HMS Adventure (1646)

''Adventure'' was a 34-gun fourth-rate of the English Navy, built by Peter Pett II at Woolwich Dockyard and launched in 1646. With the outbreak of the English Civil War she served on the Parliamentary side until 1649. She was incorporated into the Commonwealth Navy in 1650. She partook in the Battle off Dover in 1652, the Battle of Portland and the Battle of Gabbard in 1653. ''Adventure'' was employed on Bulstrode Whitelocke's embassy to Sweden, 1653–1654.T. Becket, ''A Journal of the Swedish Embassy'', p.98. After the Restoration she was incorporated into the Royal Navy. She was present at the Battle of Lowestoft (1665) and the Battle of Solebay (1672). She also participated in the ''Golden Horse'' and ''Two Lions'' actions in 1681. She was in the Battle of Barfleur in 1692. She captured several ships in the later part of her career, before being captured by the French in 1709.

''Adventure'' was the second vessel to be given that name in the English Navy, since it had been used for a 26-gun galley, built at Deptford in 1594 and broken up in 1645.

Construction

She was ordered in December 1645 as part of the 1646 Programme. She was built at Woolwich Dockyard under a contract with Master Shipwright Peter Pett II, who designed her and oversaw her construction. She was launched in 1646. Her dimensions were keel reported for tonnage, breadth , depth of hold with a draught of . Her tonnage was thus 385 bm Later reports gave her a burthen tonnage of 510, indicating a possible eventual girdling to a new breadth of .

Her armament varied during her time as a fourth rate. In 1666 she carried 38 guns: ten culverins,A culverin was a gun of 4,500 pounds with a 5.5-inch bore firing a 17.5-pound shot with a 12-pound powder charge. fourteen demi-culverins,A demi-culverin was a gun of 3,400 pounds with a four-inch bore firing a 9.5-pound shot with an eight-pound powder charge. eighteen 6-pounder guns Brian Lavery,''The Arming and Fitting of English Ships of War 1600 – 1815'', p.102 and four sakers.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. In 1677 her gun armament was 44 guns in wartime and 38 guns in peacetime. Her armament consisted of twenty-two demi-culverins, eighteen 6-pounder guns and four sakers. In 1685 her armament was 40 guns consisting of twelve culverins, six demi-culverins, sixteen 6-pounder guns and six sakers. She was completed at an initial contract cost of £2,618The cost accounting for inflation of approximately £ in reference to today. or 374 tons at £7The cost accounting for inflation of approximately £ in reference to today. per ton, based on an originally intended breadth of .

Commissioned service

Service in English Civil War

She was commissioned in 1646 under Captain Thomas Beddall partaking in the Winter Guard during 1646/47 and in the spring moved to the Western Guard. Later in 3648 she was under Captain Andrew Ball at the blockade of Kinsale, Ireland. In 1649 she was under Captain Edward Hall then later that year Captain Ball resumed command. She was in the Isles of Scilly in the autumn of 1649.

Service with Commonwealth Navy

As part of the Commonwealth Navy, she was with Robert Blake's Fleet at Tagus in 1650, She returned with the Fleet in September/October 1650. At the Battle of Dover she was a member of Rear-Admiral Nehemiah Bourne's Squadron of nine ships on 19 May 1652. This battle is sometimes recorded as the 'Battle of Goodwin Sands'. Later in 1652 she was under the command of Captain Robert Wyard in the North Sea. She was under the command of Captain Robert Nixon at the Battle of Portland. At the Battle off Portland she was a member of Robert Blake's Fleet of eighty-four ships from 18 to 20 February 1653. This British victory secured control over the English Channel. The Dutch lost eight warships and forty merchant vessels. A few months later she was at the Battle of the Gabbard as part of Red Squadron, Van Division under the command of Vice-Admiral James Peacock, on 2–3 June 1653. The British were victorious on the first day. When Admiral Tromp attempted to attack again on the 3rd he withdrew when a squadron of eighteen ships arrived under the command of Robert Blake. This fight was followed by the Battle of Scheveningen (where she was a member of Red Squadron, Van Division) under the command of Vice-Admiral James Peacock on 31 July 1653.> Later Captain Peter Foot spent the winter of 1653/54 with the east coast colliers. In 1654 under Captain Robert Sansum followed by Captain John Best in 1655. In 1657 she was under Captain Valentine Tatnell for operations in the Sound followed by the English Channel in June 1660.

Service after the Restoration 1661

On 20 May 1661 she was under the command of Captain Hugh Hide. She sailed to Tangier in 1662. On 7 October 1664 Captain Benjamin Young took command then participated in the Battle of Lowestoft (as a member of Blue Squadron, Van Division) under the command of Captain Benjhamin Young, on 3 June 1665. As a member of Blue Squadron, Rear Division, and still under the command of Captain Benjamin Young, she was at the Battle of Oxfordness on 25 July 1666. She captured the French ''Rubis'' on 18 September 1666. Later in 1666 Captain Tapley (or Torpley) in actions against four French ships on 20 December 1666 and against three Flushing ships 31 December 1666. On 1 January 1671 she was under the command of Captain John Tyrwhitt. She participated in the Battle of Solebay (as a member of Red squadron, Centre Division), on 28 May 1673. Following this action she was in the Soundings in July 1673. On 7 August Captain John Temple took command. Captain Sir Richard Rooth took command on 22 March 1675 for an expedition against Sale, Morocco. Captain Richard Tapson took command for service in the English Channel. Captain Tapson died on 22 July 1678 with Captain William Booth, RN taking command on 30 July 1678. She destroyed the 32-gun ''Citron Tree'' near Tangiers in March/April 1680 then took the 28-gun ''Calibash'' on 11 April 1680. In April 1681 she took the 46-gun ''Golden Horse'' followed by the destruction of the 34-gun ''Flower Pot'' in December 1681. In 1690 she was ordered rebuilt at Chatham as a Fifth Rate.

Rebuild as a Fifth Rate 1691

''Adventure'' was ordered to rebuild at Chatham Dockyard on 7 March 1690 under the guidance of Master Shipwright Robert Lee. She was launched on 20 February 1691. Her rebuilt dimensions were length of her gundeck with her keel reported for tonnage of , breadth , depth of hold . Her armament was changed to 18 (wartime)/ 16 (peacetime) 9-pounder guns on the lower deck (LD), 20 (wartime)/16(peacetime) 6-pounder guns on the upper deck (UD) and initially six (wartime)/four (peacetime) 3 pounder guns on the quarterdeck (QD). The 3-pounders would be replaced with 4-pounders in 1703. The cost of her rebuild £3,293.15.0dThe cost accounting for inflation of approximately £ in reference to today. or 425 tons @ £7.15.0dThe cost accounting for inflation of approximately £ in reference to today. per ton with a saving of £350The cost accounting for inflation of approximately £ in reference to today. saved by the old body plus £1,800.5.0dThe cost accounting for inflation of approximately £ in reference to today. for ground tackle and fitting for a grand total of £4,744.The cost accounting for inflation of approximately £ in reference to today.

Commissioned service after rebuild 1691

She was re-commissioned in 1691 under the command of Captain Thomas Dilkes. She participated in the Battle of Barfleur (as a member of Blue squadron, Centre Division) under the command of Admiral Sir John Ashby, from 19 to 24 May 1692. In concert with ''Rupert'' she captured two privateers (one 24-gun and one 18-gun) on the Irish station in October 1692. She captured two 16-gun privateers in the English Channel in December 1692. In 1694 under the command of Captain Charles Cornwall she captured with her squadron the 36-gun ''La Diligente'' (under the command of Duguay Trouin) off the Scilly Islands on 12 May 1694. The squadron was in action off Pantelleria on 28 January 1695 capturing the 60-gun ''Content'' and the 50-gun ''Trident''. Later in January 1695 she was under command of Captain John Worrel. In 1696 she was under the command of Captain Charles Richards in the Mediterranean. In 1697 her commander was Captain John Edwards sailing with the Dunkirk squadron. In November 1698 she sailed with Aylmer's squadron to the Mediterranean. In 1701 she was back in the Dunkirk squadron with Captain John Home as commander. In 1703 she was reduced to a 40-gun ship with the removal of her 4-pounder guns. Captain John Balchen took command in February 1703. She was in action with St Pol's squadron in the North Sea where the ''Salisbury'' was taken on 10 July 1703. In 1705 Captain Edmund Hicks took command. She captured (with ''Tartar'') the 24-gun ''Jeux'' in the North Sea on 10 July 1706. In 1707 Captain Robert Clark was in command for service in the Leeward Islands. She was with Admiral Byng's Fleet in the Channel and North Sea. In 1708 she proceeded to the West Indies with a convoy in 1709.

Loss

She was captured by a French squadron off Montserrat, Martinique in the West Indies on 1 March 1709. She suffered about 100 casualties including Captain Clark. She was not added to the French Navy, but instead was sold in March 1711 at Martinique.Alain Demerliac, ''La Marine de Louis XIV: Nomenclature des vaisseaux du Roi-Soleil de 1661 a 1715'', Editions Omega, Nice (1995). p.153

Notes

Citations

References

* ''A Journal of the Swedish Embassy, in the Years MDCLIII and MDCLIV from the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland, Volume 1'', T. Becket and P.A. de Hondt, 1772
* Brian Lavery (1983), ''The Ship of the Line – Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850.'' Conway Maritime Press. .
* Rif Winfield (2009), ''British Warships in the Age of Sail 1603-1714'', published by Seaforth Publishing, England , EPUB
* Jim Colledge, ''Ships of the Royal Navy'', revised and updated by Lt Cdr Ben Warlow and Steve Bush, published by Seaforth Publishing, Barnsley, Great Britain, © 2020, EPUB , (EPUB), Section A (''Adventure'').
* Brian Lavery (1987), ''The Arming and Fitting of English Ships of War 1600 – 1815'', published by Conway Maritime Press,

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Adventure (1646)
Ships of the line of the Royal Navy
Ships built in Woolwich
1640s ships
Ships of the English navy