HMS Britannia (1682)

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

Britannia shown in two positions, painting by Isaac Sailmaker
History
Great Britain
Name	HMS Britannia
Builder	Phineas Pett II, Chatham Dockyard
Launched	27 June 1682
Fate	Broken up, 1749
General characteristics as built [1]
Class & type	100-gun first rate ship of the line
Tons burthen	1620 70⁄94 (bm)
Length	167 ft 5 in (51.0 m) (gundeck)
Beam	47 ft 4 in (14.4 m)
Depth of hold	17 ft 2.5 in (5.2 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Armament	100 guns of various weights of shot
General characteristics after 1719 rebuild [2]
Class & type	100-gun first rate ship of the line
Tons burthen	189477⁄94 (bm)
Length	174 ft 6 in (53.2 m) (gundeck)
Beam	50 ft 2 in (15.3 m)
Depth of hold	20 ft 1 in (6.1 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Armament	100 guns of various weights of shot

HMS Britannia was a 100-gun first rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built by Phineas Pett II at Chatham Dockyard, and launched on 27 June 1682. ^[3] She was built under the "thirty ship program" that was authorised by parliament on 23 February 1677. On commissioning, she was found to be unstable due to insufficient draught. The remedial process of girdling was immediately applied. This involves applying an extra layer of planking below the waterline to increase the beam. Nevertheless, her performance remained unsatisfactory for the rest of her life. ^{[4] : 10, 14  [5] : ch 6  [6] : 130}

On 19 May 1692 she was the allied fleet flagship at the Battle of Barfleur. ^[7]

In 1705 she took on board Charles III of Spain, when on her way to Catalonia ^[1]

In 1715, Britannia was ordered to be taken to pieces ^[1] and rebuilt at Woolwich Dockyard, from where she relaunched on 30 October 1719, again as a 100-gun first rate. ^[2]

Britannia was placed on harbour service in 1745, and was broken up in 1749. ^[2]

She was captained from 1734 to 1736 by Sir Tancred Robinson. ^[8]

Notes

1. Lavery, Ships of the Line, vol. 1, p. 162.
2. Lavery, Ships of the Line, vol. 1, p. 165.
3. "No. 1734". The London Gazette . 27 June 1682. p. 2.
4. Endsor, Richard (2009). The Restoration warship: the design, construction and career of a third rate of Charles II's navy. Annapolis, Md: Naval Institute Press. ISBN   9781591147121.
5. }Davies, J. D. (2008). Pepys's Navy: Ships, Men and Warfare, 1649-1689. Havertown: Pen & Sword Books Limited. ISBN   9781848320147.
6. Adams, Jonathan (2013). A Maritime Archaeology of Ships: Innovation and Social Change in Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe. Oxford: Oxbow Books. ISBN   978-1-78297-045-3.
7. "The Battle of Barfleur, 19 May 1692". Roya Museums Greenwich. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
8. "Sir Tancred Robinson (d. 1754)" . Retrieved 3 December 2013.

References

• Lavery, Brian (1983) The Ship of the Line – Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN   0-85177-252-8.

External links

• Media related to HMS Britannia (1682) at Wikimedia Commons