HMS Southsea Castle (1696)

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History
English Red Ensign 1620.svg England
NameHMS Southsea Castle
Ordered3 May 1695
BuilderJohn Knowler, Redbridge (Southampton)
Launched1 August 1696
Commissioned1696
FateWrecked on the Dove Sands off Hoylake (Wirral) on 15 September 1697
General characteristics as built
Class and type32-gun fifth rate
Tons burthen3736⁄94 tons (bm)
Length
  • 106 ft 6 in (32.46 m) gundeck
  • 88 ft 8 in (27.03 m) keel for tonnage
Beam28 ft 1.5 in (8.57 m)
Depth of hold10 ft 8.5 in (3.26 m)
PropulsionSails
Sail plan Full-rigged ship
Complement145/110
Armament
  • as built 32 guns
  • 4/4 × demi-culverins (LD)
  • 22/20 × 6-pdr guns (UD)
  • 6/4 × 4-pdr guns (QD)

HMS Southsea Castle was a 32-gun fifth rate built under contract by John Knowler of Redbridge (Southampton) in 1695/96.

Contents

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

Construction and specifications

She was ordered on 3 May 1695 to be built under contract by John Knowler of Redbridge (Southampton). She was launched on 1 August 1696. Her dimensions were a gundeck of 106 feet 6 inches (32.46 metres) with a keel of 88 feet 8 inches (27.03 metres) for tonnage calculation with a breadth of 28 feet 1.5 inches (8.57 metres) and a depth of hold of 10 feet 8.5 inches (3.26 metres). Her builder's measure tonnage was calculated as 3736⁄94 tons (burthen). [2]

The gun armament initially was four demi-culverins [3] [Note 1] on the lower deck (LD) with two pair of guns per side. The upper deck (UD) battery would consist of between twenty and twenty-two 6-pounder guns [4] [Note 2] with ten or eleven guns per side. The gun battery would be completed by four 4-pounder guns [5] [Note 3] on the quarterdeck (QD) with two to three guns per side. [6]

Commissioned Service 1696-1697

She was commissioned in 1696 under the command of Captain Samuel Whitaker. In 1697 she was under Commander Thomas Legge to sail with a Virginia bound convoy. [2]

Loss

She was wrecked on the Dove Sands off Hoylake (Wirral) on 15 September 1697. [2]

Notes

  1. ↑ A demi-culverin was a gun of 3,400 pounds with a four-inch bore firing a 9.5-pound shot with an eight-pound powder charge
  2. ↑ A 6-pounder was a Dutch gun used to replace the saker
  3. ↑ A minion renamed the 4-pounder was a gun of 1,000 pounds with a 3.5-inch bore firing a 4-pound shot with a 4-pound powder charge.

Citations

  1. ↑ Colledge (2020)
  2. 1 2 3 Winfred 2009, Ch 5, The Fifth Rates, Vessels acquired from 16 December 1688, Fifth Rates of 32 and 36 guns, 1694 Programme, Southsea Castle
  3. ↑ Lavery (1989), Part V, Ch 18, culverins, page 101
  4. ↑ Lavery (1989), Part V, Ch 18, The 6-pounder, page 102
  5. ↑ Lavery (1989), Part V, Ch 18, Minion or 4-pounder, page 103
  6. ↑ Winfred 2009, Ch 5, The Fifth Rates, Vessels acquired from 16 December 1688, Fifth Rates of 32 and 36 guns, 1694 Programme

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References

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