Third rate ship of the Line - 80 guns.
Displacement 1,202 tons.
Launched at Deptford.
Name chosen to commemorate the landing of William of Orange at Torbay in 1688.
HMS Torbay served in the Channel and Mediterranean during the Anglo-Dutch wars of the 1690's and gained her first battle honours at Vigo Bay in 1702 during the wars of the Spanish Succession. In the battle HMS Torbay led the attack and broke the boom across the harbour. She was then attacked by a vessel which the French had improvised as a fire ship and her rigging was soon in flames. It chanced that the fire ship was laden with snuff and when at length she blew up, causing a great deal of damage, her cargo was thrown in such dense masses over the Torbay that it had the effect of partially extinguishing the flames.
Nevertheless, the Torbay was forced to retire from the battle almost helpless, having lost 115 men killed or drowned.
Repaired and recommissioned, the Torbay next saw major action at the battle of Velez Malaga off Gibraltar on 13th and 14th August 1704, under the command of Captain William Caldwell. In this indecisive battle(claimed as a victory by both the Anglo-Dutch and the Franco-Spanish camps) the Torbay suffered 21 killed and 50 wounded, but for her pains was awarded further battle honours.
In 1711 the Torbay sailed under the command of Captain James Moody as part of Admiral Sir Hovenden Walkers expedition to the St Lawrence.
She was rebuilt at Deptford in 1719.
In the succeeding 30 years she continued her active service, being involved in the Siege of Gibraltar in 1719, and saw action at Cartagena in 1741 and Toulon in 1744 before finally being broken up at Portsmouth in 1749.