History | |
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England | |
Name | HMS Nonsuch |
Ordered | 13 June 1668 |
Builder | Anthony Deane, at Portsmouth Dockyard |
Launched | 22 December 1668 |
Commissioned | 22 December 1668 |
Captured | On 4 January 1695 by a French privateer |
General characteristics | |
Class and type |
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Tons burthen | 359 29⁄94 bm |
Length |
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Beam | 27 ft 8 in (8.4 m) |
Draught | 12 ft 8 in (3.86 m) |
Depth of hold | 10 ft 10 in (3.30 m) |
Propulsion | Sails |
Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
Complement |
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Armament |
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HMS Nonsuch was a 36-gun fifth rate of the Royal Navy. She was an experimental fast-sailing design, built by the renowned shipwright Anthony Deane according to proposals by the Dutch naval officer Laurens van Heemskirk, who became her first captain. She was launched in December 1668, and commissioned the same day under van Heemskirk. In 1669 she was reclassed as a 42-gun Fourth rate, being commanded from 9 April by Captain Sir John Holmes. She was to spend most of her career in the Mediterranean. She was for a time based on Tangier, and was commanded by a succession of accomplished commanders who subsequently rose to flag rank in the Navy, including George Rooke from 1677 to 1680, then briefly under Cloudesley Shovell, and then Francis Wheler from 1680 to 1681. Under Wheler's command, she participated on 9 April 1681 in the capture of the Algerine 46-gun Golden Horse, along with the Fourth rate Adventure. [1]
She reverted to a 36-gun fifth rate in 1691, and was recommissioned under Captain Richard Short, for service off New England. Command passed in January 1693 to Captain Thomas Dobbin, then in November 1693 to Captain Thomas Taylor. She was captured off the Scilly Isles on 4 January 1695 by the French 48-gun privateer Le François; renamed Le Sans Pareil, she subsequently served in the French Navy until 1697.
Bristol was a 44-gun fourth rate vessel of the Commonwealth of England built under the 1651 Programme. She arrived too late for the First Anglo-Dutch War, however, was an active participant in the Second Anglo-Dutch War though in the Third she was no longer used as a line-of battle vessel and reverted to a role of cruising against privateers. She was lost in this role in the English Channel when she was captured by the French. Two weeks she was recaptured by the English and sank in 1709.
HMS Ruby was a 40-gun frigate of the Commonwealth of England, built by Peter Pett at Deptford. She took part in actions during all three of the Anglo-Dutch Wars of 1652–1654, 1665–1667 and 1672–1674. She later served in the West Indies, and in 1683 was sent to the Leeward Islands to protect British settlements against Caribbean pirate raids. In 1687, the English pirate Joseph Bannister was captured by the crew of Ruby and brought to Port Royal for trial. She was rebuilt in 1687. She was captured by the French in October 1707.
Kingfisher was a 46-gun fourth-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built by Phineas Pett III at Woolwich Dockyard and launched in 1675. She was specially designed to counter the attacks of Algerine corsairs, or pirates, in the Mediterranean by masquerading as a merchantman, which she achieved by hiding her armament behind false bulkheads. She also was provided with various means of changing her appearance.
HMS Adventure was a 34-gun fourth-rate of the English Navy, built by Peter Pett II at Woolwich Dockyard and launched in 1646. With the outbreak of the English Civil War she served on the Parliamentary side until 1649. She was incorporated into the Commonwealth Navy in 1650. She partook in the Battle off Dover in 1652, the Battle of Portland and the Battle of Gabbard in 1653. Adventure was employed on Bulstrode Whitelocke's embassy to Sweden, 1653–1654. After the Restoration she was incorporated into the Royal Navy. She was present at the Battle of Lowestoft (1665) and the Battle of Solebay (1672). She also participated in the Golden Horse and Two Lions actions in 1681. She was in the Battle of Barfleur in 1692. She captured several ships in the later part of her career, before being captured by the French in 1709.
HMS Dragon was a 38-gun fourth rate of the English Navy; she became part of the Royal Navy after the Restoration, built by the Master Shipwright Henry Goddard at Chatham and launched in 1647. She was the first frigate to be built at Chatham.
Foresight was a 40-gun fourth-rate of the Commonwealth of England, after the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660 she was incorporated into the Navy of the Kingdom of England. During her time in the Commonwealth Navy she partook in the First Anglo-Dutch war being present in the battles of Dungeness, Kentish Knock, Portland, The Gabbard and Scheveningen. She was also present at the Battle of Santa Cruz and the bombardment of Porto Farina, In the Second Anglo-Dutch War she was involved in the Battle of Vagen and the St James Day Fight. During the Third Anglo-Dutch War she participated in the battles of Schooneveld and Texel. For the remainder of her career she was in the West Indies, the Mediterranean and North American waters. She was wrecked south of Cuba in July 1698.
HMS Elizabeth was a 70-gun third rate built at Barnards Yard at Deptford Green by William and Robert Castle of Rotherhithe in 1678/80. She held an active commission during the War of the English Succession fighting in all three major engagements. She was rebuilt at Portsmouth between 1699 and 1704. She was captured by the French off the Scilly Islands in November 1704. She was in the French Navy until she was deleted in 1720.
HMS Suffolk was a 70-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built by contract of 20 February 1678 by Sir Henry Johnson at Blackwall. She participated in the War of the English Succession 1689 - 1697, in the Battles of Beachy Head and Barfleur. She was rebuilt in 1699. She was actively involved in the War of Spanish Succession 1702 - 1713. Her later career was as guard ship duties, deployments to the Baltic Sea and the West Indies. She was finally broken in 1765 after lying in Ordinary for almost twenty years.
HMS Mordaunt was a 46-gun ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Deptford in 1681 and in active service during the Nine Years' War with France. After extensive service in both European and Caribbean waters, Mordaunt foundered off the coast of Cuba on 21 November 1693.
HMS Inconstant was a 36-gun Perseverance-class fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She had a successful career serving in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, capturing three French warships during the French Revolutionary naval campaigns, Curieux, Unité, and the former British ship HMS Speedy.
HMS Santa Margarita was a 36-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She had been built for service with the Spanish Navy, but was captured after five years in service, eventually spending nearly 60 years with the British.
Sir Francis Wheler was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the Nine Years' War.
HMS Fanfan was built by Anthony Deane during his tenure as the Master Shipwright at Harwich Dockyard under the 1665 Programme.. While the vessel was commissioned as a sixth rate, she was actually a yacht built for Prince Rupert and allegedly named after the pet-name of one of his lady friends. The vessel was more along the lines of a ketch than a sixth rate vessel. It saw action during the Battle of Oxfordness 1666. Then the Mediterranean before being sent to Ireland and Scotland. She was converted to a pitch boat in either 1692 or 1693.
HMS Greyhound was built by Anthony Deane after his transfer to Portsmouth Dockyard as the Master Shipwright. She was a state-of-the-art small frigate which may have served as a forerunner for the standard 20-gun Sixth Rates of the 1690s. She was a standard 16-gun vessel. Her name was chosen to reflect her fine lines as a trade protection vessel. She was commissioned in July 1672 for fisheries protection, transported troops to Tangiers in 1681 and spent most of her career in the Irish Sea, including operations around Londonderry, she patrolled the North Sea and Channel with her final service with the Fleet. She was sold in 1698.
HMS Saudadoes was built by Anthony Deane after his transfer to Portsmouth Dockyard as the Master Shipwright. She was a smaller version of the Greyhound design. Initially she was a 8/6-gun sixth rate vessel. She was rebuilt in 1673 as a standard 16-gun vessel. She was commissioned in November 1669 then taken in hand at Deptford for her rebuild. She spent the majority of her career in Home Waters, participating in the Battle of Bantry Bay and the Battle of Barfleur. She went to the Mediterranean for a year in 1694. Her final service was in the Channel where she was captured by two French privateers and burnt in February 1696.
HMS Jersey was a member of the standardized 20-gun sixth rates built at the end of the 17th century. After commissioning she spent most of her career in the West Indies. She was wrecked there in October 1707.
HMS Pembroke was a fifth rate built under the 1689 programme built at Deptford Dockyard. Her guns were listed under old terms for guns as demi-culverines, sakers and minions. After commissioning she spent her short career in Home Waters and the West Indies. She was taken by the French and runashore in 1694.
HMS Milford was a fifth rate built under the 1689 programme built at Deptford Dockyard. Her guns were listed under old terms for guns as demi-culverines, sakers and minions. After commissioning she spent her short career in Newfoundland and Home Waters. She was taken by the French in 1693.
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 Sorlings was a 32-gun fifth rate vessel built under contract at Shoreham in 1693/94. After commissioning she spent her time in trade protection services between Home Waters, North America, West Indies and the Mediterranean. She was captured by the French in October 1705. Incorporated into the French Navy, she was loaned to the Privateering squadron at Dunkerque then recaptured by the British in 1711 and sold.