HMS Scarborough was a 20-gun post ship of the Royal Navy, constructed in 1756 at Blaydes Yard in Kingston-Upon-Hull. Designed by Sir Thomas Slade, she was built over approximately nine months at a cost of £3,400 and launched in April of that year. The vessel had a crew complement of around 160 men and served until 1780. Initially commanded by Captain Robert Routh, HMS Scarborough was actively engaged in the Seven Years' War, notably sailing to North America in September 1757. During her service, she captured the American ship Echo off Louisburg in May 1758 and participated in the Siege of Louisburg in June of that year. In 1759, she was posted to Quebec and took part in the Battle of Quebec under Captain John Stott. The following year, she returned to Louisburg, then moved north to Newfoundland, where she participated in the Battle of Chaleur Bay on July 8, 1760, helping to secure a British victory over French forces. After returning to England and later deploying again to America and the Leeward Islands, HMS Scarborough underwent a major refit at Deptford in 1765, rejoining the fleet in 1766 under Captain Robert Gregory. She operated in the Caribbean until 1769, after which she experienced a period of inactivity. Repaired at Chatham Docks in 1774, she was recommissioned under Captain James Chads and sent to Boston in the wake of the Boston Tea Party. Later, under Captain Andrew Barkley, she carried dispatches to Boston and participated in various naval actions during the American Revolutionary War, capturing vessels such as St. Barbary, McPherson, and Beverly, and recapturing the Generous Friend. In 1779, HMS Scarborough was fitted with a copper bottom at Chatham, costing more than her original construction. She then sailed to the Leeward Islands in 1780 under Captain Robert Boyle Nicholas. Her final voyage was under Captain Samuel Hood Walker, who was lost with the ship and her crew during the Great Hurricane of 1780 off Saint-Domingue in October of that year. Throughout her service, HMS Scarborough played a notable role in naval conflicts spanning North America and the Caribbean, exemplifying the typical duties of a post ship in the 18th-century Royal Navy.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.