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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Burford |
| Operators: |  |
| In service: | 1757–1785 |
| Completed: | 3 |
| Retired: | 3 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | 68-gun third-rate ship of the line |
| Tons burthen: | 1427 |
| Length: |
|
| Beam: | 44 ft 8 in (13.6 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 19 ft 8 in (6.0 m) |
| Propulsion: | Sails |
| Complement: | 520 officers and men |
| Armament: |
|
The Burford class were three 68-gun third-rate ships of the line designed for the Royal Navy by Sir Joseph Allin. The Burford ships were almost the last "70-gun" (in practice 68-gun) ships designed by Allin. They were built to the draught specified by the 1745 Establishment as amended in 1754.
In the rating system of the British Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks. Years of experience proved that the third rate ships embodied the best compromise between sailing ability, firepower, and cost. So, while first rates and second rates were both larger and more powerful, the third-rate ships were in a real sense the optimal configuration.
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two columns of opposing warships maneuvering to fire with the cannons along their broadsides. In conflicts where opposing ships were both able to fire from their broadsides, the side with more cannons, and therefore more firepower typically had an advantage. Since these engagements were almost invariably won by the heaviest ships carrying the most powerful guns, the natural progression was to build sailing vessels that were the largest and most powerful of their time.
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by the English kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years War against the Kingdom of France. The modern Royal Navy traces its origins to the early 16th century; the oldest of the UK's armed services, it is known as the Senior Service.
