"Her Majesty's Ship Vulture Fireship" 1706

[suey]

Have we got a Navy expert who can help please?

I have the will of one Reuben Prestman dated 1706 'late gunners mate' on the above ship.  He was taken ill while the ship was at Altea Bay and subsequently died.

I can't seem to find anything anywhere that tells me what kind of ship this was and what it was doing off the coast of Spain at that time. Found a few links via Royal Navy but none seem to be working

Anyone got any ideas please?

Suey

[neil1821]

I can't seem to find anything anywhere that tells me what kind of ship this was and what it was doing off the coast of Spain at that time.

The background to what it was doing is the War of Spanish Succession, and the naval operations around the siege of Barcelona (and others).

http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/wars_spanishsuccession.html
http://www.cichw.net/pmbabar1.html

[suey]

Thank you Neil, will settle down for a good read this afternoon.

Suey

[liverpool annie]

I found this too Suey ! ....... though it might be a couple of years off !! 

http://www.treasureexpeditions.com/SanJose1.htm

Annie 

[suey]

Thanks for the links...certainly improving my history! I did'nt have a clue where to start looking. For anyone who's interested...and also did'nt know..........

I now know exactly what a fireship was - "a military vessel loaded with explosives and combustible material and set adrift among enemy ships or fortifications to destroy them. They were sent downwind, and usually with the tide, with a skeleton crew aboard who would take to the boats at the last possible minute!.

It seems there have been several ships named Vulture since this one and it's name commemorates the capture of a spanish ship 'Buitre' in 1656! 

Suey