HMS Royal Anne Galley (1709)

HMS Royal Anne was a British Fifth-rate Sailing ship that ran aground and was wrecked during a Gale off Lizard Point, Cornwall, while she was travelling to the West Indies.

Construction
Royal Anne was constructed and launched in 1709 at the Woolwich Naval Dockyard shipyard in Woolwich, United Kingdom. She was completed in 1709 and she was named Royal Anne after Queen Anne of England, and served from 1709 until her demise in 1721. The ship was 38.7 m long, with a beam of 6.4 m and the ship was assessed at 511bm. She had 42 cannons and was the Royal Navys last oared fighting ship.

Sinking
On 10 November 1721, HMS Royal Anne was on a voyage from the UK to the West Indies with Lord Belhaven, the new Governor of Barbados on board, when bad weather forced the ship to return to port in Falmouth. But before they could return, Royal Anne was in the eye of the storm and she was wrecked on the Stag Rocks on Lizard Point, Cornwall. Of the 200 passengers and crew, only two survived the sinking. John Hamilton, 3rd Lord Belhaven was amongst those killed. It is believed their bodies were buried by locals in Pistil Meadow as they were washed up.

Wreck
The wreck of the ship lies at (49.91667°N, -5.2°W) and was found near Lizard Point by divers in the 1970s. Some artefacts that were raised includes cutlery bearing Lord Belhaven´s family crest.