The entire Channel Squadron at that time was lost, including the flagship Mary and the great battleships
Stirling Castle, Northumberland, and Restoration.
These three large ships were built as part of the great shipbuilding program, the so-called “Thirty Great Shippes,”
instituted by Naval Adminstrator Samuel Pepys at the turn of the 18th century.
The ships carried 70 guns and were the first of the true Men-of-War designed to fight together in a co-ordinated
line of battle. They were the first of the great ships-of-the-line.
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As can be imagined, in an event as tumultuous as the Great Storm that occurred so long ago, verifying accounts of casualties
is difficult. It appears, though, that Northumberland and Restoration lost all hands, a total of
over 630 men. Stirling Castle was able to drag her anchor, slowing her progress into the sands. But
she too was lost eventually -- only 57 of her 349 crewmen were rescued. The squadron flagship, Mary, lost all but
one of her 273-man crew.
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