13. One of the worst disasters in the history of the Royal Navy, in 1694 thirteen ships of the fleet sank off the coast of Gibraltar costing the lives of more than 1,200 sailors.
An 80-gun third-rate ship of the line belonging to the Royal Navy, HMS Sussex was launched on April 11, 1693. Serving as the flagship of Admiral Sir Francis Wheler, the Sussex departed Portsmouth on December 27, 1693, bound for the Mediterranean Sea and escorting a fleet of forty-eight warships and one hundred and sixty-six merchant vessels. Granted the objective of “the annoying of the French” in collaboration with the Spanish, the Sussex, along with her companions, successfully reached the Mediterranean before encountering a violent storm near the Strait of Gibraltar on February 27, 1694.
Losing twelve other ships of the fleet, on the morning of March 1 the Sussex itself finally succumbed to the horrendous weather conditions. Responsible for the deaths of all on board, except for two Turks who miraculously survived, it has been suggested that the cause of the ship’s sinking was an inadequate design. In seeking to place eighty guns on only two decks, the Sussex had been rendered inherently unbalanced, with future ships possessing a third deck to avert this possibility. Carrying also an estimated ten tons of gold, valued today at more than $500 million, the site of the wreck has become a popular treasure hunting location.