On the 27th October 1760, a British warship on her maiden voyage sank off Barbuda in the Leeward Islands and as a result the ships captain Thomas Taylor, along with his officers, faced a possible court martial. The reason for the ships sinking was given in a statement by the captain as, quote; ‘mistake in the reckoning occasioned by bad weather and unaccountable currents.’ The warship was HMS Griffin and the trial was held aboard HMS Culloden. Despite the admiralty’s apprehension, Captain Taylor and his men were duly acquitted.

In 1988 a detailed research of the wreck site was carried out by H&E Marine Enterprises along with Mel Fisher and the government of Antigua and Barbuda. Remains excavated at the wreck site indicated that a devastating battle had taken place in the previous weeks before the Griffin sank. Although the Griffins master logbooks were lost, extracts from the logbooks of HMS Temple, which can be seen at the Museum of Antigua and Barbuda, support evidence of such a battle.

HMS Griffin was a sailing frigate of the sixth rate, designed by Sir Thomas Slade. She was built in 1758, during the period of the Seven Years War, also known as King George’s war. She was 118 ft long and 34ft wide, with 28 guns. When HMS Griffin reached the West Indies she joined forces with HMS Temple. It appears that part of her objective was to engage French forces at Martinique and recapture the frigate HMS Virgin. And also to cruise the coast and destroy French fortifications.

James Soaper was a Midshipman on board the Griffin. He gave an eye witness account of what happened during HMS Griffin’s final hours. Soaper’s account suggests that captain Taylor’s misjudgment of the ships proximity to the coastal reefs was the fundamental reason for the ships sinking. A fact that captain Taylor’s statement did not deny. With information from both Captain Taylor's and Midshipman Soaper's statements, the author has summarized the following events. When Captain Taylor, aboard HMS Griffin, spotted two French privateer ships, he ordered chase-which continued until nightfall. In their hast to avoid capture the privateer ships ran onto rocks, off northeastern Barbuda. Meanwhile HMS Griffin had made anchor, and was lying in wait for the privateer ships, when its cables parted and the Griffin was forced onto the rocks, thereby destroying the warship. Three able seamen died in the tragedy. James Soaper’s version of the tragedy corroborates captain Taylor’s statement, however Soaper elaborated on the circumstances.

Numerous artifacts were excavated from the site that told an archaeological story of HMS Griffins previous battles with the French. These included cannon ball fragments as well used grapeshot and musket shot, flattened from impact. Much of the grapeshot was French and was probably taken from French privateers.

The Barbuda coast. Image from flickr.com. Primary image; Replica of the frigate HMS Surprise of 1757. Published at gcclark.net  with creative commons licence.

Because the ship sunk in only 20 ft of water, it has became a local attraction for divers. Much of the shipwreck is still intact; thirteen cannons and cannon balls are visible near the wreck site.