary in the draw down of the navy following the end of hostilities, and was not reactivated on the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars. She only returned to service in 1796, recommissioning as a prison ship based at Plymouth, in which role she served out the remainder of the French Revolutionary Wars, and the Napoleonic Wars, finally being broken up in 1814.