HMS ''Melampus'' was a 46-gun modified

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 ...

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built for the

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during the 1810s. Completed in 1820, she was not commissioned until 1845 for the

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and was converted into a store and

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in 1855. The ship was briefly assigned as a coast guard ship before being

paid off Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to placing a warship i ...

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

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in 1906.

Description

''Melampus'' had a length at the

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of and at the

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. She had a

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of , a draught of and a depth of

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of . The ship's

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was 1088 tons burthen.Winfield, pp. 586–87 The modified ''Leda''-class frigates were armed with twenty-eight 18-pounder cannon on her

, fourteen 32-pounder

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s on her quarterdeck and a pair of 9-pounder cannon and two more 32-pounder carronades in

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. The ship had a crew of 315 officers and ratings.Winfield & Lyon, pp. 107–08

Construction and career

''Melampus'', the second ship of her name to serve in the Royal Navy,Colledge, pp. 221–22 was ordered on 1 May 1816,

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in August 1817 at

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, Wales, and launched on 10 August 1820. She was completed for

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2–23 September 1829 and was roofed over from the

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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. ''Melampus''s first

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began on 12 March with

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John Campbell in command and she was ready for sea on 18 May.

Notes

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Melampus (1820) Leda-class frigates 1820 ships Ships built in Pembroke Dock