HMS President (1650)

The ''President'' was a 34-gun fourth-rate of the English Navy, originally built for the navy of the Commonwealth of England by Peter Pett I at Deptford Dockyard, and launched in 1650. The ''President'' was the second English vessel to carry that name, as it had been used for a 26-gun ship, purchased by Parliament in 1645 and sold in 1656, but known as ''Old President'' from 1650.

Construction

She was ordered in April 1649 as part of the 1649 Programme to be built at Deptford Dockyard under the guidance of Master Shipwright Peter Pett I. She was launched 9 April 1650. Her dimensions were length on the gundeck with keel length reported for tonnage, breadth of , and depth in hold . Her builder's measurement tonnage was 462 tons. Her armament when built would be 38 guns of various calibres. Her armament would vary between 38 and 48 guns during her career.

Commissioned service

Service with Commonwealth Navy

She was commissioned into the Commonwealth Navy under the command of Captain Anthony Young in 1650 for service on the West coast.

First Anglo-Dutch War

She was in action with the Dutch off the Start on 12 May. The action off the Start led to the Battle of Dover. She was the leader of Captain Young's detachment of three ships on 19 May 1652. This battle is sometimes recorded as the Battle of Goodwin Sands. On 28 September 1652 she participated in the Battle of the Kentish Knock. Later in 1652 she was under the command of Captain Thomas Graves. At the Battle of 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. In 1653 she was under the command of Captain Francis Parker. A few months later she was at the Battle of the Gabbard as part of Blue Squadron, Center 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 she spent the winter of 1653/54 with the east coast colliers.

In 1656 she was under Captain Benjamin Sacheverell until he died later that year then Captain Richard Potter took over.

Service after the Restoration in May 1660

After the Restoration in 1660, she was taken into the new Royal Navy, and renamed HMS ''Bonaventure'' after a previous ship built in 1621 that had been blown up in 1653.Brian Lavery, ''The Ship of the Line'' - Volume 1, p.158. The new ''Bonaventure'' was the fifth English vessel to carry that name, as it was first used for a warship built in 1489 (and gone by 1509); other ships had carried that name in 1551 (as ''Edward Bonaventure''), 1567 (as ''Elizabeth Bonaventure'') and 1621. On 11 August 1662 she was under the command of Captain Sir William Berkeley. In early 1663 she was docked at Chatham to be rebuilt. In 1683 she underwent her second rebuilding, relaunching as a 40-gun fourth rate ship of the line. ''Bonaventure'' was rebuilt a third time in 1699 at Woolwich Dockyard, relaunching as a fourth rate of between 46 and 54 guns.

Chatham 1663 Rebuilding

She was rebuilt (and widened) at Chatham Dockyard in 1663 under the guidance of Master Shipwright Sir Phineas Pett. She was launched in late 1663. Her dimensions were gundeck length, with keel length reported for tonnage, breadth , depth in hold . Her builder's measurement tonnage was 514 tons. Her armament when built was 38 guns of various calibres. Her armament would vary between 38 and 48 guns during her career.
By 1677 her armament was changed to 48 (wartime)/ 42 (peacetime) guns consisting of twenty-two culverinsA 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 on the lower deck (LD), sixteen demi-culverinsA 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. on the upper deck (UD) and ten sakersA 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. on the quarterdeck (QD). In 1677 the armament would be changed to twenty-two culverins on the lower deck (LD), twenty 8-pounder guns8-pounder was a captured Dutch weapon. on the upper deck (UD) and six sakers on the quarterdeck (QD).

Service after rebuild 1663

She was commissioned on 19 November 1663 under the command of Captain Arthur Laughorne. She sailed with Admiral Sir Thomas Allin's squadron to the Mediterranean in 1664. She went aground in a storm at Gibraltar on 3 December 1664, however was salved and repaired at Cadiz, Spain.

Second Anglo-Dutch War

She participated in the Battle of Lowestoft as a member of Red Squadron, Rear Division under the command of Rear-Admiral Sir William Berkeley, on 3 June 1665. She was at the Battle of Vagen (Bergen, Norway) on 3 August 1665, however, was unable to enter the harbour therefore unable to participate in the action. On 14 June 1665 Captain John Waterworth took command. On 4 June she joined the Four Days' Battle' as a member of Prince Rupert's Squadron, Van division under the command of Vice-Admiral Sir Christopher Myngs. As a member of Blue Squadron, Center Division under the command of Admiral Sir Jeremy Smith, she was at the St James's Day Battle on 25 July 1666.

She sailed to the West Indies in the spring of 1667 with Rear-Admiral Sir John Harman's Squadron. She participated in the Battle of Martinique on 24/25 June 1667. On 2 July 1667 Captain William Hammond took command until he was killed at Surinam on 7 October 1667. Captain John Narborough took over on 30 October 1667.

Third Anglo-Dutch War

On 9 January 1672 Captain Richard Trevanion took command. She participated in the Battle of Solebay as a member of Blue squadron, Van Division under command of Rear-Admiral Sir John Kempthorne, on 28 May 1673. On 13 June 1672 Captain Henry Killigrew took command. While commanding she partook in the Battle of Schooneveld on 28 May and 4 June 1673. This was followed by the Battle of Texel on 11 August 1673.
On 17 August 1673 Captain John Wood took command to escort a convoy to Gibraltar in October 1674. She remained in the Mediterranean until the end of the year when she returned home. In 1682 she was docked at Portsmouth to be rebuilt.

Rebuild at Portsmouth 1683

She was rebuilt at Portsmouth in 1683 under the guidance of Master Shipwright Isaac Betts. She was floated out of dock in 1683. Her dimensions after the second rebuild were keel reported for tonnage, breadth , depth in hold . Her builder's measurement tonnage was 564 bm tons. Her armament was changed to 52 guns, consisting of twenty-two 12-pounder guns on the lower deck, twenty-two 8-pounder guns on the upper deck and two sakers on the quarterdeck. In the 1696 survey she carried only 40 guns consisting of eighteen 12-pounder guns on the lower deck, twenty 6-pounder guns on the upper deck and 2 minions on the quarterdeck.

Service after rebuild 1683

She was commissioned on 14 May 1683 under the command of Captain Henry Priestman. She was at the evacuation of Tangiers followed by the evacuation of Sale, Morocco. In 1685, while Captain Priestman was ill, Lieutenant Stafford Fairbourne took command. She was in a boat action at Mamora on 12 June 1685. In 1688 She was under Captain Thomas Hopson with Dartmouth's Fleet in October the partook in Londonderry operations in 1689.In 1690 she was under the command of Captain John Hubbard. She participated in the Battle of Beachy Head on 30 June 1690 as a member of Blue Squadron. This was followed by the Battle of Barfleur from 19 to 24 May 1692 as a member of Red Squadron. In 1896 she sailed to Hudson Bay to recapture Fort York under the command of Captain William Allen. She was in action against the former ''Mary Rose'' on 24 October 1696 during which Captain Allen was killed. Captain Vincent Cutter sailed her to Newfoundland in 1697. She was docked at Woolwich for rebuilding in 1699.

Rebuilding at Woolwich 1699

She was rebuilt at Woolwich in 1698 under the guidance of Master Shipwright Fisher Harding. She was floated out of dock in 1699. Her dimensions after the third rebuild were on the gundeck with keel length reported for tonnage, breadth , and depth in hold . Her builder's measurement tonnage was 596 bm tons. Her armament was changed to 50 guns, consisting of twenty 12-pounder guns on the lower deck, twenty 6-pounder guns on the upper deck, six 6-pounder guns on the quarterdeck and two 6-pounder guns on the foc's'le (Fc). Her peacetime armament would remove two guns from the lower deck, the upper deck and the quarterdeck.

Service after rebuild 1699

She commissioned in 1701 under the command of Captain Fleetwood Ernes for a voyage to Guinea. She was with Shovel's Squadron in October 1702. In 1703 Captain Edward Rumsey took command for convoys to Newfoundland and the West Indies. During 1704 thru 06 she was in the North Sea followed by Whetstone's squadron in 1707. Captain Philip Boys took over in 1708 and sailed with Baker's squadron on the Dutch coast then sailed in Scottish waters.

Rebuilding at Chatham in 1711

She was docked in 1711 for her fourth rebuild, which took place at Chatham Dockyard, where she was rebuilt as a 50-gun fourth rate to the 1706 Establishment, relaunching on 19 September 1711. She was renamed HMS ''Argyll'' prior to the Jacobite rising of 1715, and on 27 January 1720 she was ordered to be taken to pieces at Woolwich for what was to be her fifth and final rebuild.

Rebuilding at Woolwich in 1720-22

She was relaunched as a 50-gun fourth rate to the 1719 Establishment on 5 July 1722, and saw much service in home and Atlantic waters. She was employed on blockade duties during the War of the Austrian Succession, and in 1741 ''Argyll'' captured five Spanish coasters, and with the assistance of two other warships cut free five captured British warships that were docked in north-western Spain.

In 1742 ''Argyll'' served to escort convoys of East Indiamen from St. Helena to England. In 1745 she returned to Britain by way of escorting a convoy and was paid off in 1746. After the conclusion of the war in 1748, ''Argyll'' was towed to Harwich and scuttled as part of a breakwater.

Notes

Citations

References

* A Journal of the Swedish Embassy, in the Years MDCLIII and MDCLIV from the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland, Volym 1, T. Becket and P.A. de Hondt, 1772
* Lavery, Brian (1983) ''The Ship of the Line – Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850.'' Conway Maritime Press. .
* Winfield, Rif (2009), ''British Warships in the Age of Sail 1603 – 1714'', published by Seaforth Publishing, England
* Winfield, Rif (2007), ''British Warships in the Age of Sail 1714 – 1792'', published by Seaforth Publishing, England
* Ships of the Royal Navy, by J.J. Colledge, revised and updated by Lt-Cdr Ben Warlow and Steve Bush, published by Seaforth Publishing, Barnsley, Great Britain, © the estate of J.J. Colledge, Ben Warlow and Steve Bush 2020, EPUB , (EPUB), Section B (Bonaventure), Section P (President)
* The Arming and Fitting ofEnglish Ships of War 1800 – 1815, by Brian Lavery, published by US Naval Institute Press © Brian Lavery 1989, , Part V Guns, Type of Guns

{{DEFAULTSORT:President (1650)
Ships of the line of the Royal Navy
Ships built in Deptford
1600s ships
First Anglo-Dutch War
Second Anglo-Dutch War
Third Anglo-Dutch War
Ships of the English navy