Salisbury was commissioned in 1699 under her first commander, Captain Richard Lestock.[3] The following year she joined Admiral George Rooke's fleet in the Baltic, and remained with Rooke off Dunkirk in 1701.[3] Lestock was succeeded by Captain Richard Cotton, but while off Orford Ness on 10 April 1703 she encountered and was attacked by a squadron consisting of four French warships, including the Adroit, and three privateers. After an engagement which left 17 killed and 34 wounded, Salisbury was taken by the French.[3] She served with the French under the name Salisbury, and for a time was part of Claude de Forbin's squadron.[3]
On 1 May 1707, Salisbury very nearly fell back into English hands.
A print published in France shows the Le Salisbury during the Action of 2 May 1707 off Beachy Head
Salisbury was part of the Dunkirk Squadron that attacked the English convoy commanded by Baron Wylde, during the action of 2 May 1707. Captain George Clements lost his life in defence of HMS Hampton Court, but not before his crew so disabled Salisbury that she was left for a wreck, later recovered by the French who could not fit her out in time for their next warring exploit.[4]
She was finally recaptured off Scotland on 15 March 1708 by HMS Leopard and other ships of Sir George Byng's squadron.[3] She was renamed HMS Salisbury Prize, as a new HMS Salisbury had already been built.[3] She was renamed HMS Preston on 2 January 1716.
On 8 May 1739 Preston was ordered to be taken to pieces and rebuilt at Plymouth according to the 1733 proposals of the 1719 Establishment, and was relaunched on 18 September 1742.[2] From 1745 she was assigned to the Royal Navy's East Indies squadron which was based in the Dutch-held port of Trincomalee, Ceylon. In September 1748 she was declared unseaworthy and converted into a hulk. Over the following year she served as a storehouse for naval supplies and a support for the careening of other vessels, and was broken up in November 1749.[5]