HMS Aldborough (1727)

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History
Naval Ensign of Great Britain (1707-1800).svg Great Britain
NameHMS Aldborough
Ordered27 April 1727
BuilderJoseph Allin, Master Shipwright, Portsmouth Dockyard
Laid down29 March 1727
Launched21 October 1727
Completed12 March 1728
CommissionedMarch 1728
Out of service31 March 1742
FateBroken up, Portsmouth Dockyard
General characteristics
Class and type20-gun sixth-rate
Tons burthen374 49/94 bm
Length
  • 106 ft 0 in (32.3 m) (gundeck)
  • 87 ft 9 in (26.7 m) (keel)
Beam28 ft 4 in (8.6 m)
Depth of hold9 ft 2 in (2.8 m)
PropulsionSail
Sail plan ship-rigged
Complement140
Armament20 x 9pdrs (upper deck)

HMS Aldborough was a 20-gun sixth-rate ship of the Royal Navy, built in 1727 according to the 1719 Establishment and in service in the West Indies, the North Sea and the Mediterranean until 1742. The future Admiral, Hugh Palliser, served aboard Aldborough as midshipman at the commencement of his naval career.

Contents

Aldborough was commissioned in March 1727 and assigned to survey work in the British West Indies. Her first captain was Edward Baker, who remained in command until early 1729 when he was replaced by John Gascoigne.

After seven years in the West Indies the ship was returned to Deptford Dockyard in 1734 for refit and repair. Aboard as passengers for this voyage were James Oglethorpe, the founder of the colony of Georgia, and a delegation of Yamacraw sent to meet with the British Government. [1] Aldborough's years in tropical waters had taken their toll with extensive work required to restore her hull and timbers. Refitting continued until June 1735 at a cost of £5,417, more than two thirds of her original construction expense of £7,461. [2]

Temporarily restored to seaworthiness, Aldborough was assigned to the command of Captain Nicholas Robinson and transferred to coastal patrol in the English Channel and North Sea. [2] Robinson's 11-year-old nephew Hugh Palliser was also signed aboard as a midshipman from 1735. [3] The ship remained in poor condition despite her recent refit, and was paid off for further repair in 1736. [2]

Aldborough was refitted in 1737 as a fireship of 8 guns and 55 crew. In 1738 this designation was reversed, with Aldborough restored to the Navy lists as a 20-gun sixth rate and assigned to Mediterranean service under Captain George Pocock. [2] She was immediately deployed as a privateer hunter, capturing a Spanish barque on 28 January 1739 and taking part in the capture of two more vessels in June. [4] She was less successful in 1740, cruising for several weeks off the coast of Malta without encountering enemy craft. [5] In January 1741 she was part of the British fleet at Port Mahon off the coast of Spain. [6]

Fate

Aldborough was broken up at Deptford Dockyard on 31 March 1742, in accordance with Admiralty orders that another ship of the same name be constructed in her place. [2]

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HMS Deal Castle was a 24-gun sixth-rate ship of the Royal Navy, purchased in 1706 and in service in West Indies, North America and English waters until 1727 when she was rebuilt at Sheerness. She commissioned after her rebuild in May 1727 and served in Home waters, North America and the West Indies. She was finally broken at Deptford in August 1746.

HMS Squirrel was designed by Richard Stacey, Master Shipwright of Woolwich. Her design was based on the standardize 20-gun sixth rates. After commissioning she was assigned to Home Waters then the Mediterranean. She took a privateer in 1710. She was dismantled at Deptford with her timbers sent to Woolwich Dockyard for rebuilding as a 374-ton (bm). She was finally broken in 1749.

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HMS Gibraltar was the name ship of the Gibraltar Group of 24-gun sixth rates. After commissioning she spent her career in Home waters and North America on trade protection duties. She was rebuilt at Deptford between 1725 and 1727. After her rebuild she served in Home Waters, North America, West Indies and the Mediterranean on trade protection. She was sold in 1749.

HMS Blandford was a member of the 1719 Establishment Group of 20-gun sixth rates. After commissioning she spent her career in Home Waters, the Baltic, North America and the Mediterranean on trade protection duties. She was sold at Deptford in October 1742.

HMS Seahorse was a member of the Gibraltar Group of 24-gun sixth rates. After commissioning she spent her career in Home waters and North America on trade protection duties. She was rebuilt at Deptford between 1725 and 1727. After her rebuild she served in Home Waters, North America, West Indies and the Mediterranean on trade protection. She was sold in 1749.

HMS Bideford was a member of the Gibraltar Group of 24-gun sixth rates. After commissioning she spent her career West Indies, Morocco and Portugal on trade protection duties. She was rebuilt at Chatham in 1727. After her rebuild she served in Home Waters, North America and the Mediterranean on trade protection. She foundered off Flamborough Head in 1736.

HMS Success was a member of the Gibraltar Group of 24-gun sixth rates. After commissioning she spent her career in Home waters, the West Indies and the North America on trade protection duties. She was sold in 1743.

HMS Greyhound was a member of the 1719 Establishment Group of 20-gun sixth rates. After commissioning she spent the first part of her career in North America and the West Indies. Later she was in Home Waters and finishing in the Mediterranean on trade protection duties. She was sold at Deptford in October 1742.

HMS Shoreham was a 32-gun fifth rate vessel built under contract at Shoreham in 1693/94. During the War of the English Succession she was involved in the unsuccessful operation at Camaret Bay. At the end of the war she helped take half a French convoy off Ireland. She then deployed to North America and the West Indies. She was rebuilt as a 20-gun sixth rate to the 1719 Establishment in 1719/21. She served in the Baltic as a bomb vessel then reverted to a sixth rate. She participated in operations in the West Indies during the initial years of the War of Austrian Succession before being sold in 1744.

HMS Tartar was a 32-gun fifth rate built by the Woolwich Dockyard in 1702. Her initial commissioning was in time for the War of the Spanish Succession. She partook in the Battle of Velez Malaga in 1704. She spent the rest of her career on counter piracy and trade protection patrols. She was rebuilt as a 20-gun sixth rate in 1733. She was finally broken in 1755.

References

  1. Cate, Margaret Davis (June 1943). "Fort Frederica and the Battle of Bloody Marsh". The Georgia Historical Quarterly. Georgia, USA: Georgia Historical Society. 27 (2): 112. JSTOR   40576871.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Winfield 2007, p. 249
  3. Whiteley, William H. (1979), "PALLISER, Sir HUGH", Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online, University of Toronto/Université Laval, retrieved 29 November 2014
  4. "In Europe". The Derby Mercury. Sam Drewry. p. 2. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  5. "Friday's Post". The Newcastle Courant. John White. 8 November 1740. p. 2. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  6. "London, January 17". The Ipswich Journal. W. Craighton. 24 January 1741. p. 1. Retrieved 19 June 2016.

Bibliography