HMS Nereus was a 46-gun modified Leda-class fifth-rate frigate built for the Royal Navy during the 1810s. She was never commissioned and was converted into a store ship in 1843 for service in South America. The ship was sold for into civilian service in 1879.

Nereus
History
United Kingdom
NameNereus
NamesakeNereus
Ordered25 April 1817
BuilderPembroke Dockyard
Laid downJanuary 1819
Launched30 July 1821
Completed12 September 1821
CommissionedNever
ReclassifiedAs store ship and coal hulk, December 1843
FateSold for scrap, 22 January 1879
General characteristics
Class and typeModified Leda-class frigate
Tons burthen1094 16/94 bm
Length
  • 151 ft 10 in (46.3 m) (gundeck)
  • 127 ft 6 in (38.9 m) (keel)
Beam40 ft 6 in (12.3 m)
Draught14 ft 6 in (4.4 m)
Depth12 ft 9 in (3.9 m)
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Complement315
Armament

Description

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Nereus had a length at the gundeck of 151 feet 10 inches (46.3 m) and 127 feet 6 inches (38.9 m) at the keel. She had a beam of 40 feet 6 inches (12.3 m), a draught of 14 feet 6 inches (4.4 m) and a depth of hold of 12 feet 9 inches (3.9 m). The ship's tonnage was 1094 1694 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

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Nereus, the second ship of her name to serve in the Royal Navy,[3] was ordered on 24 April 1817, laid down in January 1819 at Pembroke Dockyard, Wales, and launched on 30 July 1821.[4] She was completed for ordinary at Plymouth Dockyard 22 August–12 September 1821 and the ship was roofed over from the mainmast forward. The ship cost £23,223 to build and £3,892 to fit out for ordinary. Nereus was converted for service at the cost of £10,557 as a store ship and coal hulk in August–December 1843 at Plymouth for service at Valparaíso, Chile. By December 1856, the ship was stationed in Callao, Peru, but had returned to Valparaíso by 1 August 1863. The following decade saw her at Coquimbo, Peru, by August 1874 and she was sold there for £500 on 22 January 1879.[1]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Winfield, p. 701
  2. ^ Winfield & Lyon, p. 107
  3. ^ Colledge, p. 241
  4. ^ Winfield & Lyon, p. 108

References

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  • 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.