HMS Pendennis (1679)

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

History
England
Name	HMS Pendennis
Ordered	April 1677
Builder	Phineas Pett, Chatham Dockyard
Launched	1679
Commissioned	25 September 1688
Fate	Wrecked on the Kentish Knock, 26 October 1689
General characteristics
Class & type	70-gun third rate ship of the line
Tons burthen	105131⁄94 tons(bm)
Length	150 ft 10 in (45.97 m) gundeck 121 ft 9 in (37.11 m) keel for tonnage
Beam	40 ft 3.5 in (12.28 m)
Draught	17 ft 0 in (5.18 m)
Depth of hold	17 ft 0 in (5.18 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Armament	1677 Establishment 72/60 guns 26 × demi-cannons 54 cwt – 9.5 ft (LD) 26 × 12-pdr guns 32 cwt – 9 ft (UD) 10 × sakers 16 cwt – 7 ft (QD) 4 × sakers 16 cwt – 7 ft (Fc) 5 × 5 3-pdr guns 5 cwt – 5 ft (RH)

HMS Pendennis was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Kingdom of England built at Chatham in 1677/79. She was in the War of English Succession. She was in the Battle of Bantry Bay. She was wrecked on the Kentish Knock in October 1689.

She was the first vessel to bear the name Pendennis in the English and Royal Navy. ^[1]

Construction and specifications

She was ordered in April 1677 to be built at Chatham Dockyard under the guidance of Master Shipwright Phineas Pett. She was launched in 1679. Her dimensions were a gundeck of 150 feet 10 inches (45.97 metres) with a keel of 121 feet 9 inches (37.11 metres) for tonnage calculation with a breadth of 40 feet 3.5 inches (12.28 metres) and a depth of hold of 17 feet 0 inches (5.18 metres). Her builder's measure tonnage was calculated as 1,05131⁄94 tons. Her draught was 17 feet 0 inches (5.18 metres). ^{[2] [3]}

Her initial gun armament was in accordance with the 1677 Establishment with 72/60 guns consisting of twenty-six demi-cannons (54 cwt, 9.5 ft) on the lower deck, twenty-four 12-pounder guns (32 cwt, 9 ft) on the upper deck, ten sakers (16 cwt, 7 ft) on the quarterdeck and four sakers (16 cwt, 7 ft) on the foc's'le with four 3-pounder guns (5 cwt, 5 ft) on the poop deck or roundhouse. By 1688 she would carry 70 guns as per the 1685 Establishment . Their initial manning establishment would be for a crew of 460/380/300 personnel. ^{[2] [3]}

Commissioned service

She was commissioned on 25 September 1688 under the command of Captain Sir William Booth sailing with Dartmouth's Fleet in October 1688. . On 16 March 1689, Booth, a secret Jacobite, attempted to involve the lieutenants of the ship in an attempt to defect to France while the ship was lying at Sheerness. However, he was unsuccessful in persuading them and instead fled to France, fearing discovery. ^[4] Captain George Churchill (brother of the Later Duke of Marlborough) held command in 1690. She was at the Battle of Bantry Bay on 1 May 1689. ^[5]

Loss

She was wrecked on the Kentish Knock on 26 October 1689. ^{[2] [3]}

Citations

1. Colledge (2020)
2. Winfield (2009), Chapter 3, Vessels Acquired from 18 December 1688, Third Rates of 70 guns, Rebuildings of 1697-1704, Group 4 (all by dockyard), Pendennis
3. Lavery, Ships of the Line, vol. 1, p. 162
4. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : John Knox Laughton (1886). "Booth, William"  . In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography . Vol. 5. London: Smith, Elder & Co. p. 391.
5. Winfield (2009), Fleet Actions, 6.1 Battle of Bantry Bay

References

• Colledge (2020), Ships of the Royal Navy, by J.J. Colledge, revised and updated by Lt Cdr Ben Warlow and Steve Bush, published by Seaforth Publishing, Barnsley, Great Britain, © 2020, ISBN   978-1-5267-9328-7 (EPUB), Section N (Northumberland)
• Winfield (2009), British Warships in the Age of Sail (1603 – 1714), by Rif Winfield, published by Seaforth Publishing, England © 2009, EPUB ISBN   9781783469246
• 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
• Clowes (1898), The Royal Navy, A History from the Earliest Times to the Present (Vol. II). London. England: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, © 1898