English ship Taunton (1654)

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English Red Ensign 1620.svg Commonwealth of England
NameTaunton
BuilderWilliam Castle, Rotherhithe
Launched1654
Naval Ensign of Great Britain (1707-1800).svg Kingdom of England
RenamedHMS Crown, 1660
FateWrecked, 1719
General characteristics as built [1]
Class and type Fourth-rate frigate
Tons burthen5361⁄94 bm
Length100 ft 6 in (30.6 m) (keel)
Beam31 ft 8 in (9.7 m)
Depth of hold13 ft (4.0 m)
Sail plan Full-rigged ship
Armament40 guns (1660); 48 guns (1677)
General characteristics after 1689 rebuild [2]
Class and type46-54-gun fourth-rate ship of the line
Tons burthen57611⁄94 bm
Length120 ft 5.5 in (36.7 m) (on gundeck), 100 ft (30.5 m) (keel)
Beam32 ft 11 in (10.0 m)
Depth of hold13 ft (4.0 m)
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Armament46-54 guns of various weights of shot
General characteristics after 1704 rebuild [3] [4]
Class and type46-54-gun fourth-rate ship of the line
Tons burthen65239⁄94 bm
Length126 ft 8 in (38.6 m) (on gundeck), 103 ft 4 in (31.5 m) (keel)
Beam34 ft 5.5 in (10.5 m)
Depth of hold13 ft 6 in (4.1 m)
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Armament46-54 guns of various weights of shot

The Taunton was a 40-gun fourth-rate frigate of the navy of the Commonwealth of England, originally built by contract with William Castle at Rotherhithe under the Later 1622 Programme, and launched in 1654. [1] The frigate was named in honour of the victorious Parliamentary forces at the three Sieges of Taunton in Somerset in 1644-45 during the First English Civil War.

After the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, the Taunton was added to the Royal Navy and her name was changed to HMS Crown. By 1677 her armament had been increased to 48 guns. [1] On 14 March 1674, [5] Crown, captained by Richard Carter, along with HMS Newcastle and HMS Cambridge captured the Dutch East Indiaman Wapen van Rotterdam in the Battle of Ronas Voe, as part of the Third Anglo-Dutch War. [6]

In 1689-90 the Crown underwent a rebuilding at Woolwich Dockyard by Master Shipwright Joseph Lawrence, and in 1692 under Captain Thomas Warren she took part in the Battle of Barfleur. [2] In 1703-04 she underwent a second rebuilding at Deptford Dockyard by Master Shipwright Fisher Harding, from where she was relaunched on 24 June 1704 as a fourth-rate ship of the line of between 46 and 54 guns. [3] [4]

Crown was wrecked on 21 January 1719 off Lisbon. [3] [4]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Rif Winfield, British Warships in the Age of Sail 1603-1714, p.105.
  2. 1 2 Rif Winfield, British Warships in the Age of Sail 1603-1714, p.130.
  3. 1 2 3 Rif Winfield, British Warships in the Age of Sail 1603-1714, p.140.
  4. 1 2 3 Lavery, Ships of the Line vol. 1, p. 167.
  5. ↑ "Londen den 3 April" [London on 3 April]. Engelandt. Amsterdamsche Courant (in Dutch). No. 15. 10 April 1674. p. 1. Retrieved 23 March 2019– via Delpher.
  6. ↑ Bruce 1914, p. 101.

References


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