HMS ''Neptune'' was a 120-gun, three-deck,

first rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a first rate was the designation for the largest ships of the line. Originating in the Jacobean era with the designation of Ships Royal capable of carrying at least ...

, broadened built for 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 ...

during the 1830s. Completed in 1832, the ship remained

in ordinary ''In ordinary'' is an English phrase with multiple meanings. In relation to the Royal Household and public officials more generally, it indicates that a position is a permanent one (in contrast to positions that are extraordinary). In naval matt ...

until 1854. She was razeed and converted into a steam-powered, 89-gun,

second rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a second-rate was a ship of the line which by the start of the 18th century mounted 90 to 98 guns on three gun decks; earlier 17th-century second rates had fewer guns ...

, two decker in 1858–1859.

Description

The ''Caledonia'' class was an improved version of with additional

freeboard In sailing and boating, a vessel's freeboard is the distance from the waterline to the upper deck level, measured at the lowest point of sheer where water can enter the boat or ship. In commercial vessels, the latter criterion measured relativ ...

to allow them to fight all their guns in heavy weather. ''Neptune'' measured on the

gundeck The term gun deck used to refer to a deck aboard a ship that was primarily used for the mounting of cannon to be fired in broadsides. The term is generally applied to decks enclosed under a roof; smaller and unrated vessels carried their guns ...

and on the

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The keel laying, laying of the keel is often ...

. She had a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Radio beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially lo ...

of , a

depth of hold Depth(s) may refer to: Science and mathematics * Depth (ring theory), an important invariant of rings and modules in commutative and homological algebra * Depth in a well, the measurement between two points in an oil well * Color depth (or "nu ...

of , a deep draught of and had a tonnage of 2705

tons burthen Builder's Old Measurement (BOM, bm, OM, and o.m.) is the method used in England from approximately 1650 to 1849 for calculating the cargo capacity of a ship. It is a volumetric measurement of cubic capacity. It estimated the tonnage of a ship b ...

. Her crew numbered 820 officers and ratings in peacetime and 900 in wartime. The ship was armed with 120

muzzle-loading A muzzleloader is any firearm in which the user loads the projectile and the propellant charge into the muzzle end of the gun (i.e., from the forward, open end of the gun's barrel). This is distinct from the modern designs of breech-loading fire ...

smoothbore A smoothbore weapon is one that has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars. Some examples of smoothbore weapons are muskets, blunderbusses, and flintlock pistols. ...

guns that consisted of thirty 32-pounder (56 cwt) guns"Cwt" is the abbreviation for

hundredweight The hundredweight (abbreviation: cwt), formerly also known as the centum weight or quintal, is a British imperial and United States customary unit of weight or mass. Its value differs between the United States customary and British imperial sy ...

, 56 cwt referring to the weight of the gun. and two 68-pounder

carronade A carronade is a short, smoothbore, cast-iron cannon which was used by the Royal Navy. It was first produced by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, and was used from the last quarter of the 18th century to the mid-19th cen ...

s on her lower gundeck, thirty-two 32-pounder 55 cwt guns and two 68-pounder carronades on her middle gundeck and thirty-two 32-pounders and two 68-pounder carrondaes on her upper gundeck. Her

forecastle The forecastle ( ; contracted as fo'c'sle or fo'c's'le) is the upper deck (ship), deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or, historically, the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters. Related to the latter meaning is t ...

mounted a pair of 32-pounder 49 cwt guns and two 32-pounder carronades. On her

quarterdeck The quarterdeck is a raised deck behind the main mast of a sailing ship. Traditionally it was where the captain commanded his vessel and where the ship's colours were kept. This led to its use as the main ceremonial and reception area on bo ...

she carried sixteen 32-pounder carronades. ''Neptune''s armament was later modified with four shell guns that replaced her 68-pounder carronades on the lower and middle gundecks. The 68-pounder carronades on the upper gundeck were replaced by a pair of 32-pounders. All of the guns on the forecastle and quarterdeck were replaced by six 32-pounders and fourteen short 32-pounder guns.Winfield, p. 15

Construction and career

''Neptune'' was ordered on 12 February 1823,

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one ...

Portsmouth Dockyard His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth (HMNB Portsmouth) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport). Portsmouth Naval Base is part of the city of Portsmouth; it is loc ...

in January 1827, launched on 27 August 1832 and completed in December. The ship remained in ordinary until she was commissioned on 5 December 1851 as a guard ship by Captain Richard Yates. Captain Edward H. Scott assumed command on 27 March 1852. He was relieved in turn by Captain Henry Smith on 17 February 1854. She was fitted with screw propulsion in 1859, and was sold out of the service in 1875.

Notes

Citations

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Neptune (1832) 1832 ships Caledonia-class ships of the line Ships built in Portsmouth Ships of the line of the Royal Navy Crimean War naval ships of the United Kingdom