HMS Dolphin (1781)

Last updated

ZAZ2206 HMS Dolphin (1781).jpg
Plan of HMS Dolphin
History
Naval Ensign of Great Britain (1707-1800).svgGreat Britain
NameHMS Dolphin
Ordered8 January 1777
Cost£21,525.10.5d including fitting and coppering
Launched10 March 1781
Completed11 May 1781
CommissionedMarch 1781
FateBroken up
General characteristics
Class and type fifth-rate Roebuck-Class
Tons burthen880 47⁄94 (bm)
Length
  • 139 feet 11 inches (42.6 m) (gundeck)
  • 115 feet 6+1⁄4 inches (35.2 m) (keel)
Beam37 feet 10+1⁄4 inches (11.5 m)
Depth of hold16 feet 4 inches (5.0 m)
PropulsionSails
Sail planFully Rigged Ship
Complement280-300
Armament

HMS Dolphin was a 44-gun fifth rate ship of the Royal Navy launched in 1781. Designed by Sir Thomas Slade, she carried her armament on two decks and had a main battery of 18-pound long guns. She made an appearance at the Battle of Dogger Bank in 1781. The rest of her 36-year career was uneventful, much of it being spent as a transport or hospital ship, armed only with twenty or twenty-four, 9-pounders. She was broken up at Portsmouth in 1817.

Contents

Construction and armament

Dolphin was one of the nineteen Roebuck-class fifth-rates built for the Royal Navy between 1776 and 1783. A requirement for a two-deck ship capable of operating in the shallower waters of North America, led to the resurrection of a design by renowned naval architect, Sir Thomas Slade [1]

Ordered by The Admiralty on 8 January 1777, Dolphin was the only one of her class not built under contract, and her keel of 115 feet 6+1⁄4 inches (35.2 m), was laid down on 1 May at Chatham Dockyard. [2] As built, she was 139 feet 11 inches (42.6 m) long at the gundeck, had a beam of 37 feet 10+1⁄4 inches (11.5 m), and a depth in the hold of 16 feet 4 inches (5.0 m). She measured 880 47⁄94 tons burthen. [3]

Dolphin was armed with 20 x 18-pounder guns on her lower deck, 22 x 9-pounder guns on her upper deck and 2 x 6-pounder guns on her forecastle. She did not carry guns on her quarter deck. [3] She served a number of times as a transport or hospital ship, when she was armed with between twenty and twenty-four 9-pounders on her upper decks. [3]

Service

Dolphin was commissioned for the North Sea in March 1781, under Captain William Blair, and was present at the Battle of Dogger Bank that summer. [3] Britain had declared war on the Dutch Republic the previous December, in retaliation for the latter's support of the American war effort. Dolphin was part of Vice-Admiral Hyde Parker's squadron, which was escorting a convoy from the Baltic, when on 5 August it discovered a fleet of Dutch warships and merchant vessels near Dogger Bank. [4] Each of the forces selected seven ships to do battle. Dolphin stood second in the British line behind HMS Berwick, with HMS Buffalo, HMS Fortitude, HMS Princess Amelia, HMS Preston and HMS Bienfaisant. While the British supply ships continued their journey to England, the Dutch line of battle, comprising the 54-gun Erfprins, the 74-gun Admiraal Generaal, the 40-gun Argo, the 54-gun Batavier, the 68-gun Admiraal de Ruijter, the 54-gun Admiraal Piet Hein and the 68-gun Hollandia, positioned itself between its convoy and the enemy. [5] After a general chase, the British, occupying the windward position, bore down on the Dutch, line abreast, at 06:10. [6] At 08:00 a close action ensued, which continued until mid-morning when the Dutch warships sought to disengage and return to Texel with their convoy. By this time neither side was in a condition to continue the fight and although the British tried to reform their line, they were unable to pursue. [7]

Under her new captain, Robert Manners Sutton, Dolphin sailed for Jamaica on 31 January 1782. [3] When war with the colonies ended in September 1783, Dolphin returned to England, where, between March and June 1784, £5,936.6.8d was spent on repairs at Chatham dockyard. She was then laid up in ordinary. [3]

During the Nootka Crisis in the summer 1789, the Royal Navy began to prepare for war with Spain. In October 1790, work began converting Dolphin to a hospital ship. Costing £3,189, the conversion took until February 1791 by which time the conflict had all but been resolved and Dolphin was taken to Portsmouth, where she was laid up once more. [3]

Recommissioned as a store ship in January 1793, Dolphin was despatched to the Mediterranean when Britain entered the French Revolutionary War in February. In January 1797, Dolphin was part of Horatio Nelson's squadron, sent to evacuate Porto Ferrajo. The commander of the garrison there, General Ulysses de Burgh, refused to leave however and after salvaging what it could in the way of stores and equipment, the squadron left for Gibraltar two days later, on 29 January. [8] [9]

Dolphin was at the capture of Minorca in 1798. [3] The squadron to which she was attached, arrived off the island on 7 November, troops were landed the following day, and by 15 November, the whole island had capitulated. [10] [11] Dolphin was then taken to Lisbon, where she served as a hospital ship. [3]

In January 1800, Dolphin underwent a £9,042 conversion to a troop ship at Deptford Dockyard. The refit took until April, during which time she had her lower guns removed, leaving her with twenty 9-pounders on her upper deck. And in this form, she served in the navy's Egyptian campaign. She was brought back home in January 1802 and paid off in March. Towards the end of 1804, work began turning her into a storeship. She was recommissioned in January the following year for the transport of supplies to Ireland. [3]

Dolphin was taken to the Leeward Islands in October 1805 but returned to Deptford, two years later, for repairs and another refit. The work was completed in November 1808, then early in 1809, under a new command, she went back to the Leeward Islands. Between February and April 1811, Dolphin was in Portsmouth undergoing another large repair and refit. She was later broken up there in July 1817. [3]

Citations

  1. ↑ Winfield p. 176
  2. ↑ Winfield pp, 176 - 178
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Winfield p. 178
  4. ↑ Clowes (Vol.III) pp. 504 - 505
  5. ↑ Clowes (Vol.III) p. 505
  6. ↑ Clowes (Vol.III) p. 506
  7. ↑ Clowes (Vol.III) pp. 507 - 508
  8. ↑ Nicolas p. 329
  9. ↑ Blackmore p. 173
  10. ↑ Clowes (Vol.IV) p. 377
  11. ↑ James (Vol.II) p. 195

Related Research Articles

French ship <i>Courageux</i> (1753) French 74-gun ship of the line

Courageux was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, launched in 1753. She was captured by the Royal Navy in 1761 and taken into service as HMS Courageux. In 1778 she joined the Channel Fleet, and she was later part of the squadron commanded by Commodore Charles Fielding that controversially captured a Dutch convoy on 31 December 1779, in what became known as the Affair of Fielding and Bylandt. On 4 January 1781, Courageux recaptured Minerva in a close-range action west of Ushant that lasted more than an hour. That April, Courageux joined the convoy under George Darby which successfully relieved the Great Siege of Gibraltar.

HMS <i>Stirling Castle</i> (1679) 17th-century naval gunship

HMS Stirling Castle was a 70-gun third-rate built at Deptford Dockyard, in 1678/79. She was in active commission for the War of the English Succession, fighting in the Battles of Beachy Head and Barfleur. HMS Stirling Castle underwent a rebuild at Chatham Dockyard in 1699. She was in the Cadiz operation in 1702. The ship was wrecked on the Goodwin Sands off Deal on 27 November 1703. The remains are now a Protected Wreck managed by Historic England.

HMS <i>Latona</i> (1781) Sailing frigate of the Royal Navy

HMS Latona was a 36-gun, fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy that served during the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary Wars, and the Napoleonic Wars. Shortly after her launch in 1781, she participated in the Battle of Dogger Bank against a Dutch squadron in the North Sea. In September 1782, Latona took part in the relief of Gibraltar and was the first ship in the convoy to pass through the Straits, when Richard Howe sent her ahead, to spy on the condition of the Franco-Spanish fleet in Algeciras Bay.

Spanish ship <i>Fenix</i> (1749) Spanish ship of the line

Fénix was an 80-gun ship of the line (navio) of the Spanish Navy, built by Pedro de Torres at Havana in accordance with the system laid down by Antonio Gaztaneta launched in 1749. In 1759, she was sent to bring the new king, Carlos III, from Naples to Barcelona. When Spain entered the American Revolutionary War in June 1779, Fénix set sail for the English Channel where she was to join a Franco-Spanish fleet of more than 60 ships of the line under Lieutenant General Luis de Córdova y Córdova. The Armada of 1779 was an invasion force of 40,000 troops with orders to capture the British naval base at Portsmouth.

HMS <i>Captain</i> (1678) Ship of the line of the Royal Navy

HMS Captain was a 70-gun third rate built at Woolwich Dockyard in 1677/78. After sitting in Ordinary for ten years she was in active commission for the War of the English Succession fighting at Beachy Head and Barfleur. She was in Ordinary until 1706 when she was rebuilt. She was in active commission for the last half of the War of Spanish Succession but fought in no major engagements. She was at the Battle of Passero I 1718. She was rebuilt in 1720/22. She made two forays in to the Baltic though the bulk of her late career was spent as guardship at Portsmouth. She was hulked in 1740 and finally broken in 1762.

HMS <i>Hampton Court</i> (1678) Ship of the line of the Royal Navy

HMS Hampton Court was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Deptford Dockyard in 1678. Her initial commission was to move her to Chatham where she spent in the next ten years in Ordinary. She held an active commission for the War of the English Succession, participating in the Battles of Beachy Head and Barfleur. She was rebuilt at Blackwall in 1699/1701. During the War of Spanish Succession she served mainly in the Mediterranean. In 1707 she was taken by the French and incorporated into the French Navy for four years. She was sold to the Spanish in 1712. She was wrecked in Spanish service off the coast of Florida in a hurricane in 1715.

HMS <i>Lenox</i> (1678) Ship of the line of the Royal Navy

HMS Lenox was a 70-gun third rate built at Deptford Dockyard in 1677/78. She was inactive commission for the War of English Succession fighting in the Battles of Beachy Head and Barfleur. She was rebuilt in 1699. Again in active commission for the War of Spanish Succession fighting in the Capture of Gibraltar and the Battle of Velez Malaga. She followed this with the Battle off Passero. She was rebuilt again in 1721. She was active in the War with Spain, capturing the Princesa then serving in Home Waters, the Mediterranean and finally the West Indies. She was in action off Havana in 1745. She returned home and was placed in Ordinary. She was finally sunk as a breakwater at Sheerness in 1756.

HMS <i>Essex</i> (1679) Ship of the line of the Royal Navy

HMS Essex was a 70-gun third rate built by Sir Henry Johnson of Blackwall in 1678/79. During the War of the English Succession she fought in the last major action. She was rebuilt in 1699/1700. During the War of Spanish Succession she fought at Vigo Bay, the Capture of Gibraltar and Velez Malaga. She also fought at the Battle off Passero in 1718. She was rebuilt again in 1736-40. She was in action off Toulon in 1744. She was active in the Channel and against French ports during the Seven Years War. She fought at Quiberon Bay in 1759. She was wrecked in Quiberon Bay in November 1759.

HMS <i>Expedition</i> (1679) Ship of the line of the Royal Navy

HMS Expedition was a 70-gun third-rate ship of the line built at Portsmouth Dockyard in 1677/79. She was in active commission during the War of the English Succession participating in the battles of Beachy Head and Barfleur. She was rebuilt in 1699. Again, for the War of Spanish Succession she was in commission for the operation at Cadiz then returned to England where she sat for two years. She was in the Mediterranean for the Battle of Marbella in 1705. She then went to the West Indies and fought in Wager's action off Cartagena in 1708. She was rebuilt in 1709-14 to the 1706 Establishment. She spent her time split between the Baltic and as guard ship at Portsmouth before being broken at Portsmouth in 1736. She was rebuilt in 1736/40 at Deptford Dockyard.

HMS <i>Kent</i> (1679) 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy built in the late 17th century

HMS Kent was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line built by Sir Henry Johnson of Blackwall in 1677/79. She served during the War of English Succession 1699 to 1697, participating in the Battle of Barfleur. She was rebuilt in 1697/99. She served during the War of Spanish Succession 1702 to 1712 and partook in the Battles of Vigo and Velez-Malaga. She partook in the Battle of Passaro then served during the short war with Spain, December 1718 to February 1720. She was rebuilt in 1722/26. She spent the next thirteen years as a guard ship at Portsmouth. In the 1740s she was off Cape Finisterre then in the West Indies. She returned home and was finally broken in 1744.

HMS <i>Bristol</i> (1711) 50 gun fourt-rate ship of the Royal Navy

HMS Bristol was a 50-gun fourth-rate ship of the line built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 18th century.

HMS Boyne was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Plymouth Dockyard to the draught specified in the 1745 Establishment as amended in 1754, and launched on 31 May 1766. She was first commissioned for the Falkland Crisis of 1770 afterwhich, in 1774, she sailed for North America. From March 1776, she served in the English Channel then, in May 1778, she was sent to the West Indies where she took part in the battles of St Lucia, Grenada and Martinique. In November 1780, Boyne returned home, where she was fitted for ordinary at Plymouth. In May 1783, she was broken up.

HMS <i>Pearl</i> (1762) Royal Navy frigate, in service 1762–1832

HMS Pearl was a fifth-rate, 32-gun British Royal Navy frigate of the Niger-class. Launched at Chatham Dockyard in 1762, she served in British North America until January 1773, when she sailed to England for repairs. Returning to North America in March 1776, to fight in the American Revolutionary War, Pearl escorted the transports which landed troops in Kip's Bay that September. Much of the following year was spent on the Delaware River where she took part in the Battle of Red Bank in October. Towards the end of 1777, Pearl joined Vice-Admiral Richard Howe's fleet in Narragansett Bay and was still there when the French fleet arrived and began an attack on British positions. Both fleets were forced to retire due to bad weather and the action was inconclusive. Pearl was then despatched to keep an eye on the French fleet, which had been driven into Boston.

HMS <i>Roebuck</i> (1774) 1774 ship of the Royal Navy

HMS Roebuck was a fifth-rate ship of the Royal Navy which served in the American and French Revolutionary Wars. Designed in 1769 by Sir Thomas Slade to operate in the shallower waters of North America, she joined Lord Howe's squadron towards the end of 1775 and took part in operations against New York the following year. She engaged the American gun batteries at Red Hook during the Battle of Long Island in August 1776, and forced a passage up the Hudson River in October. On 25 August 1777, Roebuck escorted troopships to Turkey Point, Maryland, where an army was landed for an assault on Philadelphia. She was again called upon to accompany troopships in December 1779, this time for an attack on Charleston. When the ships-of-the-line, which were too large to enter the harbour, were sent back to New York, Admiral Marriot Arbuthnot made Roebuck his flagship. She was, therefore, at the front of the attack, leading the British squadron across the shoal to engage Fort Moultrie and the American ships beyond.

HMS <i>Melpomene</i> (1794) Frigate of the French and Royal Navy (1788-1815)

HMS Melpomene was a 38-gun frigate of the Royal Navy. Originally a French vessel, she was captured at Calvi on 10 August 1794 and first saw British service in the English Channel, where she helped to contain enemy privateering. In October 1798, she chased a French frigate squadron sent to find the French fleet under Jean-Baptiste-François Bompart, that was routed at the Battle of Tory Island and in August 1799, she joined Andrew Mitchell's squadron for the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland.

HMS <i>Chichester</i> (1785) Fifth-rate ship of the Royal Navy, in service 1785–1815

HMS Chichester was a two-deck, fifth-rate ship of the Royal Navy. One of the Adventure-class ships designed by Edward Hunt, she was built to carry 44 guns but for her entire career she served as a troopship, never carrying more than 22. In 1803, she was part of the squadron under Samuel Hood that captured the French held islands of St Lucia and Tobago, and the Dutch colonies of Demerara, Essequibo and Berbice.

HMS Scarborough was a 32-gun fifth rate vessel built at Woolwich Dockyard in 1693/94. Shortly after commissioning she was taken by two French privateers and went under French service. She was recaptured in 1697 and renamed Milford. She spent some time off Africa then the West Indies. She was rebuilt in 1705. She was in the North Sea, the Mediterranean and finally the West Indies where she was wrecked in 1720.

HMS Looe was a 32-gun fifth rate built by Portsmouth Dockyard in 1696/97. She was first employed off the Irish coast. She went to Newfoundland in 1702. On her return she was wrecked on the Isle of Wight in December 1705.

HMS Bridgewater was a 32-gun fifth rate built at Sheerness Dockyard in 1697/98.

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

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.