HMY William & Mary (1694)

HM Yacht William and Mary was a royal yacht of the Kingdom of Great Britain, named after the joint monarchs who ruled between 1689 and 1694. Launched in 1694, she remained in service for over a century before being sold in 1801.

Service history
The ship was ordered by King William III and his wife Queen Mary II in February 1693. She was designed and built by Robert Lee, a Master Shipwright at Chatham Dockyard and launched in September 1694.

The William and Mary, like other Royal yachts, was generally used as a transport for senior military, political, and diplomatic figures, as well as for the Royal family. Perhaps her most notable voyage was when on 7 August 1761 she was one of squadron of six royal yachts; the HMY Royal Caroline (renamed Royal Charlotte), HMY Charlot, HMY Katherine, HMY Fubbs and HMY Mary, which, accompanied by six ships-of-war, sailed from Harwich to Cuxhaven under the command of Admiral of the Fleet Lord Anson to embark Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, future wife of King George III, at Stade. The flotilla arrived back at Harwich on 6 September having endured severe storms and almost being wrecked on the coast of Norway twice.

During her long career William and Mary was in and out of commission several times. She was first paid off in January 1713, and sent to Deptford Dockyard for repairs, which were completed by December 1714. She was recommissioned in 1719, but returned to Deptford for further repairs in 1736-37, 1742, and 1746-47. From January 1764 until August 1765 she was again at Deptford, were she was completely rebuilt by Adam Hayes. In 1783 she was coppered.

She was the oldest ship in the Navy, at the time of her decommissioning around 1800, and the bare hull of the ship was finally sold at auction for £210 on 14 September 1801.