The Other Mary Roses - Page 2 of 2 by Stuart Vine
In 1596 she was part of the fleet that assaulted and sacked Cadiz, strangely, she was commanded by another familiar name, Sir George Carew. She continued to take an active part in the war against Spain. The Mary Rose was Admiral Monson's flagship in 1609.
In 1602 she was listed as having a keel length of 85 ft, a beam of 33 ft and a depth in hold of 17 ft. Her figurehead was a Unicorn.
In 1613? she was bought to Chatham where her hull was filled and she was sunk to help support a wharf.
In 1623 a Mary Rose of 394 tons was constructed, she was a third or fourth rate. She was built at Deptford by Burrell, with a keel of 83ft, a beam of 27ft 6ins and a draught of 13ft. She was initially equipped with 26 guns. She took part in the unsuccessful expedition to Cadiz in 1625. This particular vessel seems to have accomplished little of note, finally being wrecked off Flanders in 1650.
In 1654, a ship called the Maidstone (re-named the Mary Rose after the Restoration in 1660) was built at Woodbridge. This was a ship of 566 tons with 40 guns, a keel length of 102 ft, a beam of 31 ft 8 ins and a 16 ft draught. In 1654, she was part of Blake's fleet sent to the Mediterranean to harass the French and the Algerine pirates. On April 26th, 1655, the fleet fought an action in the bay of Tunis, sinking nine pirate ships and destroying the forts meant to protect them. She also took part in several battles in the Second Dutch War.
On December 29th 1669, she was engaged in a single handed action against six Algerian men of war. Luckily, one of her shots struck the opposition Admiral's ship on the waterline, forcing her to draw off. The other ships also retreated, leaving the Mary Rose to fight another day with 11 men killed and another 17 wounded.
In 1689, the Mary Rose was classed as a fourth rate with 43 guns and 230 men. In 1691 she convoyed a fleet of store ships to the West Indies. She was stationed in the West Indies, and on July 12th of the same year was captured by the French, the captain being killed in the engagement. She was damaged in an action with the Diamond, being forced to flee to Martinique. In 1696, now a French ship of 50 guns, fought the Bonaventure, commanded by Captain Allin. Unfortunately, the Mary Rose proved as good a ship for the French as she had for the English, Captain Allin being killed and the Bonaventure forced to break off the engagement.
There is then a long gap in the use of the name Mary Rose in the Royal Navy, until a destroyer of that name was launched in 1915. She fought at Jutland and was sunk protecting the convoy she was escorting from the German cruisers, the Bremse and the Brummer in 1917. The last ship called the Mary Rose was another destroyer launched in 1943.
Sources:
- "The Four Mary Roses", Whitlock and Webb
- State Papers
- Navy Records Soc.
- Administration of the Royal Navy, Oppenheim
- Dictionary of National Biography
- The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea (Which misses out both the third and last ships of that name)
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