HMS Colchester (1694)

HMS Colchester was a 50-gun fourth-rate ship of the line in the English and later British Royal Navy, launched in 1694.

She was built at Deptford Dockyard and initially classified under the 1691 Establishment as a 48-gun ship. However, she actually carried 50 guns.

Colchester saw service in various naval engagements during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, including involvement in the Nine Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession. Detailed records of her specific actions during these periods are fragmented, but as a ship of the line, she would have participated in fleet actions and convoy escort duties.

The ship underwent a rebuilding at Woolwich Dockyard in 1721, conforming to the 1719 Establishment. This extensive refit essentially rendered her a new vessel.

Colchester continued in service until 1741, when she was hulked. A hulk was a ship stripped of its masts and rigging, used for various support purposes such as a prison ship, hospital ship, or storeship. HMS Colchester was broken up in 1749.