HMS ''Weymouth'' 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

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 ...

on 8 August 1693.Lavery, Ships of the Line, Vol. 1, p. 164. She was one of two 50-gun ships ordered on 15 August 1690 to be built by Master Shipwright William Stigant at

(the other was the ''Norwich''). However, unlike the ''Norwich'' (which was completed within a year of being ordered), the ''Weymouth'' was delayed until 1693 and - instead of the 123 ft length originally specified - was lengthened to 132 ft 4 in, thus becoming the prototype for the 1693 batch ordered with a design extended to some 130 ft.Rif Winfield, British Warships in the Age of Sail p.131. Following continuous service throughout the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...

, the ''Weymouth'' was refitted at Plymouth between June 1713 and June 1714 at a cost of £2,572-11-5d. She was docked at

Woolwich Dockyard Woolwich Dockyard (formally H.M. Dockyard, Woolwich, also known as The King's Yard, Woolwich) was an English Royal Navy Dockyard, naval dockyard along the river Thames at Woolwich - originally in north-west Kent, now in southeast London - whe ...

on 13 June 1717 to be rebuilt by Master Shipwright John Hayward according to the

1706 Establishment The 1706 Establishment was the first formal set of dimensions for ships of the Royal Navy. Two previous sets of dimensions had existed before, though these were only for specific shipbuilding programs running for only a given amount of time. In ...

, relaunching on 26 February 1719, and completed on 10 March 1719. The ''Weymouth'' continued to serve until paid off in 1728. On 21 November 1732 she was docked at Plymouth to be broken up (which was completed by 6 January 1733).Rif Winfield, British Warships in the Age of Sail p.131.

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''. Seaforth Publishing. . Ships of the line of the Royal Navy 1690s ships {{UK-line-ship-stub