HMS Pluto (1756)

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

History
Name	New Concord
Owner	M. Hutchinson
Type	Mercantile
Kingdom of Great Britain
Name	HMS Pluto
Builder	Fitted at Deptford Dockyard
Cost	£1,000 + £3,996.2.1d (fitting January–May 1757)
Acquired	31 December 1756
Renamed	17 March 1757
Commissioned	23 March 1757
Fate	Sold on 23 December 1762
General characteristics
Type	Fireship
Tons burthen	270+48⁄94  bm
Length	86 ft 3 in (26.3 m) gundeck 67 ft 10.375 in (20.7 m) keel for tonnage
Beam	27 ft 4.5 in (8.3 m)
Depth of hold	12 ft 4 in (3.8 m)
Complement	45 (100 as sloop)
Armament	8 × 6 lb (2.7 kg) guns (16 guns as sloop) 8 × 0.5 lb (0.23 kg) swivel guns

HMS Pluto was an 8-gun fireship of the Royal Navy, originally built as the mercantile vessel New Concord. ^[1] The Navy purchased her in December 1756 and fitted her for service during the Seven Years' War. She took part in the Raid on Rochefort and the Battle of Quiberon Bay before being sold in 1762. ^[1]

Construction and purchase

Deptford Dockyard, where Pluto was fitted out between January and May 1757.

New Concord was purchased on 31 December 1756 from a Mr. Hutchinson for £1,000(equivalent to £187,877 in 2023). ^[1] She measured 86 feet 3 inches (26.3 m) on the gundeck and 67 feet 10.375 inches (20.7 m) along the keel for tonnage, with a beam of 27 feet 4.5 inches (8.3 m) and a depth of hold of 12 feet 4 inches (3.8 m). Her burthen was 270+48⁄94 tons Builder's Measurement. ^[1] She was fitted out as a fireship at Deptford Dockyard between January and May 1757 at a cost of £3,996(equivalent to £676,937 in 2023). ^[1] She was initially armed with eight 6-pounder guns, which were increased to sixteen when fitted as a sloop, along with eight half-pounder swivel guns. ^{[1] [2]} Her complement was about 45 men, increasing to 100 when fitted as a sloop. ^{[1] [2]}

Service

Renamed Pluto by the Admiralty on 17 March 1757, she was first commissioned on 23 March under Commander John Bover, who was transferred to HMS Raven on 28 March. ^{[1] [3] [4]} Commander John Lindsay was appointed on 4 April and came aboard on 11 April for cruising duties. ^{[1] [5]} In September, she was placed under Commander James Hume and took part in the Raid on Rochefort. ^[1] On 7 April 1758, with HMS Essex and Proserpine, she attacked a French convoy in the Bay of Biscay, capturing the 22-gun La Galatée, a privateer Le Rostan, and a transport. ^[6] Hume was killed in the action against a French corsair. ^{[1] [7]}

Admiral Richard Howe, under whom Pluto served during the 1758 coastal operations.

In April 1758, she came under Commander James Johnston, serving with Admiral Richard Howe's squadron in the attacks on Saint-Malo, Cherbourg, and the Battle of Saint-Cast later that year. ^{[1] [8]} She was fitted to receive men, and later refitted as a fireship again at Portsmouth in 1759.

Pluto participated in the Battle of Quiberon Bay, depicted here in a painting by Francis Swaine.

In June, she was commanded temporarily by Lieutenant Robert Taylor in the Western Squadron and took part in the Battle of Quiberon Bay on 20 November 1759. ^[1]

In November 1761, she came under Commander William Allen. Pluto was sold at Portsmouth on 23 December 1762 for £1,305(equivalent to £246,036 in 2023). ^[1]

Citations

1. Winfield 2007, p. 1393.
2. Winfield 2007, p. 1391.
3. ADM, folio 373.
4. Three Decks.
5. ADM, folio 380.
6. Winfield 2007, p. 234.
7. ADM, folio 441.
8. ADM, folio 503.

References

• Winfield, Rif (2007). British Warships in the Age of Sail 1714–1792: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing. pp. 234, 1391, 1393. ISBN   978-1-84415-700-6.
• Commission and Warrant Book, Fonds: ADM 6, ID: ADM 6/18. Kew, United Kingdom: The National Archives.
• "British fireship 'Pluto' (1756)". threedecks.org. Retrieved 5 September 2025.