Repulse-class ship of the line

HMS Venerable fighting the French frigate Alcmène on 16 January 1814
Class overview
Name	Repulse
Operators	Royal Navy
Preceded by	Fame class
Succeeded by	Swiftsure class
In service	11 December 1802 - 1926
Completed	11
General characteristics
Type	Ship of the line
Tons burthen	1,706 8⁄94 (bm)
Length	174 ft (53 m) (gundeck)
Beam	47 ft 4 in (14.4 m)
Depth of hold	20 ft (6.1 m)
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Complement	590
Armament	74 muzzle-loading, smoothbore guns Gundeck: 28 × 32 pdr guns Upper deck: 28 × 18 pdr guns Quarterdeck: 2 × 18 pdr guns + 12 × 32 pdr carronades Forecastle: 2 × 18 pdr guns + 2 × 32 pdr carronades Poop deck: 6 × 18 pdr carronades

The Repulse-class ships of the line were a class of eleven 74-gun third rates, designed for the Royal Navy by Sir William Rule. The first three ships to this design were ordered in 1800, with a second batch of five following in 1805. The final three ships of the class were ordered towards the end of the Napoleonic Wars to a modified version of Rule's draught, using the new interlocking, diagonal truss system created by Sir Robert Seppings; all three were completed after the war's end.

Description

The Repulse-class ships were designed to measure 174 feet (53 m) on the gundeck and 143 feet 2 inches (43.6 m) on the keel. They had a beam of 47 feet 4 inches (14.4 m), a depth of hold of 20 feet (6.1 m) and had a tonnage of 1,7068⁄94 tons burthen. The ships' draught varied considerably between ships. The Repulse-class ships were armed with 74 muzzle-loading, smoothbore guns that consisted of twenty-eight 32-pounder guns on her lower gundeck and twenty-eight 18-pounder guns on her upper gundeck. Their forecastle mounted a pair of 18-pounder guns and two 32-pounder carronades. On their quarterdeck they carried two 18-pounders and a dozen 32-pounder carronades. Above the quarterdeck was their poop deck with half-a-dozen 18-pounder carronades. Their crew numbered 590 officers and ratings. The ships were fitted with three masts and ship-rigged. ^[1]

Ships

• HMS Sceptre

Builder: Dudman, Deptford Wharf

Ordered: 4 February 1800

Laid down: December 1800

Launched: 11 December 1802

Fate: Broken up, 1821

• HMS Repulse

Builder: Barnard, Deptford Wharf

Ordered: 4 February 1800

Laid down: September 1800

Launched: 22 July 1803

Fate: Broken up, 1820

• HMS Eagle

Builder: Pitcher, Northfleet

Ordered: 4 February 1800

Laid down: August 1800

Launched: 27 February 1804

Fate: Burnt, 1926

• HMS Magnificent

Builder: Perry, Wells & Green, Blackwall Yard

Ordered: 31 January 1805

Laid down: April 1805

Launched: 30 August 1806

Fate: Sold out of the service, 1843

• HMS Valiant

Builder: Perry, Wells & Green, Blackwall

Ordered: 24 January 1805

Laid down: April 1805

Launched: 24 January 1807

Fate: Broken up, 1823

• HMS Elizabeth

Builder: Wells, Blackwall

Ordered: 24 January 1805

Laid down: August 1805

Launched: 23 May 1807

Fate: Broken up, 1820

• HMS Cumberland

Builder: Pitcher, Northfleet

Ordered: 24 January 1805

Laid down: August 1805

Launched: 19 August 1807

Fate: Sold out of the service, 1870

• HMS Venerable

Builder: Pitcher, Northfleet

Ordered: 24 January 1805

Laid down: December 1805

Launched: 12 April 1808

Fate: Broken up, 1838

• HMS Talavera

Builder: Woolwich Dockyard

Ordered: 15 February 1814

Laid down: July 1814

Launched: 15 October 1818

Fate: Burnt, 1840

• HMS Malabar

Builder: Bombay Dockyard

Ordered: 7 March 1815

Laid down: April 1817

Launched: 28 December 1818

Fate: Sold out of the service, 1905

• HMS Belleisle

Builder: Pembroke Dockyard

Ordered: 17 November 1812

Laid down: February 1816

Launched: 26 April 1819

Fate: Broken up, 1872

Citations

1. Winfield, p. 75

References

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben & Bush, Steve (2020). Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy from the 15th Century to the Present (5th revised and updated ed.). Seaforth Publishing. ISBN   978-1-5267-9327-0.
• Duckers, Peter (2011). The Crimean War at Sea: Naval Campaigns against Russia, 1854-56. Pen & Sword Maritime. ISBN   978-1-84884-267-0.
• Lambert, Andrew D. (1991). The Last Sailing Battlefleet: Maintaining Naval Mastery 1815 - 1850. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN   0-85177-591-8.
• Lavery, Brian (1984). The Ship of the Line. Vol. 1: The Development of the Battlefleet 1650-1850. Naval Institute Press. ISBN   0-85177-252-8.
• Winfield, Rif (2008). British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793–1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates (2nd, revised ed.). Seaforth. ISBN   978-1-84415-717-4.