The 1779 loss of the 20-gun HMS Glasgow began when a steward stealing rum dropped a light onto a cask. Her gunpowder cargo put the ship, nearby vessels, and Montego Bay at risk. Captain Thomas Lloyd, Lieutenant Richard Oakley, and the crew fought the fire, removed the powder, and evacuated about 160 men before the burning ship was hauled clear. The master died from his injuries the next morning; another sailor died nine days later, although the connection with the fire is uncertain. Glasgow had earlier escaped six Continental Navy vessels on her maiden voyage, so the fire ended the career of a ship that had already survived a remarkable action.
Notable Point · 1:29:47-1:41:10
The fire that destroyed HMS Glasgow at Montego Bay
A rum theft started the 1779 fire aboard HMS Glasgow, while the crew's effort to remove the powder prevented a wider disaster at Montego Bay.