AH-WR-1004

HMS Mercury

Sixth-Rate Warship · Great Britain · Lost 1777 · New York Harbor

A Royal Navy sixth-rate wrecked off British-occupied New York during the winter of 1777, one of several warships lost defending the wartime harbor.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Mercury was a 20-gun sixth-rate ship built at Harwich, England, in 1756, that served during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War, including at the Battle of Havana. While operating off New York during the British occupation of the city, she was wrecked on 24 December 1777. Few further details of the wrecking are recorded in accessible sources.

Vessel

Built: 1756
Builder: Barnard
Yard: Harwich, England
Material: Wood
Length: 108 ft
Beam: 30 ft
Tonnage: 433
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Royal Navy

Loss

Date: December 24, 1777
Cause: Grounding
Location: Off New York, approaches to New York Harbor
Water: New York Harbor approaches
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Not established
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Approaches to New York Harbor
Region: New York Harbor

Only a general loss location "off New York" is published; no coordinates or exact site are established.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Sparsely documented (40/100)

The precise circumstances, location, and casualties of the wrecking are not established in the sources reviewed.

Britain's Navy (Royal Navy ship history reference)
Build details, dimensions, and wreck date/location.