HMS Boyne was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Plymouth Dockyard to the draught specified in the 1745 Establishment as amended in 1754, and launched on 31 May 1766.

From March 1776, she served in the English Channel then, in May 1778, she was sent to the West Indies where she took part in the battles of St Lucia, Grenada and Martinique.

[4] On 24 May 1778, Boyne, under the command of captain Herbert Sawyer, was sent to the Leeward Islands, where on 15 December, she took part in the Battle of St Lucia.

[4] A large fleet and transports from Barbados arrived at Grand Cul de Sac bay on the French held island on 12 December and, over the following two days, landed 5,000 troops.

[5] The British adopted a defensive stance and as part of the preparations, 12 of Boyne's 32 pounder guns were hauled up from her lower deck and placed on shore.

[6] The British formed their ships in line across the bay, with the transports behind, and aided by shore batteries, were twice able to repulse French attacks on 15 December.

The following day d'Estaing took his force north to Gross Islet bay where he landed 7,000 soldiers but British troops had already marched there and occupied the high ground.

[8] On 6 July 1779, Boyne took part in the Battle of Grenada, where a frigate and 21 British ships-of-the-line under vice-admiral John Byron engaged d'Estaing's French fleet of 34 ships of which 25 were of-the-line.

[9][10] While the British ships were away on escort duty, d'Estaing, attacked and captured the island of St Vincent on 18 June.