The 1694 Programme of 32-gun fifth rates were derived from the 1693 programme vessels as demi-batterie ships. The concept was to have one tier of ordnance flush on the upper deck for use in all weathers on a freeboard of at least seven feet. The ordnance would be arranged with a minimum of eleven gun ports on the upper deck. The lower deck would be provided with four to eight gun ports for heavier guns that could only be used in calm weather. For added propulsion ten oar ports per side would be provided with a central loading port. Nineteen more 32-gun vessels to these specifications were ordered in from 1694 to 1698 with thirteen to be built by contract and nine in dockyard.[1]
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | 1694 Programme Group |
| Builders |
|
| Operators |
|
| Preceded by | 1693 Programme Group |
| Succeeded by | Betty (1695) |
| Built | 1694–1699 |
| In service | 1695–1741 |
| Completed | 19 |
| Lost | 10 |
| Retired | 9 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | 32-gun fifth rate |
| Tons burthen | 36692⁄94 tons (bm) |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 28 ft 0 in (8.5 m) for tonnage |
| Depth of hold | 10 ft 6 in (3.2 m) |
| Sail plan | ship-rigged |
| Armament |
|
| General characteristics 1719 Establishment | |
| Class and type | 20-gun sixth rate |
| Tons burthen | 3755⁄94 tons (bm) |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 28 ft 4 in (8.64 m) |
| Depth of hold | 9 ft 2 in (2.79 m) |
| Propulsion | Sails |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
| Armament |
|
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Design and specifications
editAs with most vessels of this time period only order and launch dates are available. The dimensional data listed here is the specification data and the acceptable design creep will be listed on each individual vessel. The gundeck was 108 feet 0 inches (32.9 metres) with a keel length of 88 feet 0 inches (26.8 metres) for tonnage calculation. The breadth would be 28 feet 0 inches (8.5 metres) with a depth of hold of 10 ft 6 in (3.2 m). The tonnage calculation would be 366+92⁄94 tons. The ships would be sail powered carrying a ship-rigged sail plan. Also there was a provision for ten oar ports per side located between the gun ports on the lower deck.[1] Lyme and Scarborough would be rebuilt to the 1719 establishment for 20-gun vessels. The establishment dimensions were 106 feet 0 inches (32.31 metres) with a keel length of 87 feet 9 inches (26.75 metres) for tonnage calculation. The breadth would be 28 feet 4 inches (8.64 metres) with a depth of hold of 9 feet 2 inches (2.79 metres). The tonnage calculation would be 3740⁄94 tons (bm).[2][3]
The gun armament initially was four demi-culverines[Note 1] mounted on wooden trucks 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 sakers[Note 2] guns mounted on wooden trucks with ten or eleven guns per side. The gun battery would be completed by four to six minions[Note 3] guns mounted on wooden trucks on the quarterdeck (QD) with two to three guns per side. In the 1703 Establishment the old gun designations would be replaced by a system that designated the guns by the weight of shot fired. The demi-culverines would become known as 9-pounders, the sakers as 6-pounders and the minions as 4-pounders. Therefore, their armament as of 1703 for Shoreham and Sorlings would be listed as four 9-pounder guns on the lower deck (LD), twenty 6-pounder 19 hundredweight (cwt) guns on the upper deck (UD) with four 4-pounder 12 cwt guns on the quarterdeck (QD). For Scarborough, Faversham, Looe(ii) and Bridgewater would be rerated as 36-gun vessels with an increase in the 9-pounders to eight guns. The 4-pounders would be removed in 1714.[1] Under the 1719 Establishment the guns would be established as twenty 6-pounders on the upper deck (UD).[3][2]
Ships of the 1694 Programme Group
edit| Name | Builder | Launch date | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lyme (1695) | Mr Flint, Plymouth | 20 April 1695 |
|
| Hastings (1695) (i) | Thomas Ellis, Shoreham | 5 February 1695 |
|
| Milford (1695) | William Hubbard, Ipswich | 6 March 1695 |
|
| Arundel (1695) | Thomas Ellis, Shoreham | 13 September 1695 |
|
| Rye (1696) | Sheerness Dockyard | 7 June 1696 |
|
| Scarborough (1696) | James Parker, Southampton | 24 March 1696 |
|
| Looe (1696) (i) | Plymouth Dockyard | 5 August 1696 |
|
| Lynn (1696) | Thomas Ellis, Shoreham | 24 April 1696 |
|
| Fowey (1696) | Thomas Burgess & William Briggs, Shoreham | 7 May 1696 |
|
| Southsea Castle (1696) (i) | John Knowler, Redbridge | 3 September 1696 |
|
| Gosport (1696) | William Collins, Shoreham | 3 September 1696 |
|
| Poole (1696) | Joseph Nye & George Moore, East Cowes | 6 August 1696 |
|
| Feversham (1696) | Thomas Ellis and William Collins, Shoreham | 1 October 1696 |
|
| Hastings (1698) (ii) | Isaac Betts, Woodbridge | 17 May 1698 |
|
| Lowestoffe (1697) | Chatham Dockyard | 16 August 1697 |
|
| Looe (1697) (ii) | Portsmouth Dockyard | 15 October 1697 |
|
| Southsea Castle (1697) (ii) | Deptford Dockyard | 16 November 1697 |
|
| Bridgewater (1698) | Sheerness Dockyard | 30 May 1698 |
|
| Ludlow (1698) | Mrs Ann Mundy, Woodbridge | 12 September 1698 |
|
Notes
edit- ^ A demi-culverine was a gun of 3,400 pounds with a four-inch bore firing a 9.5-pound shot with an eight-pound powder charge.
- ^ A sacar or saker was a gun of 1,400 pounds with a 3.5-inch bore firing a 5.5-pound shot with a 5.5-pound powder charge.
- ^ A minion 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
edit- ^ a b c Winfield (2009), Chapter 5, The Fifth Rates, Vessels acquired from 16 December 1688, Fifth Rates 32-36 guns, 1694 Programe
- ^ a b Clowes (1898), Chapter XXVI, page 9
- ^ a b Winfield (2007), Chapter 6, Sixth Rates, Sixth Rates of 20 or 24 guns, Vessels acquired from 1 August 1714, 1719 Establishment Group
References
edit- Winfield 2009, British Warships in the Age of Sail (1603 – 1714), by Rif Winfield, published by Seaforth Publishing, England © 2009, EPUB ISBN 978-1-78346-924-6
- Winfield 2007, British Warships in the Age of Sail (1714 – 1792), by Rif Winfield, published by Seaforth Publishing, England © 2007, EPUB ISBN 978-1-78346-925-3
- Colledge, 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, EPUB ISBN 978-1-5267-9328-7
- Clowes (1898), The Royal Navy, A History from the Earliest Times to the Present (Vol. III). London. England: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, © 1898