English ship Advantage (1590)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Advantage.

History
Kingdom of England
Name	Advantage
Builder	Peter & Joseph Pett
Launched	1590
Commissioned	1599
Fate	Accidentally burnt December 1613
General characteristics
Class & type	Small Galleon
Tons burthen	172.8/216 tons bm
Length	60 ft 0 in (18.3 m) keel
Beam	26 ft 0 in (7.9 m)
Depth of hold	12 ft 0 in (3.7 m)
Propulsion	Sail
Sail plan	ship-rigged
Complement	100 (1603)
Armament	6 × demi-culverins 8 × sakers 2 × minions 4 x falcons

Advantage was a small galleon in the service of the English Navy Royal. She spent her career in the Channel Guard during two more attempts by Philip II of Spain to invade England. She maintained this assignment until she went to the English Channel. She was accidentally burnt in Scotland in 1613. ^[1]

Advantage was the first named vessel in the English and Royal Navies. ^[2]

Construction and specifications

She was built on the Thames possibly at Deptford under the guidance of Master Shipwrights Peter and Joseph Pett. She was launched in 1590. Her dimensions were 60 feet 0 inches (18.3 metres) for keel with a breadth of 26 feet 0 inches (7.9 metres) and a depth of hold of 12 feet 0 inches (3.7 metres). Her tonnage was between 172.8 and 216 tons. ^[3]

Her gun armament was in 1603 18 guns consisting of six demi-culverines, ^{[4] [Note 1]} eight sakers, ^{[5] [Note 2]} two minions ^{[6] [Note 3]} and two falcons. ^{[7] [Note 4]} Her manning was around 100 officers and men in 1603. ^[8]

Commissioned service

She was commissioned in 1599 under Captain Thomas Coverte for service with Sir Richard Leveson's Channel Guard in 1599. She was with the Channel Guard until January/February 1600. Later that year she was under Captain George Fenner then Captain Sackville Trevor in 1601 followed by Captain William Jones in 1602 for service in the English Channel. ^[9]

Disposition

Advantage was accidentally burnt in Scotland in December 1613. ^[10]

Notes

1. A demi-culverin was a gun of 3,400 pounds with a four inch bore firing a 9.5 pound shot with an eight pound powder charge.
2. A sacar or saker was a gun of 1,400 pounds with a 3.5 inch bore firing a 5.5 pound shot with an 5.5 pound powder charge.
3. A minion was a gun of 1,000 pounds with a 3.5 inch bore firing a 4 pound shot with an 4 pound powder charge.
4. A falcon was a gun of 660 pounds with a 2.5 inch bore firing a 2 pound shot with a 3.5 pound powder charge.

Citations

1. Winfield
2. Colledge
3. Winfield
4. Lavery, page 101
5. Lavery, page 102
6. Lavery, page 103
7. Lavery, page 103
8. Winfield
9. Winfield
10. Winfield

References

• British Warships in the Age of Sail (1603 – 1714), by Rif Winfield, published by Seaforth Publishing, England © Rif Winfield 2009, EPUB ISBN   978-1-78346-924-6, Chapter 4, The Fourth Rates - 'Small Ships', Vessels in service or on order at 24 March 1603, Crane Group. Advantage
• 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, Section A (Advantage)
• The Arming and Fitting of English Ships of War 1600 - 1815, by Brian Lavery, published by US Naval Institute Press © Brian Lavery 1989, ISBN   978-0-87021-009-9, Part V Guns, Type of Guns