The ''Speedy''-class brigs were a two-ship class of

brig sloop During the 18th and 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship of the Royal Navy with a single gun deck that carried up to 18 guns. The rating system of the Royal Navy covered all vessels with 20 or more guns; thus, the term encompassed all u ...

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 later years of the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. They survived into the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...

Concept

The ''Speedy'' class was designed in 1781 by

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

shipwright Thomas King, a specialist builder of such craft. They were designed with a cutter-type hull, and anticipated the development of a new concept of the brig in naval warfare, that of brig sloops: small, fast escort vessels unlike the slower but more seaworthy

ship-sloop During the 18th and 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship of the Royal Navy with a single gun deck that carried up to 18 guns. The rating system of the Royal Navy covered all vessels with 20 or more guns; thus, the term encompassed all u ...

s. Their names were selected to epitomise this approach, , and . Small, light craft, they were 207 Tons bm, and measured (overall) and (keel), with a beam of and depth in the hold. Armed with fourteen 4-pounders, giving a broadside weight of 28 pounds, and twelve -pdr

swivel gun A swivel gun (or simply swivel) is a small cannon mounted on a swiveling stand or fork which allows a very wide arc of movement. Another type of firearm referred to as a swivel gun was an early flintlock combination gun with two barrels that rot ...

s, they had a crew of 70. This was broken up into 57 officers, seamen and

marines Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included Raid (military), raiding ashor ...

; 12 servants and boys; and 1 widow's man.

Careers

Both ships were completed too late to see any significant service in the American War of Independence, and spent most of the years of peace in British waters. ''Flirt'' sailed to the Caribbean in 1791, but was laid up in

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century ...

in November 1792, and did not return to service before being sold in 1795. ''Speedy'' was still in service on the outbreak of war with revolutionary France and was assigned to the Mediterranean, where she served under a number of distinguished commanders. She was captured in 1794, but had been retaken within a year. Her last captain, Lord Cochrane, achieved some of his greatest exploits with her, forcing the surrender of a much larger Spanish warship, the '' Gamo'', but was forced to surrender her after being pursued by a large French squadron in 1801. She was donated to the

Papal Navy The Papal Navy (, "Pontifical Navy"; ) was the navy, maritime force of the Papal States. Loosely constituted, it was sporadically extant from approximately the Battle of Ostia (849) during the pontificate of Pope Leo IV, Leo IV until the ascension ...

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

and broken up a few years later.

Ships

* :Builder: Thomas King,

:Ordered: 23 March 1781 :Laid down: June 1781 :Launched: 19 June 1782 :Completed: By 25 October 1782 :Fate: Captured by the French on 3 July 1801; gifted to the

in 1802 * :Builder: Thomas King,

:Ordered: 23 March 1781 :Laid down: August 1781 :Launched: 4 March 1782 :Completed: By 8 June 1782 :Fate: Sold 1 December 1795. Purchased and became a

whaler A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized vessel, designed or adapted for whaling: the catching or processing of whales. Terminology The term ''whaler'' is mostly historic. A handful of nations continue with industrial whaling, and one, Jap ...

until a French privateer captured her in 1803.

Citations

References

* * * {{refend Brig-sloops of the Royal Navy Sloop classes 1782 ships