Dartmouth was one of a number of ships built for The Protectorate by John Tippetts, Master Shipwright at Portsmouth Dockyard from 1650 to 1668. Tippetts learned his trade working in Denmark, which employed Dutch ship-building techniques; the archaeological survey indicates these were used to build Dartmouth, the only known English example.
In 1676–1677, Dartmouth served in the Mediterranean against the Barbary Pirates. She was part of Rear Admiral John Narborough's squadron, which fought pirates based in Tripoli and in Algiers.
Williamite-Jacobite wars
On 1 May 1689 Dartmouth, by now mounting 36 guns, took part in the Battle of Bantry Bay, in which a fleet of 24 French war ships, covering the landing of equipment for Irish Jacobite forces in the south-west of Ireland fought 19 English war ships. The French had the better of the battle, badly damaging the English ships, but failed to press their advantage. Later in that same year Dartmouth, commanded by Captain John Leake, participated in the relief of the Siege of Derry. The town of Derry in northern Ireland was at that time besieged by supporters of James II and defended by northern Irish Protestants supporting King William. The town lies on the River Foyle near its mouth on Lough Foyle and can be reached by ship. In May and June 1689 Dartmouth escorted a convoy from England to northern Ireland that brought a relief force commanded by Major-General Percy Kirke destined for Derry. On 17 May 1689 the convoy sailed from Liverpool with 24 transport ships, escorted by 3 men-of-war. The fleet carried 4 battalions. It arrived early in June in Lough Foyle off Derry. As the access to Derry from Lough Foyle by the river was defended by shore batteries and blocked by a boom across the river, Kirke did not dare to approach the town through the river. However, an desperate last-minute attempt succeeded on the 28 July. The Dartmouth engaged the shore batteries, while the armed merchant shipMountjoy rammed and breached the boom. The Mountjoy and another armed merchant, the Phoenix, forced their way past the defences to Derry, relieving the siege. In 1690 Dartmouth was employed in operations on the west coast of Scotland against Jacobite rebels. On 9 October she were on a mission to persuade the MacLeans of Duart to sign Articles of Allegiance to William III and Mary II, and were sailing up the Sound of Mull when they encountered a heavy storm and anchored to ride out the poor weather. Dartmouths anchor cables ported, however, and she was driven onto rocks and wrecked, with the loss of most of her crew, including her commanding officer, Edward Pottinger.
Discovery of the Wreck
In 1973 divers from Bristol discovered a wreck on the north coast of the island Eilean Rudha an Ridire in the Sound of Mull. A recovered brass bell confirmed it as the wreck of HMS Dartmouth and the wreck subsequently underwent three years of archaeological survey. Twenty iron guns of varying types were identified and parts of the ship's hull were recovered for closer examination. A varied selection of 17th century military, navigational, medical and domestic items were also recovered. The archaeological study supported traditional accounts of the ship's wrecking and showed that parts of Dartmouth's construction differed from conventional methods. On 11 April 1974, the wrecksite was one of the first to be designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act. It was redesignated on 25 June 1992. The site became a Historic Maritime Protected Area in 2013.
