HMS Gloucester (1711)

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HMS Gloucester (1737) (50919729317).jpg
Gloucester
History
Naval Ensign of Great Britain (1707-1800).svg Great Britain
NameGloucester
Ordered29 July 1710
Builder Deptford Dockyard
Launched4 October 1711
Commissioned1711
FateBurned to avoid capture, 1742
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type 1706 Establishment 50-gun fourth-rate ship of the line
Tons burthen714 3494 bm
Length130 ft 8 in (39.8 m) (Gundeck)
Beam35 ft 3 in (10.7 m)
Depth of hold14 ft (4.3 m)
Sail plan Full-rigged ship
Complement185–280
Armament
  • 50 guns:
  • Gundeck: 22 × 18-pdr cannon
  • Upper gundeck: 22 × 6-pdr cannon
  • Quarterdeck: 4 × 6-pdr cannon
  • Forecastle: 4 × 6-pdr cannon
General characteristics after 1737 rebuild
Class and type 1733 proposals 50-gun fourth-rate ship of the line
Tons burthen863 tons bm
Length134 ft (40.8 m) (gundeck)
Beam38 ft 6 in (11.7 m)
Depth of hold15 ft 9 in (4.8 m)
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Armament
  • 50 guns:
  • Gundeck: 22 × 18-pdrs
  • Upper gundeck: 22 × 9-pdrs
  • Quarterdeck: 4 × 6-pdrs
  • Forecastle: 2 × 6-pdrs

HMS Gloucester was a 50-gun fourth-rate ship of the line built at Deptford by Joseph Allin the elder for the Royal Navy in 1710/11. She participated in the War of the Spanish Succession. The ship was burned to prevent capture after she was damaged in a storm during Commodore George Anson's voyage around the world in 1742.

Contents

Description

Gloucester had a length at the gundeck of 130 feet 8 inches (39.8 m) and 108 feet 1 inch (32.9 m) at the keel. She had a beam of 35 feet 3 inches (10.7 m) and a depth of hold of 14 feet (4.3 m). The ship's tonnage was 714 3494 tons burthen. [1] Gloucester was armed with twenty-two 18-pounder cannon on her main gundeck, twenty-two 9-pounder cannon on her upper gundeck, and four 6-pounder cannon each on the quarterdeck and forecastle. [2] The ship had a crew of 185–280 officers and ratings. [3]

Construction and career

Gloucester, named after the eponymous port, was the fourth ship of her name to serve in the Royal Navy. [4] She was ordered on 29 July 1710 and was built by Master Shipwright Joseph Allin to the 1706 Establishment of dimensions at Deptford Dockyard. [2] The ship was launched on 4 October 1711 and commissioned that same year under Captain James Carlton for service in the English Channel. [1]

Gloucester was ordered to be dismantled to be rebuilt to the dimensions of the 1719 Establishment at Sheerness on 6 November 1724 and this was completed on 20 January 1725. [1] The rebuilding was suspended until 22 May 1733 when the ship was reordered to the 1733 revisions; she was relaunched on 22 March 1737. [5]

Fate

In 1742 Gloucester was damaged in a storm under Captain Matthew Michell, and she was burned in order to avoid her being captured. [5] Her fate and other mentions of her voyage are described in the 2023 book The Wager by David Grann.

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Winfield 2009, p. 849.
  2. 1 2 Lavery, p. 168.
  3. Winfield 2009, p. 839.
  4. Colledge, p. 143
  5. 1 2 Lavery, p. 171.

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