Magnificent, 1766
Type: 3rd Rate ; Armament 74
Launched : 1766 ; Disposal date or year : 25 Mar 1804
Disposal Details : Wrecked on uncharted reef ; Boufaloe Rock, Brest, off the Pierres Noires, in the environs of Brest whilst on blockading duty : crew saved, but 86 made prisoners. Captain William Henry Jervis.
Notes:

16 Jan 1799 arrived Spithead.

17 Mar 1799 Portsmouth, departed with the Impetueux for the Channel fleet.

18 Mar 1799 arrived Cawsand Bay from Portsmouth.

27 Mar 1799 remains with the squadron in Cawsand Bay.

1 Apr 1799 departed to join Lord Hugh Seymour

25 Apr 1799 cruising off Brest.

8 Jun 1799 Plymouth, reports received here advise that 16 ships of the line and 4 frigates were detached by Lord Bridport for the Straits.

Circa late Jun 1799 arrived in the Tagus from the Channel Squadron to take a convoy and prizes to the England.

13 Jul 1799 Plymouth, the Magnificent, 74, passed up with the Lisbon fleet [convoy] for the Downs ; the rest parted off Cape Clear, for Cork, Liverpool, and Bristol.

14 Jul 1799 Portsmouth, arrived at Spithead, the Magnificent, 74, with a convoy from Lisbon. She departed on the 17 Jun in company with the Royal Sovereign, Caesar, Russell, Aimable, a sloop, and five of Lord Nelson's prizes ; L'Aimable and the sloop escorted the trade to Liverpool, &c

20 Nov 1799 Portsmouth, the Dragon and Magnificent are ordered to fit and victual for the Mediterranean.

Circa Feb 1800 Lieut. E. Man, of the Magnificent, is appointed third Lieutenant of the Ajax.

23 Mar 1800 Plymouth, came in from off Brest, which they left the 19th inst.

20 Apr 1800 Plymouth, departed with the Marlborough, to join the Channel fleet.

30 Jun 1800 Plymouth, arrived in 48 hours from off Brest with the Temeraire, and Robust.

10 Jul 1800 Plymouth, departed with the Cambrian, 44, and Havick, 18, on a cruise.

11 Aug 1800 Plymouth, arrived from the Channel fleet, with the Barfleur, and Saturn, to victual and refit.

18 Aug 1800 Plymouth, departed with the Saturn, on a cruise.

12 Oct 1800 the Montague, Magnificent, and Lord Nelson Cutter captured 8 small French Vessels.

20 Oct 1800 Plymouth, arrived six chasse maries, part of a convoy of eleven sail, laden with salt-fish, cord-wood, and other stores, for the combined fleets at Brest. They were cut out by the boats of the Magnificent, and Montagu, near L'Orient. One chasse marie was burnt, two sunk, two fitted as armed tenders, and six brought into Plymouth.

21 Oct 1800 the Montague, Magnificent, Marlborough, and Lord Nelson Cutler captured 1 small French Vessel, marked Letter F.

28 Oct 1800 Plymouth, arrived from the fleet with the Windsor Castle.

29 Oct 1800 Plymouth, arrived with wine for the French fleet, a brig, cut out of a bay near Brest, by the boats of the Magnificent.

7 Nov 1800 Plymouth, arrived having carried away her fore-top-sail-yard and fore-top-sail, in a gale.

20 Nov 1800 Plymouth, departed to join the fleet with the Pompee, and Montague.

7 Jan 1801 arrived Plymouth from the Channel Fleet with the Defiance. They left the squadron off the Black Rocks all well, the 3d instant.

18 Jan 1801 went up into Barnpool.

8 Mar 1801 went into Cawsand Bay.

10 Mar 1801 departed Cawsand Bay to join the fleet.

18 May 1801 arrived Cawsand Bay from the Channel fleet.

21 May 1801 embarked on board the Temeraire and Magnificent, in Cawsand Bay, fifty fine bullocks for the fleet off Brest.

23 May 1801 departed Cawsand Bay for the Channel Fleet.

22 Sep 1801 arrived Cawsand Bay from the Channel Fleet, the Magnificent, Capt J Giffard.

28 Sep 1801 at Plymouth, it is reported that during the last cruise of the Magnificent, of 74 guns, a seaman and midshipman fell overboard, the seaman sunk and never rose again, but the life buoy being caught of hold by the midshipman, he was fortunately saved.

29 Sep 1801 remains in Cawsand Bay the Formidable, Glory, Donnegal, Hercule, Terrible, Mars, and Magnificent.

7 Oct 1801 departed Cawsand Bay to join the Channel Fleet.

19 Nov 1801 remained in Torbay the Ville de Paris, Royal Sovereign, Prince of Wales, Neptune, Prince, Royal George, San Joseph, London, Magnificent, Bellerophon, Hercule, Donegal, Robust, Edgar, Belleisle, Courageux, Fisgard, Amelia, Indefatigable, Childers, Atlanta, Nimrod. The Nile cutter departing for Plymouth to be paid off.

28 Dec 1801 remained with the Channel Fleet in Torbay with the Ville de Paris.

24 Jan 1802 the following ships, are to be victualled and stored for 5 months for Channel service, viz. Magnificent, 74, Capt Gifford ; Irresistible, 74, Capt Bligh ; Audacious, 74, Capt Peard ; Courageux, 74, Capt Southeby ; Robust, 74, Capt H Jervis ; Bellerophon, 74, Captain Loring, and lighters will arrive shortly at Torbay from Plymouth. The Excellent remains in Cawsand Bay and will be victualled and stored before she returns to Torbay.

28 Jan 1802 departed Torbay for Plymouth.

29 Jan 1802 arrived Plymouth Sound from Torbay, the Edgar, 74, Captain Otway, and the Magnificent, 74, to be paid wages, and then return to Torbay.

6 Feb 1802 the Magnificent's ship's company were paid at Plymouth, and she then departed for Torbay.

2 Mar 1802 departed Torbay the Irresistible, Robust, Edgar, Audacious, Magnificent, Excellent, and Bellerophon, on a cruise, but there being little wind the exercise was performed by the various ships' boats towing them out.

Mar 1802 passed by Plymouth, to the westward, with sealed orders, the Edgar, 74, Excellent, 74, Bellerophon, 74, Robuste, 74, Magnificent, 74, and Audacious, 74. They lay to becalmed with light winds off the Edystone, but the wind freshening at N.N.W. the squadron soon made sail, and were clear of land about sunset.

17 Jun 1802 letters received Plymouth from an Officer of the Audacious, 74, Captain Peard, dated the 1st of May last, at Port Royal, Jamaica, mention, that the squadron which left Torbay last February, arrived the latter end of March at Martinique, being only 25 days on her passage ; and found there the Saturn, 74, Rear Admiral Totty, with the Excellent, 74, and Magnificent, 74. Sailed for Port Royal the 5th of April, with the Bellerophon, 74 ; arrived at Jamaica after a fine passage, and found there Vice Admiral Duckworth, with fifteen sail of the line, besides frigates and sloops of war. The remainder part of the fleet were cruising between Jamaica and St. Domingo.

26 Jul 1802 orders came down this day for the following ships to proceed for Portsmouth, to be paid off, on their arrival from the West Indies, if they should put in here, Plymouth, by contrary winds : Leviathan, flag-ship, Excellent, Magnificent, Cumberland, Audacious, Goliath, Ganges, and Elephant, 74 each, Severn, 44, Emerald, 36, Decide, 44, Venus ,36, Andromeda, 36, Castor, 32, Heureux, 14, and Drake, 18.

22 Aug 1802 arrived Spithead the Magnificent, 74, Captain Giffard, from the Leeward Islands.

23 Aug 1802 came into Portsmouth harbour to be paid off.

31 Aug 1802 was paid off this morning, and laid up in ordinary.

15 May 1803 the Magnificent went into Dock at Portsmouth at low water.

Circa 28 May 1803 Capt Jervis apptd in command of the Magnificent.

Circa 27 Jun 1803 Lieutenant Marshall, apptd to the Magnificent.

1 Jul 1803 the Ganges came into Portsmouth harbour, to be docked and repaired, meanwhile her men are to be turned over to the Defiance, and the Magnificent.

Circa 9 Jul 1803 went out of Portsmouth harbour to Spithead, with a load of female fashionables, including a number of wives of RN officers &c.

Circa 8 Aug 1803 dropped down to St Helen's from Spithead.

29 Aug 1803 the Magnificent, at present at St Helen's, is expected to come up to Spithead shortly to receive bounty and 2 months advance of pay prior to departing for the Channel Fleet.

Circa 10 Sep 1803 the Magnificent was relieved as Guard Ship at St Helen's by the Ganges, having been ordered to join the Channel Fleet.

23 Sep 1803 departed Spithead to join Adm Lord Gardner's squadron at Cork.

27 Oct 1803 the Magnificent, Majestic, and Ganges have joined the Thunderer at Bantry Bay, with a supply of provisions for two months.

Circa 19 Nov 1803 Capt of the Magnificent, apptd Treasurer of Greenwich Hospital, in the room of the late Adm Payne.

25 Mar 1804 per a letter from the Squadron off the Black Rocks, it was reported that between eight and nine in the morning, the Magnificent, lying at anchor off the Saintes, with the Impetueux, Colossus, and the Montague, in the act of getting under weigh struck on an unknown shoal of rocks. Not being able to save the ship, the decision was made to save the crew, and to this end the boats of ships nearby, gave their assistance, whilst the Indefatigable and Aigle anchored close to her bows, and the schooner Pickle and cutter Fox were on her starboard quarter.

25 Mar 1804 further reports suggest that a muster of personnel makes the count of persons saved to be 67 short of complement, which perhaps starts to tie in with the note at the head of this page noting that 86 of her ship's company were taken prisoner, but have yet to be detailed by the French authorities.

Circa 16 Apr 1804 the boat with the missing men from the Magnificent, per the Moniteur, arrived at the Island of Beniquet, near the Black Rocks, where 70 men and 7 officers are reported to have been taken prisoner.

Circa 16 Apr 1804 the Court Martial held at Plymouth on Capt Jervis and the officers of the Magnificent for the loss of that ship ended in an honourable acquittal.

Circa 12 May 1804 the 86 prisoners from the Magnificent have been marched from Brest to Fort Bitch, near Mentz. They are reported to have drunk the health of the King each day after dinner, but were deprived of their wine, so now drink his health with water ;-)