HMS Mars (1794)
 Battle between the HMS Mars and the French Hercule on April 21, 1798 off Brest
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The HMS Mars was a 74-gun ship of the line of the British Royal Navy, which was launched on October 25, 1794 from Deptford Dockyard.
history
At the beginning of the French Revolutionary Wars , she was assigned to the Canal Fleet. In 1797 she was involved in the Spithead Mutiny under Captain Alexander Hood . In the Battle of the Raz de Sein on April 21, 1798 at dusk near the Pointe du Raz on the Breton coast against the French Hercule . Hercule tried to escape through the Passage du Raz, but the tide was going in the wrong direction and she had to anchor to give Captain Hood a chance to attack at close range. The two ships were equally strong and after more than an hour and a half of bloody fighting at close range, the Hercule painted her flag (sign of surrender) after losing over three hundred men. 31 men were killed and 60 wounded on Mars . Among the dead was Captain Hood.
Mars fought in Trafalgar, where it was badly damaged when attacked by five different French and Spanish 74-gun ships. Among the 29 killed and 69 wounded was their captain George Duff, who was killed by a cannonball.
In 1806 she took part in an operation off Chasseron in the service of the Canal Fleet, which led to the capture of four French ships. She then served off Portugal and in the Baltic Sea .
She was assigned to the reserve fleet in 1813 and dismantled 10 years later.
Technical specifications
The liner was 54 meters long and had a hold depth of 6.1 meters.
literature
- William George Gates: Ships of the British Navy: A Record of Heroism, Victory and Disaster, Volume 2 . Wentworth Press, 2019, ISBN 9-78101155-609-0, (Reprint)
