Commanded by Captain William Coney , '' Romney '' was wrecked on the Scilly Isles on 26 October 1707 when a disastrous navigational error sent Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell 's fleet through dangerous reefs while on their way from Gibraltar to Portsmouth . Four ships ( '' Romney '' , '' Association '' , '' Firebrand '' and '' Eagle '' ) were lost , with nearly 2,000 sailors . '' Romney '' hit Bishop Rock and went down with all but one of her crew . The sole survivor was George Lawrence , who had worked as a butcher before joining the crew of '' Romney '' as quartermaster . 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
Scilly naval disaster of 1707
HMS Romney (1694)