HMS Cerberus was a frigate of the Royal Navy built in 1758 and carrying 28 guns. HMS Lark, also a frigate, was built in 1762 and carried 32 guns. Cerberus had been stationed off Rhode Island as part of a blockade of its ports since April 1776, and was joined by Lark in February 1777. Upon the arrival of a large French fleet off Narragansett Bay in late July 1778, the two ships were among the twenty British vessels in the bay which were then tasked to defend British-occupied Newport. Stationed in the northern stretch of the East Passage (separating Aquidneck and Conanicut Islands), the two ships were ordered to Newport, with instructions to not surrender to the enemy. While en route to Newport on August 5, the two ships were sighted by French ships of the line. On 8, the 64-gun Fantasque and the frigates Aimable, Chimère and Engageante, under Pierre André de Suffren, entered the Bay.[2] Rather than engage on a lopsided battle that would have ended in their surrender, the two captains decided to scuttle their ships. Captain Symonds ran Cerberus aground, put the crew ashore, and set fire to the ship, while Captain White did the same with Lark. Two other British frigates, Orpheus and Juno, suffered the same fate. When Lark's gunpowder magazine was reached by the flames, it exploded, sending debris flying for miles around.[3]
The wrecks of all four ships lay essentially undisturbed until the 1970s, when an archaeological team located portions of Lark, Cerberus, and Orpheus. As of 2008, the full extent of the wreck sites has not been established, and only fragmentary evidence of the ships has been recovered.[3]
^ ab"History of the HMS Cerberus and HMS Lark". NOAA. Retrieved 2014-11-03.
Referencesedit
Cunat, Charles (1852). Histoire du Bailli de Suffren. Rennes: A. Marteville et Lefas. p. 447.
October 27, 2023
wreck, sites, cerberus, lark, located, waters, narragansett, west, side, aquidneck, island, near, south, portsmouth, rhode, island, national, register, historic, placesa, 1778, military, showing, wreck, locationsshow, rhode, islandshow, united, statesnearest, . The Wreck Sites of HMS Cerberus and HMS Lark are located in the waters of Narragansett Bay on the west side of Aquidneck Island near South Portsmouth Rhode Island Wreck Sites of HMS Cerberus and HMS LarkU S National Register of Historic PlacesA 1778 military map showing the wreck locationsShow map of Rhode IslandShow map of the United StatesNearest citySouth Portsmouth Rhode IslandCoordinates41 35 4 N 71 18 19 W 41 58444 N 71 30528 W 41 58444 71 30528Built1778NRHP reference No 73000061 1 Added to NRHPApril 26 1973 Contents 1 History 2 See also 3 Citations 4 ReferencesHistory editHMS Cerberus was a frigate of the Royal Navy built in 1758 and carrying 28 guns HMS Lark also a frigate was built in 1762 and carried 32 guns Cerberus had been stationed off Rhode Island as part of a blockade of its ports since April 1776 and was joined by Lark in February 1777 Upon the arrival of a large French fleet off Narragansett Bay in late July 1778 the two ships were among the twenty British vessels in the bay which were then tasked to defend British occupied Newport Stationed in the northern stretch of the East Passage separating Aquidneck and Conanicut Islands the two ships were ordered to Newport with instructions to not surrender to the enemy While en route to Newport on August 5 the two ships were sighted by French ships of the line On 8 the 64 gun Fantasque and the frigates Aimable Chimere and Engageante under Pierre Andre de Suffren entered the Bay 2 Rather than engage on a lopsided battle that would have ended in their surrender the two captains decided to scuttle their ships Captain Symonds ran Cerberus aground put the crew ashore and set fire to the ship while Captain White did the same with Lark Two other British frigates Orpheus and Juno suffered the same fate When Lark s gunpowder magazine was reached by the flames it exploded sending debris flying for miles around 3 The wrecks of all four ships lay essentially undisturbed until the 1970s when an archaeological team located portions of Lark Cerberus and Orpheus As of 2008 the full extent of the wreck sites has not been established and only fragmentary evidence of the ships has been recovered 3 The site of the wrecks of Cerberus and Lark was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 1 See also editNational Register of Historic Places listings in Newport County Rhode IslandOther military sites associated with the 1778 French expedition to Newport Battle of Rhode Island Site Conanicut Battery Fort BartonCitations edit a b National Register Information System National Register of Historic Places National Park Service January 23 2007 Cunat p 37 a b History of the HMS Cerberus and HMS Lark NOAA Retrieved 2014 11 03 References editCunat Charles 1852 Histoire du Bailli de Suffren Rennes A Marteville et Lefas p 447 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Wreck Sites of HMS Cerberus and HMS Lark amp oldid 1169828242, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
