'' Firebrand '' was lost during the Scilly naval disaster of 1707 when a navigational error sent Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell 's fleet through dangerous reefs west of Cornwall while on their way from Gibraltar to Portsmouth . On the night of 22 October 1707 , '' Firebrand '' , commanded by Captain Francis Percy , smashed into the Outer Gilstone Rock off the Isles of Scilly . She was lifted off by a huge wave first , and Percy managed to steer his badly damaged ship along the southern side of the Western Rocks between St Agnes and Annet , but she foundered in Smith Sound , sinking close to Menglow Rock and losing 28 of her crew of 40 . Percy and a group of his men managed to get ashore by boat , another five of the crew got ashore on pieces of wreckage . Three more ships ( '' Eagle '' , '' Romney '' and Shovell 's flagship '' Association '' ) also sank that night , bringing the total of sailors lost to nearly 2,000 . The Scilly naval disaster was one of the greatest maritime disasters in British history . It was largely as a result of this disaster that the Board of the Admiralty instituted a competition for a more precise method to determine longitude
Scilly naval disaster of 1707
Scilly naval disaster of 1707
HMS Firebrand (1694)