1677 Construction Programme

Class overview
Name	1677 Construction Programme
Builders	Portsmouth Dockyard ; Deptford Dockyard ; Harwich Dockyard ; Chatham Dockyard ; Woolwich Dockyard ; Francis Bayley, Bristol; Sir Henry Johnson, Blackwall;
Operators	Kingdom of England; Kingdom of Great Britain after 1707;
Preceded by	Royal Oak
Succeeded by	1691 Programme Group
Built	1677–1680
In service	1679–1765
Completed	20
Lost	13
Retired	7
General characteristics 1677 Specifications
Type	70/62-gun third-rate ship of the line
Tons burthen	1,012 65⁄94 tons (bm)
Length	150 ft 0 in (45.72 m) gundeck; 121 ft 0 in (36.88 m) keel for tonnage;
Beam	39 ft 8 in (12.09 m)
Depth of hold	17 ft 0 in (5.18 m)
Sail plan	ship-rigged
Complement	1677 – 460/380/300 personnel
Armament	1677 Establishment 70/62 guns; 26 × demi-cannons (54 cwt – 9.5 ft (LD); 26 × 12-pdr guns 32 cwt – 9 ft (UD); 10 × sakers 16 cwt – 7 ft (QD); 4 × sakers 16 cwt – 7 ft (Fc); 4 × 3-pdr guns 5 cwt – 5 ft (RH);

Last updated April 27, 2024

The 1677 Construction Programme was a group of Royal Navy ships of the line approved on 5 March 1677. This program authorised the construction of thirty new warships for the Royal Navy and was a compromise between the 40 ship programme proposed by Samuel Pepys in 1675 and the Parliamentary counter proposal of twenty ships in 1676.^[1] This programme included the construction of one first rate, nine second rates, and twenty third rate naval vessels.^[2]

Design and specifications

The design was to initiate standardisation in the ships to include the mast structures, rigging to stabilise the masts, and the sail plans. Included in this standardisation were the ordnance carried and crew size. The dimensions of the ships were to a standardised formula, though individual shipbuilders were still allowed to tweak the designs of individual ships. The standardised dimensions were for a gundeck of 150 feet 0 inches (45.72 metres) with a keel (length for tonnage calculation) of 121 feet 0 inches (36.88 metres) with a breadth of 39 feet 8 inches (12.09 metres) and a depth of hold on 17 feet 0 inches (5.18 metres) to obtain a builder’s measure tonnage of 1,012 65⁄94 tons.^[1]

The vessels were to have twenty-six gunports on both the lower and upper decks split evenly at thirteen per deck per side. Three vessels (Lenox, Hampton Court, and Captain) were initially to be completed with only twelve-gunports on the upper deck per side. The initial gun establishment would be for 70 guns in wartime and 62 guns for peacetime consisting of twenty-six demi-cannons (54 cwt, 9.5 ft) on the lower deck, twenty-six 12-pounder guns (32 cwt, 9 ft) on the upper deck, ten sakers (16 cwt, 7 ft) on the quarterdeck and four sakers (16 cwt, 7 ft) on the foc’x’le with four 3-pounder guns (5 cwt, 5 ft) on the poop deck or roundhouse.^[1]

As time progressed the established armament of the ships changed. In 1685 the gun armament changed to twenty-two demi-cannons and four culverins on the lower deck with the remaining guns being unchanged, In 1703 the guns were changed again. The Establishment for a 70/62-gun Third Rate was now twenty-four/twenty-two 24-pounder guns on the lower deck, twenty-six/twenty-four 9-pounder guns on the upper deck, Twelve/ten 6-pounder guns on the quarterdeck, four/two 6-pounder guns on the foc’s’le, and four 4-pounder guns on the poop deck or roundhouse. The actual composition of the gun armaments varied and will be specified on the individual ship articles.^[1]

The established crew complement for a Third Rate for sailors (personnel for the working of sails and rigging) would initially be 160 personnel, though it was later reduced to 150 personnel. Each gun would be assigned a specific gun manning: i.e. six men for a demi-cannon (or 32-pounder), culverins (or 18-pounder) would have five men, a 12-pounder would have four, sakers would have three men per gun and 5-pounders would have two men per gun.^[3] The establishment for a Third Rate was for a crew of 460/380/300 personnel based on the armament carried and whether it was wartime or peacetime conditions and the number of guns carried.^[1]

Within this programme many new names would be instituted. Four vessels would be named for the illegitimate sons of the King, Charles II. HMS Lenox would be named for Charles Lennox, created the Duke of Lennox in 1675. HMS Burford would be named for Charles Beauclerk, created the Duke of Burford in 1676. HMS Grafton was named for Henry Fitzroy, created the Duke of Grafton in 1675. HMS Northumberland was named for George Fitzroy, created the Duke of Northumberland in 1678.^[4]

Third Rates of the 1677 Programme

First Batch (1677 Orders)^[5]
Ship's Name	Builder	Launch Date	Remarks
Lenox	Deptford Dockyard	18 April 1678	Rebuilt Deptford 1701 Rebuilt Chatham 1721–26 sunk as breakwater Sheerness April 1756
Hampton Court	Deptford Dockyard	10 July 1678	Rebuilt Blackwall 1701 taken by French 2 May 1707
Anne	Chatham Dockyard	November 1678	Ran ashore and burnt to avoid capture 6 July 1690
Restoration	Harwich Dockyard	28 May 1678	Rebuilt Portsmouth 1702 Wrecked in Great Storm 26/27 November 1703
Berwick	Chatham Dockyard	May 1679	Rebuilt Deptford 1700 Hulked at Portsmouth October 1715 Broken at Portsmouth 1742
Burford	Woolwich Dockyard	November 1679	Rebuilt Deptford 1699 Wrecked 14 February 1719
Eagle	Portsmouth Dockyard	31 January 1679	Rebuilt Chatham 1699 Wrecked 22 October 1707
Expedition	Portsmouth Dockyard	10 September 1679	Rebuilt at Chatham 1699 Rebuilt Portsmouth 1709–14 Renamed Prince Frederick 2 January 1715 Rebuilt Deptford 1736–40 Converted to Lazerette 1764 Sold 1784
Grafton	Woolwich Dockyard	17 May 1679	Rebuilt at Rotherhithe 1697 Captured off Brighton by French 2 May 1707
Pendennis	Chatham Dockyard	1679	Wrecked on Kentish Knock 26 October 1689
Northumberland	Francis Bayley, Bristol	June 1679	Rebuilt Chatham 1699–1702 Wrecked in Great Storm 26/27 November 1703
Captain	Woolwich Dockyard	1678	Laid up 1699 and rebuilt at Portsmouth 1706–08 Rebuilt Portsmouth Dockyard 1706/08 Rebuilt Portsmouth Dockyard 1720/22 Hulked Portsmouth 1739/40 Breaking completed Portsmouth May 1762

Second Batch (1678 Orders)^[6]
Ship's Name	Builder	Launch Date	Remarks
Essex	Sir Henry Johnson, Blackwall	1679	Rebuilt at Rotherhithe 1699–1700 Rebuilt Woolwich Dockyard 1736–40 Wrecked Quiberon Bat 22 October 1759
Kent	Sir Henry Johnson, Blackwall	1679	Rebuilt at Rotherhithe 1697–99 Rebuilt at Woolwich 1722 Breaking completed in December 1744
Exeter	Sir Henry Johnson, Blackwall	March 1680	Burnt by Accident Portsmouth 12 December 1691, hulked at Portsmouth and broken 1717
Suffolk	Sir Henry Johnson, Blackwall	May 1680	Rebuilt Blackwall 1699 Rebuilt Chatham 1716/18 Rebuilt Woolwich 1736–39 Broken 12 June 1765
Hope	Robert Castle, Deptford	1678	Captured by French 16 April 1695, in French service, destroyed at Battle of Vigo 12 October 1702
Elizabeth	Robert Castle, Deptford	3 March 1679	Rebuilt Portsmouth 1699–1704 Captured by French 23 November 1704
Stirling Castle	Deptford Dockyard	29 July 1679	Rebuilt Chatham 1699 Wrecked in Great Storm 26/27 November 1703
Bredah	Harwich Dockyard	26 September 1679	Destroyed by explosion in Cork Harbour 12 October 1690

Citations

1 2 3 4 5 Winfield (2009), p. 268.
↑ Clowes 1898, Chapter XXII, page 248
↑ Clowes 1898, Chapter XXII, page 248
↑ Winfield (2009), p. 269.
↑ Winfield (2009), pp. 269–276.
↑ Winfield (2009), pp. 276–279.

Related Research Articles

HMS Northumberland was a 70-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built by Francis Bayley of Bristol in 1677/79. She partook in the last great battle of the War of English Succession and the first battle of the War of Spanish Succession. She was lost in the Great Storm of November 1703.

HMS Restoration was a 70-gun third rate of the Kingdom of England built at Harwich Dockyard in 1677/78. After a ten-year stint in Ordinary she was commissioned for the War of the English Succession in 1690. She fought in the Battles of Beachy Head and the Battle of Barfleur. She was rebuilt at Portsmouth in 1699/1702. She was lost on the Goodwin Sands during the Great Storm of November 1703.

HMS Anne was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the English, built under the 1677 Construction Programme by Phineas Pett II at Chatham Dockyard during 1677/78. She fought in the War of English Succession 1688 to 1697. She fought in the Battle of Beachy Head where she was severely damaged and ran aground. She was burnt by the English to avoid capture by the French. The wreck is a Protected Wreck managed by Historic England.

HMS Captain was a 70-gun third rate built at Woolwich Dockyard in 1677/78. After sitting in Ordinary for ten years she was in active commission for the War of the English Succession fighting at Beachy Head and Barfleur. She was in Ordinary until 1706 when she was rebuilt. She was in active commission for the last half of the War of Spanish Succession but fought in no major engagements. She was at the Battle of Passero I 1718. She was rebuilt in 1720/22. She made two forays in to the Baltic though the bulk of her late career was spent as guardship at Portsmouth. She was hulked in 1740 and finally broken in 1762.

HMS Hampton Court was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Deptford Dockyard in 1678. Her initial commission was to move her to Chatham where she spent in the next ten years in Ordinary. She held an active commission for the War of the English Succession, participating in the Battles of Beachy Head and Barfleur. She was rebuilt at Blackwall in 1699/1701. During the War of Spanish Succession she served mainly in the Mediterranean. In 1707 she was taken by the French and incorporated into the French Navy for four years. She was sold to the Spanish in 1712. She was wrecked in Spanish service off the coast of Florida in a hurricane in 1715.

HMS <i>Lenox</i> (1678) Ship of the line of the Royal Navy

HMS Lenox was a 70-gun third rate built at Deptford Dockyard in 1677/78. She was in active commission for the War of English Succession fighting in the Battles of Beachy Head and Barfleur. She was rebuilt in 1699. Again in active commission for the War of Spanish Succession fighting in the Capture of Gibraltar and the Battle of Velez Malaga. She followed this with the Battle off Passero. She was rebuilt again in 1721. She was active in the War with Spain, capturing the Princesa then serving in Home Waters, the Mediterranean and finally the West Indies. She was in action off Havana in 1745. She returned home and was placed in Ordinary. She was finally sunk as a breakwater at Sheerness in 1756.

HMS Expedition was a 70-gun third-rate ship of the line built at Portsmouth Dockyard in 1677/79. She was in active commission during the War of the English Succession participating in the battles of Beachy Head and Barfleur. She was rebuilt in 1699. Again, for the War of Spanish Succession she was in commission for the operation at Cadiz then returned to England where she sat for two years. She was in the Mediterranean for the Battle of Marbella in 1705. She then went to the West Indies and fought in Wager's action off Cartagena in 1708. She was rebuilt in 1709-14 to the 1706 Establishment. She spent her time split between the Baltic and as guard ship at Portsmouth before being broken at Portsmouth in 1736. She was rebuilt in 1736/40 at Deptford Dockyard.

HMS <i>Kent</i> (1679) 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy built in the late 17th century

HMS Kent was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line built by Sir Henry Johnson of Blackwall in 1677/79. She served during the War of English Succession 1699 to 1697, participating in the Battle of Barfleur. She was rebuilt in 1697/99. She served during the War of Spanish Succession 1702 to 1712 and partook in the Battles of Vigo and Velez-Malaga. She partook in the Battle of Passaro then served during the short war with Spain, December 1718 to February 1720. She was rebuilt in 1722/26. She spent the next thirteen years as a guard ship at Portsmouth. In the 1740s she was off Cape Finisterre then in the West Indies. She returned home and was finally broken in 1744.

HMS Pendennis was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Kingdom of England built at Chatham in 1677/79. She was in the War of English Succession. She was in the Battle of Bantry Bay. She was wrecked on the Kentish Knock in October 1689.

HMS Exeter was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Kingdom of England, built by contract Sir Henry Johnson at Blackwall under the 1677 Construction Programme. She was at the Battle of Beachy Head in 1690. She was accidentally burnt at Plymouth in 1691. Her remains were hulked at Portsmouth until she was broken in 1717.

HMS Southsea Castle was a 32-gun fifth rate built at Deptford Dockyard in 1694/95. She was assigned to the West Indies. She was wrecked along with HMS Bideford on Hispaniola in November 1699.

The 1693 Programme of fifth rates were derived from the 1689 programme vessels as demi-batterie ships. The concept was to have one tier of ordnance flush on the upper deck for use in all weathers on a freeboard of at least seven feet. The ordnance would be arranged with a minimum of ten gun ports on the upper deck. The lower deck would be provided with four ports for heavier guns that could only be used in calm weather. For added propulsion ten oar ports per side would be provided with a central loading port. Four 32-gun vessels to these specifications were ordered in early 1693 with three to be built by Contract and one in dockyard.

The 1694 Programme of 32-gun fifth rates were derived from the 1693 programme vessels as demi-batterie ships. The concept was to have one tier of ordnance flush on the upper deck for use in all weathers on a freeboard of at least seven feet. The ordnance would be arranged with a minimum of eleven gun ports on the upper deck. The lower deck would be provided with four to eight gun ports for heavier guns that could only be used in calm weather. For added propulsion ten oar ports per side would be provided with a central loading port. Nineteen more 32-gun vessels to these specifications were ordered in from 1694 to 1698 with Thirteen to be built by Contract and nine in dockyard.

HMS Milford was a 32-gun fifth rate built under contract by William Hubbard of Ipswich in 1694/95.

HMS Bredah was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Kingdom of England, built at Harwich Dockyard under the 1677 Construction Programme. Her short career was fighting at Beachy Head during the War of English Succession. She was destroyed by an explosion at the Siege of Cork, Ireland in October 1690.

HMS Scarborough was a 32-gun fifth rate vessel built at Woolwich Dockyard in 1693/94. Shortly after commissioning she was taken by two French privateers and went under French service. She was recaptured in 1697 and renamed Milford. She spent some time off Africa then the West Indies. She was rebuilt in 1705. She was in the North Sea, the Mediterranean and finally the West Indies where she was wrecked in 1720.

HMS Hastings was a 32-gun fifth rate built under contract by Thomas Ellis of Shoreham in 1694/95. She spent her brief career on counter piracy patrols and trade protection duties in Home Waters. She was wrecked in a storm off Waterford in December 1697.

HMS Looe was a 32-gun fifth rate built at Plymouth Dockyard in 1695/96. Shortly after commissioning she was wrecked in Baltimore Bay, Ireland on 30 April 1697.

HMS Looe was a 32-gun fifth rate built by Portsmouth Dockyard in 1696/97. She was first employed off the Irish coast. She went to Newfoundland in 1702. On her return she was wrecked on the Isle of Wight in December 1705.

HMS Ludlow was a 32-gun fifth rate built by Mrs. Anne Mundy of Woodbridge in 1697/98.

References

Colledge (2020), Ships of the Royal Navy, by J.J. Colledge, revised and updated by Lt-Cdr Ben Warlow and Steve Bush, published by Seaforth Publishing, Barnsley, Great Britain, © the estate of J.J. Colledge, Ben Warlow and Steve Bush 2020, EPUB ISBN 978-1-5267-9328-7
Clowes (1898). The Royal Navy, A History from the Earliest Times to the Present. by William Laird Clowes, published by Sampson Low, Marston & Company, London. England, © 1898
Winfield, Rif (2009). British Warships in the Age of Sail 1603–1714. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Seaforth. ISBN 978-1-78346-924-6.

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[FOOTNOTEWinfield2009268-1] 1 2 3 4 5 Winfield (2009), p. 268.

[2] Clowes 1898, Chapter XXII, page 248

[3] Clowes 1898, Chapter XXII, page 248

[FOOTNOTEWinfield2009269-4] Winfield (2009), p. 269.

[FOOTNOTEWinfield2009269–276-5] Winfield (2009), pp. 269–276.

[FOOTNOTEWinfield2009276–279-6] Winfield (2009), pp. 276–279.

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v t e 1677 Construction Programme
First Batch (1677 Orders): Lenox Hampton Court Anne Restoration Berwick Burford Eagle Expedition Grafton Pendennis Northumberland Captain
Second Batch (1678 Orders): Essex Kent Exeter Suffolk Hope Elizabeth Stirling Castle Bredah
Preceded by: Royal Oak Followed by: 1691 Construction Programme
List of ships of the line of the Royal Navy