''Gainsborough'' was a 40-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 ...

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

of the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

Navy, originally built under the 1652 programme for the navy of the

Commonwealth of England The Commonwealth of England was the political structure during the period from 1649 to 1660 when Kingdom of England, England and Wales, later along with Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland and Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, were governed as a republi ...

by Thomas Taylor at Pitch House (Wapping), and launched in 1653. She was named for the Parliamentarian victory at the

Battle of Gainsborough The Battle of Gainsborough took place during the First English Civil War on 28 July 1643. The strategically important town of Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, was a Royalist base used for harassing the Parliamentarians who were generally domina ...

in 1643. After

the Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state. This may refer to: *Conservation and restoration of cultural property **Audio restoration **Conservation and restoration of immovable cultural property **Film restoration ** Image ...

of the monarchy in 1660, she was renamed ''Swallow''. By 1666 her armament had been increased to 48 guns. The ''Swallow'', commanded by Captain

Wolfran Cornewall Captain Wolfran Cornewall (about 1653 – 21 January 1720) was an officer in the Royal Navy. Origins He was born about 1653, the fifth son of Humphrey Cornewall MP and his wife Theophila Skynner (1622–1718). Career Cornewall began his ca ...

, served as Colonel Cunningham's flagship during the expedition to Loch Foyle in April 1689. The fleet carried two battalions which should have reinforced the garrison of Derry. The town, which was loyal to

King William King William may refer to: People Bimbia * William I of Bimbia * William II of Bimbia () Britain and Ireland * William of England (disambiguation), multiple kings * William I, King of Scots (–1214), also known as William the Lion German Empir ...

, had already been attacked in December 1688, and was about to be attacked again as

James James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...

was on his way to the town with a strong army. However

Robert Lundy Robert Lundy (died 1717) was a Scottish army officer best known for serving as Governor of Londonderry during the early stages of the Siege of Derry. Lundy is reviled in Ulster loyalism as a traitor to this day, and his name has become a byword ...

, the city's governor, told Cunningham to return to England as the town would surrender. The ''Swallow'', still under the command of Wolfbran Cornewall, was also part of the relief fleet for Derry under General

Percy Kirke Lieutenant-General Percy Kirke ( – 31 October 1691) was an English Army officer who was the son of George Kirke, a court official to Charles I and Charles II. Career In 1666 Kirke obtained his first Army commission in Lord Admiral's reg ...

in June and July 1689. ''Swallow'' was wrecked at Kinsale on 9 February 1692.

Notes

References

*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: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates''. Seaforth Publishing. . Ships of the line of the Royal Navy 1650s ships Ships built in Wapping Ships of the English navy {{UK-line-ship-stub