English ship Pearl (1651)

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

History
England [1]
Name	Pearl
Ordered	early 1651
Builder	Peter Pett, Ratcliffe, London
Launched	June 1651
Commissioned	1652
Honours and awards	Kentish Knock 1652 Gabbard 1653 Porto Farino 1655 Texel 1673
Fate	Sunk as a foundation (breakwater) in 1697
General characteristics as built 1651
Type	22-gun Fifth rate (later 32 guns)
Tons burthen	28581⁄94 bm
Length	103 ft 3 in (31.5 m) gundeck 86 ft 0 in (26.2 m) keel for tonnage
Beam	25 ft 0 in (7.6 m) for tonnage
Draught	12 ft 0 in (3.7 m)
Depth of hold	10 ft 1 in (3.1 m)
Sail plan	ship-rigged
Complement	100 in 1651 110 in 1666
Armament	As built in 1651 18 x demi-culverins (UD) 4 x sakers (QD) 1666 Establishment 20 × 4 demi-culverins (UD) 8 × sakers (QD) 1677 Establishment 18 × demi-culverins (LD) 8 × sakers (UD) 4 × minions (QD) 1685 Establishment 12 × demi-culverins (LD) 10 × sakers (UD) 4 × minions (QD)

Pearl was a fifth-rate warship of the Commonwealth of England's naval forces, one of four such ships built under the 1651 Programme (the other three were Mermaid, Primrose and Nightingale). She was built under contract at Peter Pett's shipyard at Ratcliffe, and was launched about June 1651. Her length on the gundeck was 103 feet 3 inches (31.5 metres) with a keel length of 86 feet 0 inches (26.2 metres) for tonnage calculation. The breadth was 25 feet 0 inches (7.6 metres) with a depth in hold of 10 ft 1 in (3.1 m). The tonnage was thus 28581⁄94 bm tons. ^[1] She was completed at an initial contract cost of £1,852.10.0d ^{[Note 1]} (or £6.10.0d per ton for the anticipated 280 tons bm) ^{[Note 2]} per ton. ^[1]

She was originally armed with 22 guns, comprising 18 demi-culverins on the single gundeck and 4 sakers on the quarterdeck, but by 1653 she had 26 guns (seemingly 4 more sakers added). After commissioning she took part in the Battle of the Kentish Knock on 28 September 1652, in the Battle of Portland in 18 February 1653 and the Battle of the Gabbard in June1653; later she was in Blake's fleet in the Mediterranean, including the Battle of Porto Farino off Tunis on 4 April 1655.

After the Stuart Restoration in 1660 she was taken into the new English Royal Navy, becoming HMS Pearl. By 1665 she still was nominally a 26-gun fifth rate but she actually carried only sixteen demi-culverins, six sakers and two minions. Under the 1677 Establishment as a 30-gun vessel she carried eighteen demi-culverins, ^{[Note 3]} eight sakers ^{[Note 4]} and four minions. ^{[Note 5]} She was a 28-gun vessel under the 1685 Establishment with twelve demi-culverins, ten 6-pounders, four saker cutts and two 3-pounders. ^[1]

The Pearl took part in the Battle of Texel on 11 August 1673. In August 1688 she was re-classified as a fireship, but was reconverted to a fifth rate in 1689. She was sunk as a foundation (breakwater) at Sheerness Dockyard on 6 August 1697. ^[1]

Notes

1. The cost accounting for inflation of approximately £330,700 in reference to today.
2. The cost accounting for inflation of approximately £1,100 in reference to today.
3. A demi-culverin was a gun of 3,400 pounds (1,500 kg) with a 4-inch (100 mm) bore firing a 9.5-pound (4.3 kg) shot with an 8-pound (3.6 kg) powder charge.
4. A sacar or saker was a gun of 1,400 pounds (640 kg) with a 3.5-inch (89 mm) bore firing a 5.5-pound (2.5 kg) shot with a 5.5-pound powder charge.
5. A minion was a gun of 1,000 pounds (450 kg) with a 3.5-inch bore firing a 4-pound (1.8 kg) shot with a 4-pound powder charge.

Citations

1. Rif Winfield, British Warships in the Age of Sail 1603-1714, p.150.

References

• Rif Winfield (2009), British Warships in the Age of Sail 1603 – 1714, by Rif Winfield, published by Seaforth Publishing, England © 2009, ISBN   978-1-84832-040-6, EPUB ISBN   978-1-78346-924-6, Chapter 5, The Fifth Rates
• Jim Colledge, Ships of the Royal Navy, by James J. Colledge, revised and updated by Lt Cdr Ben Warlow and Steve Bush, published by Seaforth Publishing, Barnsley, Great Britain, © 2020, EPUB ISBN   978-1-5267-9328-7, Section M (Mermaid)