'HMS ''Lively''' was a 20-gun
sloop-of-war of the
British Royal Navy built in 1754. She was briefly commanded in 1756 by
Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood, then a
Commander in
North American waters. In
October 1759 she captured the French 28-gun
frigate ''Valeur'', which entered British service.
In 1775, she was serving with
Admiral Samuel Graves'
North America Squadron and took part in the
Siege of Boston. At 4 a.m. on
June 17 1775, lookouts from HMS ''Lively'' sighted the newly-constructed rebel fortifications on Breed's Hill outside
Boston. Her brief bombardment of the earthworks, which brought work on them to a temporary halt, opened the
Battle of Bunker Hill.
She later returned to the Channel Fleet, where
Samuel Hood, later Admiral Sir Samuel Hood, saw service with her as
midshipman between 1779-80. She foundered off
Stornoway,
Scotland in
1782.
References