January 1777 Thursday 2d
Remarks on Board his Majesty's Ship Diamond 1777 at 5 Am found the Ship had Sail'd on Shore & Taken a Great heeld to port Attempted immediatly to heave her off but without Success at 11 Made the 2d Atempt & Set the Sailes But without Sucess First and Middle parts fresh gales Latter More Moderate Pm Started Some of our Water and began to heave with a Great Strain When the Anchor Came home handed The Sails & Struck the top gallant Masts & Began to Shore up the Ship at ½ past 1 Sent the Cutter With the Second Lieutenant to Sir Piter Parker With the account of our Situation at 3 a Rebel Sloop of 12 Guns 2 Anchord Near Warrick point where we Saw a great number of the Rebels Bringing down Some Cannon & throwing up a Woork at 4 The Rebels Began to fire on us from Warwick point the Sloop Weighed and An chord Nearer to us & also began to fire on us Wee Returned their fire With the Aftmost Gun on the Main Deck & one of the Quarter Deck Which was all wee Could bring to bear on them at Dark the Rebels Ceased firing We then Began immeditely to Lighten the Ship By Clearing the hold and heaving overboard Provisions Water and Wood at Midnight laid out a Warp Got the Stream Anchor & Cable out
Friday 3d
at ½ past 1 Am got the Ship off By heaving a great Strain at 2 hove Short on the Bt Bouer and then Cutt it and the Stream Cable and Came to Sail run ¾ of a Mile Lower down then Anchord again With the Small Bower in 10 fathem Water at ½ Past 10 our Cutter Returned from Newport the Carpenters Employd Examining the Ship and looking for Shott holes found five in the Bottom 3 of which they could not plugg up again Being so far under Water one Shott Caried away the head of the Mizentopmast Some of our Rigging Cutt But Nobody hurt These 24 hours Light airs and hazey Weather P.M. Sway'd up Topgallant Masts & Bent the Best Br Cable to the Spair Anchor found 2 Spars a missing which most have been thrown overboard the Night were on Shore a Small Sloop from the Chatham and a Boat from The Preston Came to our Assistance.
1. PRO, Admiralty 52/1699.
2. The Continental sloop Providence.