HMS Melampus was a 46-gun modified Leda-class fifth-rate frigate built for the Royal Navy during the 1810s. Completed in 1820, she was not commissioned until 1845 for the South America Station and was converted into a store and receiving ship in 1855. The ship was briefly assigned as a coast guard ship before being paid off in 1858. Melampus was converted into a Roman Catholic chapel ship in 1866 and then became a store ship twenty years later. The ship was sold for scrap in 1906.
;_Venus_(1820);_Diana_(1822);_Latona_(1821);_Melampus_(1820);_Hebe_(1826);_Minerva_(1820)_RMG_J4077.jpg) Plan showing the midship section for Melampus
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Melampus |
| Namesake | Melampus |
| Ordered | 1 May 1815 |
| Builder | Pembroke Dockyard |
| Laid down | August 1817 |
| Launched | 18 August 1820 |
| Completed | 18 May 1845 |
| Commissioned | 12 March 1845 |
| Fate | Sold for scrap, 3 April 1906 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Modified Leda-class frigate |
| Tons burthen | 1088 56/94 bm |
| Length | |
| Beam | 40 ft 6 in (12.3 m) |
| Draught | 14 ft 7 in (4.4 m) |
| Depth | 12 ft 9 in (3.9 m) |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
| Complement | 315 |
| Armament |
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Description
editMelampus had a length at the gundeck of 151 feet 10 inches (46.3 m) and 127 feet 1 inch (38.7 m) at the keel. She had a beam of 40 feet 6 inches (12.3 m), a draught of 14 feet 7 inches (4.4 m) and a depth of hold of 12 feet 9 inches (3.9 m). The ship's tonnage was 1088 56⁄94 tons burthen.[1] The modified Leda-class frigates were armed with twenty-eight 18-pounder cannon on her gundeck, fourteen 32-pounder carronades on her quarterdeck and a pair of 9-pounder cannon and two more 32-pounder carronades in forecastle. The ship had a crew of 315 officers and ratings.[2]
Construction and career
editMelampus, the second ship of her name to serve in the Royal Navy,[3] was ordered on 1 May 1816, laid down in August 1817 at Pembroke Dockyard, Wales, and launched on 10 August 1820.[2] She was completed for ordinary at Plymouth Dockyard 2–23 September 1829 and was roofed over from the mainmast forward. The ship cost £23,007 to build and £7,072 to fit out for ordinary. She was fitted out for sea at a total cost of £9,156 from March to 18 May 1845.[1]
Melampus's first commission began on 12 March with Captain John Campbell in command and she was ready for sea on 18 May.[1]
Notes
editReferences
edit- Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
- Phillips, Lawrie; Lieutenant Commander (2014). Pembroke Dockyard and the Old Navy: A Bicentennial History. Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7509-5214-9.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Winfield, Rif (2014). British Warships in the Age of Sail, 1817-1863 (epub). Barnsley, UK: Seaforth. ISBN 978-1-47383-743-0.
- Winfield, R.; Lyon, D. (2004). The Sail and Steam Navy List: All the Ships of the Royal Navy 1815–1889. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-032-6. OCLC 52620555.