AH-WR-0971

HMS Guadeloupe

Frigate · United Kingdom · Lost 1781 · Chesapeake Bay

A British frigate scuttled in the York River in the final days of the Siege of Yorktown rather than let her fall into allied hands.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

HMS Guadeloupe was a 28-gun Royal Navy frigate present at Yorktown during the 1781 siege. As the British position collapsed under Franco-American bombardment, her crew scuttled her in the York River. She is one of several Royal Navy vessels deliberately sunk or burned in the anchorage rather than surrendered intact. Her remains lie within the Yorktown shipwreck field.

Vessel

Built: 1763
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Royal Navy

Loss

Date: October 17, 1781
Cause: Intentional sinking
Location: York River off Yorktown, Virginia
Water: York River
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Site investigated among the Yorktown shipwreck cluster
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: 1970s-1980s
Protection: Studied under Virginia state archaeological programs

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Yorktown, Virginia
Region: Chesapeake Bay

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (70/100)

Exact wreck position and present condition are not established in the sources reviewed.

National Park Service, Colonial National Historical Park
Circumstances of scuttling during the Siege of Yorktown.