HMS ''Anglesea'' (referred to as HMS ''Anglesey'' on occasion) was a 50-gun
fourth rate
In 1603 all English warships with a complement of fewer than 160 men were known as 'small ships'. In 1625/26 to establish pay rates for officers, a six-tier naval ship rating system was introduced.Winfield 2009 These small ships were divided ...
ship of the line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactics in the Age of Sail, naval tactic known as the line of battl ...
of the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
, launched at
Plymouth
Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
in 1694, although not ordered from the
dockyard
A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes more involve ...
, but as a commercial contract with Mr Flint, with labour and materials supplied from the dockyard by the Master Shipwright, Elias Waffe.
[Rif Winfield, ''British Warships in the Age of Sail 1603-1714''.] She was ordered on 17 February 1692 (the same day as her sister
''Portland'', which was built at Woolwich Dockyard).
''Anglesea'', under the command of Captain James Litteton between 1698 and 1701, was one of four ships sent to Madagascar on an anti-piracy mission under
Thomas Warren
Thomas Warren (fl. 1727–1767) was an English bookseller, printer, publisher and businessman.
Warren was an influential figure in Birmingham at a time when it was a hotbed of creative activity, opening a bookshop in High Street, Birmingham arou ...
in 1699.
''Anglesea'' was reduced to a 40-gun
fifth rate
In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a fifth rate was the second-smallest class of warships in a hierarchical system of six " ratings" based on size and firepower.
Rating
The rating system in the Royal N ...
in 1719, and underwent a rebuild from then until 1725 at
Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham, Kent, Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham, Kent, Gillingham; at its most extens ...
.
Notes
References
*Lavery, Brian (1983) ''The Ship of the Line – Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850''. Conway Maritime Press. .
*Winfield, Rif (1997), ''The 50-Gun Ship: A Complete History''. Chatham Publishing (1st edition); Mercury Books (2nd edition 2005). .
*Winfield, Rif (2009), ''British Warships in the Age of Sail 1603–1714: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates.'' Barnsley, UK; Seaforth Publishing. .
Ships of the line of the Royal Navy
1690s ships
Ships involved in anti-piracy efforts
{{UK-line-ship-stub