HMS Assistance

Overview
Rating: 4th rate

Class: 1706 Establishment fourth-rate Ship of the Line

Shipyard: Deptford DY

Launched: 1650

Status: Broken up April 27th, 1720, and currently being rebuilt according to the 1719 establishment

Current Armament
Total Guns: 54

Topdeck: 10 x 6lbs

Upper Gundeck: 22 x 6lbs

Gundeck: 22 x 12lbs

Broadside Weight: 213lbs

Crew: 420

Dimensions
Gundeck Length: 130' 0" or 39.6 m

Breadth: 35' 0" or 10.7 m

Depth in Hold: 14' 0" or 4.3 m

Commanders
Current Captain: -

Previous Captains:

Notable Actions
September 8th, 1652: Defeated Dutch fleet in the Battle of Kentish Knock.

February 28th, 1653: Defeated Dutch fleet in the Battle of Portland.

June 12th, 1653: Defeated Dutch fleet in the Battle of the Gabbard.

August 8th, 1653: Defeated Dutch fleet in the Battle of Scheveningen.

June 13th, 1665: Defeated Dutch fleet in the Battle of Lowestoft.

June 1st, 1666: Suffered defeat against Dutch fleet in the Four Days Battle.

July 25th, 1666: Defeated Dutch fleet in the Battle of St. James' Day.

Ship History
HMS Assistance has a long and illustrious history. She has been in service since 1650, has been rebuilt three times (currently being rebuilt a fourth time) and has taken part in seven fleet engagements. Due to her many rebuilds she is also a good example of how Ships of the Line have evolved since the mid 17th century.

Launched in early 1650 she served the following 37 years playing an important role in most of the major engagement of the Anglo-Dutch wars. In 1652 she fought at the highly successful battle of Kentish Knock under Captain John Bourne. Later to be promoted to Rear-Admiral of the Blue, Bourne was aboard the Assistance as Rear-Admiral in the following battles of Portland, the Gabbard and Scheveningen. For all of these three battles her Captain was Will Crispin.



The Battle of Kentish Knock took place near the shoal of the same name some 30 kilometers east of the mouth of the River Thames on September 8th, 1652. The Dutch fleet was unable to properly mount any form of assault against Admiral Blake's British fleet and was forced to retreat after an exchange of fire in which the Burgh van Alkmaar, 28, was blown up and the Maria, 30, captured.

If the battle of Kentish Knock was a fair victory, then the Battle of Portland was a glorious one. February 28th, 1653, Admiral Blake engaged roughly 80 Dutch warships escorting roughly 150 merchantmen with a British fleet of 80 sail. After three days of heavy fighting in which the British fleet repeatedly attempted to break the Dutch line, most of the Dutch fleet retreated on the third night. Eight Dutch warships and 50 merchantmen were left behind and these were promptly surrounded and captured. The Assistance saw a great deal of action in this battle and was to see a great deal more a mere three months later.

On June 12th, 1653, Admiral Deane led the British fleet of 100 sail defending against a Dutch attack off the coast of Suffolk at the Battle of the Gabbard. The Assistance sailed in the center of the British fleet as it repelled the 98 Dutch attacking warships. On June 13th, the Dutch fleet again closed to engage but this time the wind failed them and they were caught dead in the water under British guns. Six Dutch vessels were sunk and 11 were captured before the Dutch managed to withdraw.

The Assistance saw further action in the Battle of Scheveningen when the Dutch attempted to lift the blockade of Dutch shipping set in place by the British after the battle of the Gabbard. The United Provinces had been suffering a massive economic collapse as a result of the blockade and so on August 8th, 1653, 127 Dutch ships under Admiral Tromp closed in on the 120 strong British fleet under the command of Admiral Monck. After a couple of days of manoeuvring the great fleets clashed on August 10th.

In plain sight of the Dutch shore a furius melee of ships erupted. Both sides suffered heavy damage to their ships but the Dutch Admiral was killed early in the fighting and so the Dutch fleet fell into slight disarray. Some of the Dutch ships began to retreat as the first Dutch losses were incurred. General retreat was ordered and towards the evening the two fleets had disengaged. The Dutch had lost 12 ships, 10 had been sunk and 2 captured while the British lost only the Oak of 26 guns. The battle was a tremendous victory for the British. But, due to the damage recieved they were forced to sail back to England for repairs and so the blockade was lifted. Therefore, the Dutch also claimed the victory. In terms of national morale, however, the victor was clear and the British-favourable Treaty of Westminster was signed on May 8th, 1654, ending the first Anglo-Dutch war.

The Assistance was still in service when the second Anglo-Dutch war broke out on March 4th, 1665, and took part in the opening engagement of the war; the Battle of Lowestoft on June 13th, 1665. Admiral Stuart commanded the British fleet of 109 sail against Admiral Obdam's 103 ships. The Dutch fleet was comprised of many inexperienced Captains as well as Merchant Captains as well as veterans from the first Anglo-Dutch war. Consequently, they found it difficult to form a line and were severely punished for it as the British line initially held. As the battle wore on the British ships, the Assistance among them, drifted into the Dutch and a general melee of massive proportions broke out. At the height of the fight the Dutch flagship; the Endracht blew up. Many Dutch ships put to the wind and retreated, though many others stayed and continued fighting. The battle wore on and when the smoke had finally settled it was clear that the British had won a complete victory. 9 Dutch ships were sunk, 6 were taken and burnt and 2 were captured. The British had only lost one warship that had been captured early on in the battle and immediately ordered to withdraw. The Assistance, captained by Zachary Browne, was among the British ships that caught up with and captured several more of the retreating Dutch ships.



Already the Assistance was a celebrated ship in the British Navy but she was to see further action in 1666. From June 1st to June 4th that year she fought at the Four Days Battle, again under Captain Zachary Browne. Admiral Monck commanded the British fleet against Admiral de Ruyter's Dutch fleet of roughly equal strength. The Four Days Battle was a bitter and drawn-out engagement that consisted of two days initial furious combat followed by a day of skirmishes as the British fleet retreated and one last day of close combat. The Assistance recieved heavy damage, as did the rest of the British fleet, and the final outcome of the battle was a Dutch victory. Britain lost ten ships to the United Provinces' four.

However, revenge was not even two months away. The Assistance again joined the British fleet for the Battle of St. James' Day, July 25th, 1666. Admiral Monck again commanded the fleet along with Prince Rupert of the Rhine and again he attacked the the Dutch fleet commanded by Admiral de Ruyter. The battle was fought over two days and this time the United Provinces lost two ships to Britain's one. Both fleets were again heavily damaged but this time the Dutch clearly more so.

The Battle of St. James' Day was the last in which the Assistance took part. She remained in service, however, for the rest of the second Anglo-Dutch war, and a further 20 years before being laid up in Deptford DY for a great repair in 1687. She was relaunched later that year and served 22 years before being broken up again in 1699 and rebuilt a second time. Relaunched later the same year she remained in service until June 15th, 1710, when she was once more laid up for a rebuild.

She was relaunched on February 16th, 1713. After a couple of month's sea trials she was ordered to Port Mahon where she was to victual and join the Mediterranean station. She arrived in June, 1713, and recieved several additions to her crew; amongst others Will Collister as a midshipman. Collister stayed on board for the entire duration of Assistance's spell on the Mediterranean station and was still aboard when she put into London in March, 1715. She recieved an almost entirely new crew and was assigned a new Captain; Edward Vernon. Jock Lewes, future fellow Squadron Captain, boards the vessel as 3rd lieutenant.

Collister stayed aboard the Assistance the following two and a half years serving in the Baltic protecting naval stores, with a brief interrim in which the Assistance carried the Ambassador to Turkey in 1716. In December, 1717, the Assistance returned to London to victual and Collister went ashore to sit his lieutenant exam. His experience aboard the Assistance would prove of great importance as later in his career he came to command the Manannan; a ship of similar size and sailing qualities.

The Assistance was given to Captain Edward Holland as she was victualled and spent the next two and a half years in the channel before being laid up at Woolwich DY in April, 1720, to be rebuilt. She is currently undergoing this rebuild.