HMY Fubbs

Last updated

Fubbs (1682) RMG M0186.jpg
Shipwright's designs for Fubbs
History
Naval Ensign of Great Britain (1707-1800).svg Great Britain
NameHMY Fubbs
Ordered9 March 1724 (for second rebuild)
Builder
Launched
  • 1682 (first launch)
  • 1701 (after first rebuild)
  • 22 October 1724 (after second rebuild)
FateBroken up in July 1781
General characteristics as built [1]
Class and type Royal yacht
Tons burthen148 (bm)
Length63 ft (19 m) (overall)
Beam21 ft (6.4 m)
Draught10 ft (3.0 m)
Sail plan Ketch
General characteristics after 1701 rebuild [2]
Tons burthen148 90⁄94 (bm)
Length
  • 73 ft 6 in (22.40 m) (gundeck)
  • 63 ft (19 m) (keel)
Beam21 ft 1 in (6.43 m)
Depth of hold9 ft 1 in (2.77 m)
Complement40
Armament12 guns
General characteristics after 1724 rebuild [3]
Tons burthen
  • 157 4⁄94 (bm)
  • later 164 bm
Length
  • 76 ft 9 in (23.39 m) (gundeck)
  • 61 ft (19 m) (keel)
  • later 61 ft 6 in (18.75 m) (keel)
Beam
  • 22 ft (6.7 m)
  • later 22 ft 4 in (6.81 m)
Depth of hold9 ft 8 in (2.95 m)
Armament6 x 3pdrs
Royal Yachts, one Katherine Smack Rigged, and one Fubbs Ketch Rigged, by L. De Man Royal Yachts, one Ketch Rigged and one Smack Rigged, by L. De Man RMG BHC0979.jpg
Royal Yachts, one Katherine Smack Rigged, and one Fubbs Ketch Rigged, by L. De Man

HMY Fubbs (or Fubbes) [4] was a Royal Yacht of the Royal Navy of the Kingdom of Great Britain. She was scrapped towards the end of the eighteenth century after having been in service for 99 years.

Contents

She was designed for King Charles II by Phineas Pett and built in 1682 at Greenwich. She was rigged as a ketch. The yacht's name came from the King's pet name for one of his mistresses, Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth. [1] At the time 'Fubbs' meant plump, or chubby, a fashionable type of the female form at the time. [5] Apparently she was a fast vessel. After Charles II's death, she was used by King James II as one of his fleet of nine personal yachts. She was in service until 1781.

Service

Fubbs underwent several rebuilds during her long career, the first taking place in 1701, when she was rebuilt at Woolwich Dockyard under the supervision of Master Shipwright William Lee. [2] Relaunched in 1701, she was commissioned around May that year under the command of Commander Richard Byron. Byron commanded Fubbs until 1707, during which time the yacht served as a bomb ketch in Sir George Rooke's fleet, going out to the Mediterranean in 1703. She was then part of George Byng's squadron in the winter of 1706–1707. [2] She passed to Commander Charles Desborough in 1708, and was back in the Mediterranean in 1714. Captain William Collier took over command in 1716, and he remained until 1734, during which time Fubbs was ordered to be rebuilt in 1724. [2]

She was ordered to be rebuilt on 9 March 1724, and was taken in hand at Deptford Dockyard by Master Shipwright Richard Stacey. The work having been completed, she was relaunched on 22 October 1724. [3] William Collier continued as her captain until 1734, when Fubbs underwent a middling repair at Deptford, which lasted into 1735. One of her last services before the repair was to carry the Princess Royal and her new husband, William IV, Prince of Orange, from Greenwich to Holland after their marriage. [6] A more comprehensive great repair was carried out at the same dockyard in 1737, and from that year until 1745, Fubbs was under the command of Captain Francis Dansays. In 1743, it carried Princess Louise to Altona for her marriage to Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark. [7]

Dansays was succeeded by Captain Thomas Limeburner from 1746, with Limeburner dying in command in 1750. [3] Further alterations were carried out in late 1749, to 'raise her deck as much as may conveniently'. [3] Fubbs then passed to Commander Edward Richards in 1751, and he remained her captain until 1756. Richards was succeeded the following year by Commander Henry Dubois. [3]

In August 1761 she joined a flotilla led by Admiral of the Fleet Lord Anson aboard the primary royal yacht HMY Royal Caroline. [3] Anson had orders to convey Duchess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz from Cuxhaven, Kiel to marry King George III. Accompanying the yacht, renamed HMY Royal Charlotte in honour of the occasion, was a squadron of warships and three other royal yachts in addition to Fubbs, HMY Mary, Katherine and Augusta. [8] During the return voyage the squadron was three times blown over to the Norwegian coast by westerly gales and took ten days to reach Harwich, which it did on 6 September 1761. [3]

Fubbs was recommissioned in December 1763 under Captain Richard Spry, and underwent a small repair in 1765. Her final captain, between 1766 and 1781 was A. T. Percival. Fubbs was finally withdrawn from service and broken up in July 1781. [3]

Notes

  1. 1 2 Madge. Royal Yachts of the World. p. 182.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Winfield. British Warships of the Age of Sail 1714–1792. p. 376.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Winfield. British Warships of the Age of Sail 1714–1792. p. 378.
  4. ↑ "Richard Wright (1735-75) - Queen Charlottes passage to England".
  5. ↑ Madge. Royal Yachts of the World. p. 34.
  6. ↑ Madge. Royal Yachts of the World. p. 39.
  7. ↑ "Treasury Books and Papers: October 1744 Pages 522-530 Calendar of Treasury Books and Papers, Volume 5, 1742-1745. Originally published by His Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1903". British History Online.
  8. ↑ Madge. Royal Yachts of the World. p. 40.

Related Research Articles

HMY <i>Royal Caroline</i> (1750) Amazing

HMY Royal Caroline was a ship-rigged royal yacht. She was ordered in 1749 to replace HMY Carolina as Britain's principal royal yacht. She was built at Deptford Dockyard under the supervision of Master Shipwright John Hollond to a design by Surveyor of the Navy Joseph Allin. She was launched on 29 January 1750 and was broken up 70 years later, in 1820.

HMY <i>Mary</i> (1677)

HMY Mary, was an English royal yacht of the Royal Navy. She was built by master shipwright Phineas Pett and launched at Chatham Dockyard in 1677. She had eight guns. She experienced a very long career of naval service spanning 139 years, having been rebuilt in 1727.

HMS Pearl was a 40-gun fifth rate of the Royal Navy. It was used during the War of Jenkins' Ear, and was one of the ships dispatched under Commodore George Anson for his raids on Spanish possessions in the Pacific.

HMY <i>William & Mary</i> (1694)

HM Yacht William and Mary was a royal yacht of the Kingdom of Great Britain, named after the joint monarchs who ruled between 1689 and 1694. She was launched in 1694 and completely rebuilt in 1765. In all, she remained in service for over a century before being sold in 1801.

HMS <i>Peregrine Galley</i> (1700)

HMS Peregrine Galley was a 20-gun sixth-rate ship of the Royal Navy, built in 1699-1700 at Sheerness Dockyard by Master Shipwright William Lee to a design by Rear-Admiral the Marquis of Carmarthen. She was generally employed as a Royal yacht and in 1716 she was officially renamed HMS Carolina and converted to a permanent Royal yacht. In May 1733 she was rebuilt by Richard Storey at Deptford Dockyard as the Royal yacht and again renamed, this time as Royal Caroline. In 1739 she ceased to be the Royal yacht and resumed her classification as a Sixth Rate. In 1749 a new Royal Caroline was built to replace her. She reverted to being a naval sloop under the name HMS Peregrine and served until her loss on or about 28 December 1761.

HMS Queenborough was a member of the standardize 20-gun sixth rates built at the end of the 17th Century. The bulk of her career was spent in Home Waters. During her time in the English Channel she took three French privateers. She went to the Leeward Islands where two of her Captains died before returning home. She was sold in 1719.

HMS Seaford was a member of the standardize 20-gun sixth rates built at the end of the 17th Century. After she was commissioned she had a very varied career, starting in the Mediterranean then the Irish Sea, then to Newfoundland, the North Sea followed by a great repair then to the Leeward Islands. Her was dismantled in 1722 and rebuilt as a bomb vessel in 1727 than a 20-gun sixth rate in 1728. She served in the West Indies, America and the Mediterranean. She was finally broken in 1740.

HMS Nightingale was a development of the standardize 20-gun sixth rates and were built at the beginning of the 18th Century. After she was captured by French privateer galleys in 1707 then recaptured four months later. She was renamed HMS Fox and continued service until she was rebuilt at Deptford. Her breaking was completed in January 1738.

HMS Squirrel was designed by Richard Stacey, Master Shipwright of Woolwich. Her design was based on the standardize 20-gun sixth rates. After commissioning she was assigned to Home Waters then the Mediterranean. She took a privateer in 1710. She was dismantled at Deptford with her timbers sent to Woolwich Dockyard for rebuilding as a 374-ton (bm). She was finally broken in 1749.

HMS Solebay was a member of the Gibraltar Group of 24-gun sixth rates. After commissioning she spent her career in Home waters, North America, and the West Indies on trade protection duties. She was converted to a bomb ketch with 3 mortars and six guns in 1726. She became a fireship in 1734 then converted back to a 24-gun sixth rate in 1735. Her final conversion was into a hospital ship to lie at Tower Wharf in 1742. She was sold in 1748.

HMS Gibraltar was a member of the Gibraltar Group of 24-gun sixth rates. After commissioning she spent her career in Home waters and North America on trade protection duties. She was rebuilt at Deptford between 1725 and 1727. After her rebuild she served in Home Waters, North America, West Indies and the Mediterranean on trade protection. She was sold in 1749.

HMS Port Mahon was a member of the Gibraltar Group of 24-gun sixth rates. After commissioning she spent her career in Home waters and North America on trade protection duties. She was broken at Plymouth in May 1740.

HMS Blandford was a member of the Gibraltar Group of 24-gun sixth rates. After commissioning she spent her career in Home Waters and the Baltic on trade protection duties. She was lost with all hands in a storm in the Bay of Biscay in March 1719.

HMS Seahorse was a member of the Gibraltar Group of 24-gun sixth rates. After commissioning she spent her career in Home waters and North America on trade protection duties. She was rebuilt at Deptford between 1725 and 1727. After her rebuild she served in Home Waters, North America, West Indies and the Mediterranean on trade protection. She was sold in 1749.

HMS Rose was a member of the Gibraltar Group of 24-gun sixth rates. After commissioning she spent her career in Home waters and North America on trade protection duties. She was rebuilt at Woolwich between 1722 and 1724. After her rebuild she served in Home Waters, North America, West Indies and the Mediterranean on trade protection. She was sold in 1744.

HMS Lively was a member of the Gibraltar Group of 24-gun sixth rates. After commissioning she spent her career in Home waters on trade protection duties. She was broken in 1738.

HMS Success was a member of the Gibraltar Group of 24-gun sixth rates. After commissioning she spent her career in Home waters, the West Indies and the North America on trade protection duties. She was sold in 1743.

HMS Experiment 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 career in Home Waters, North America, Mediterranean and the West Indies. She was reduced to a 20-gun sixth rate in 1717 then rebuilt as a 1719 Establishment sixth rate in 1724. Her breaking was finally completed at Portsmouth in 1738.

HMS Sheerness was a fifth rate built under the 1689 programme built at Sheerness Dockyard. Her guns were listed under old terms for guns as demi-culverines, sakers and minions. After commissioning she spent her career in Home Waters, North America, Mediterranean and the West Indies. She was reduced to a 20-gun sixth rate in 1717 then rebuilt as a Modified 1719 Establishment sixth rate in 1731. She was sold in 1744.

HMS Tartar was a 32-gun fifth rate built by the Woolwich Dockyard in 1702. Her initial commissioning was in time for the War of the Spanish Succession. She partook in the Battle of Velez Malaga in 1704. She spent the rest of her career on counter piracy and trade protection patrols. She was rebuilt as a 20-gun sixth rate in 1733. She was finally broken in 1755.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.