Gloucester
History
Royal Navy EnsignGreat Britain
NameGloucester
Ordered29 July 1710
BuilderDeptford Dockyard
Launched4 October 1711
Commissioned1711
FateBurned to avoid capture, 1742
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type1706 Establishment 50-gun fourth-rate ship of the line
Tons burthen714 34⁄94 bm
Length130 ft 8 in (39.8 m) (Gundeck)
Beam35 ft 3 in (10.7 m)
Depth of hold14 ft (4.3 m)
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Complement185–280
Armament
  • 50 guns:
  • Gundeck: 22 × 18-pdr cannon
  • Upper gundeck: 22 × 6-pdr cannon
  • Quarterdeck: 4 × 6-pdr cannon
  • Forecastle: 4 × 6-pdr cannon
General characteristics after 1737 rebuild
Class and type1733 proposals 50-gun fourth-rate ship of the line
Tons burthen863 tons bm
Length134 ft (40.8 m) (gundeck)
Beam38 ft 6 in (11.7 m)
Depth of hold15 ft 9 in (4.8 m)
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Armament
  • 50 guns:
  • Gundeck: 22 × 18 pdrs
  • Upper gundeck: 22 × 9 pdrs
  • Quarterdeck: 4 × 6 pdrs
  • Forecastle: 2 × 6 pdrs

HMS Gloucester was a 50-gun fourth-rate ship of the line built at Deptford by Joseph Allin the elder for the Royal Navy in 1710/11. She participated in the War of the Spanish Succession. The ship was burned to prevent capture after she was damaged in a storm during Commodore George Anson's voyage around the world in 1742.

Description

Gloucester had a length at the gundeck of 130 feet 8 inches (39.8 m) and 108 feet 1 inch (32.9 m) at the keel. She had a beam of 35 feet 3 inches (10.7 m) and a depth of hold of 14 feet (4.3 m). The ship's tonnage was 714 34⁄94 tons burthen.[1] Gloucester was armed with twenty-two 18-pounder cannon on her main gundeck, twenty-two 9-pounder cannon on her upper gundeck, and four 6-pounder cannon each on the quarterdeck and forecastle.[2] The ship had a crew of 185–280 officers and ratings.[3]

Construction and career

Gloucester, named after the eponymous port, was the fourth ship of her name to serve in the Royal Navy.[4] She was ordered on 29 July 1710 and was built by Master Shipwright Joseph Allin to the 1706 Establishment of dimensions at Deptford Dockyard.[2] The ship was launched on 4 October 1711 and commissioned that same year under Captain James Carlton for service in the English Channel.[1]

Gloucester was ordered to be dismantled to be rebuilt to the dimensions of the 1719 Establishment at Sheerness on 6 November 1724 and this was completed on 20 January 1725.[1] The rebuilding was suspended until 22 May 1733 when the ship was reordered to the 1733 revisions; she was relaunched on 22 March 1737.[5]

Fate

In 1742 Gloucester was damaged in a storm under Captain Matthew Michell, and she was burned in order to avoid her being captured.[5]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Winfield 2009, p. 849.
  2. 1 2 Lavery, p. 168.
  3. ↑ Winfield 2009, p. 839.
  4. ↑ Colledge, p. 143
  5. 1 2 Lavery, p. 171.

References

  • Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
  • Lavery, Brian (1983). The Ship of the Line. Vol. 1: The Development of the Battlefleet 1650-1850. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-252-8.
  • Winfield, Rif (2009) British Warships in the Age of Sail 1603–1714: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-040-6.
  • Winfield, Rif (2007). British Warships in the Age of Sail, 1714-1792: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84415-700-6.
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