HMS Benbow (1813)
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Benbow |
| Ordered | 11 June 1808 |
| Builder | Samuel & Daniel Brent, Rotherhithe |
| Laid down | July 1808 |
| Launched | 3 February 1813 |
| Commissioned | April 1813 |
| Decommissioned | May 1842 |
| Reclassified |
|
| Fate | Sold for scrap, 23 November 1892 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Class & type | Vengeur-class ship of the line |
| Tons burthen | 1,772 72⁄94 (bm) |
| Length | 176 ft 3 in (53.7 m) (gundeck) |
| Beam | 47 ft 11 in (14.6 m) |
| Draught | 17 ft 3 in (5.3 m) (light) |
| Depth of hold | 21 ft (6.4 m) |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
| Complement | 590 |
| Armament |
|
HMS Benbow was a 74-gun third rate Vengeur-class ship of the line built for the Royal Navy in the 1810s. Completed in 1813, she played a minor role in the Napoleonic Wars.


In 1840 Benbow saw action in the bombardment of the city of Acre under the command of Admiral Robert Stopford. At the height of the battle either Benbow or the naval steamer HMS Gorgon fired the shell that destroyed Acre's powder magazine, causing an explosion that greatly weakened the city's defences.[1]
Benbow was used for harbour service from February 1848 until August 1859, when she was converted to be used as a coal hulk. In 1892, after 79 years of service, she was sold out of the Navy, and was broken up in 1895 at Castle, Woolwich.[2]