William Chambers

Posted by Albert Parker on Thursday 7th of May 2020 21:24

SCRATCH THE PREVIOUS COMMENT. There was a report about
Chambers and the ships mentioned, in the _London Magazine_, but it was erroneous or perhaps even a cover story put out by the Admiralty. All of the ships listed except Dover and Speedwell sailed on September 4/15. Princess Louisa, Eagle, Defiance, Nottingham, and Romney, under Capt. Charles Watson of P.L., joined the Western Squadron cruising the Bay of Biscay under Rear-Admiral Edward Hawke on September 10/21; Tilbury and Oxford fell in with ships that had sailed from Portsmouth on August 24/September 4 under Captain Thomas Fox of Kent, which joined Hawke on September 26/October 7. All participated in the "Second" Battle of "Cape Finisterre" (it was about 500 miles from Cape Finisterre) on October 14/25, 1747. Chambers apparently did go to sea later, but he was not present in any of the ships named at the action on October 14/25, and he is unlikely to have sailed in Dover or Speedwell.
Source: Hawke's reports and Admiralty Office list of "Ships and Vessels under the Command of Rear-Admiral Hawke," 8 September 1747, with current location or date and place of sailing, all in Ruddock Mackay, ed., _The Hawke Papers_ (Navy Records Society, 1990).

Posted by Albert Parker on Wednesday 6th of May 2020 21:28

Chambers was the port admiral in Plymouth in late 1747. On September 2/13 he sailed on a cruise to the westward with Princess Louisa (60), Nottingham (60), Defiance (60), Tilbury (60), Eagle (60), Romney (44), Oxford (50), Dover (44), and sloop Speedwell (10). Some of Chambers' ships later fought in the Second Battle of "Cape Finisterre" (Oct. 14/25, 1747), but Chambers apparently returned to Plymouth.
Source: _London Magazine_, Sept. 1747, p. 386.