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

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the latter part ...

built for the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

during the later years of the American War of Independence. They survived into the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted France against Britain, Austria, Pruss ...

Concept

The ''Speedy'' class was designed in 1781 by the shipbuilder Thomas King, of

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East 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 south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

, a specialist builder of such craft. They were designed with a

cutter Cutter may refer to: Tools * Bolt cutter * Box cutter, aka Stanley knife, a form of utility knife * Cigar cutter * Cookie cutter * Glass cutter * Meat cutter * Milling cutter * Paper cutter * Side cutter * Cutter, a type of hydraulic rescue to ...

-type hull, and anticipated the development of a new concept of the brig in naval warfare, that of small, fast escort vessels, instead of the slower but more seaworthy

ship-sloop In the 18th century and most of the 19th, a sloop-of-war in the Royal Navy was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. The rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above; thus, the term ''sloop-of-war'' enc ...

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 The term swivel gun (or simply swivel) usually refers to 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 w ...

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

marines Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (ref ...

; 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, within the London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century to the late 19th it was home ...

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 The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

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 ( it, Marina Pontificia, "Pontifical Navy"; la, Classis Pontificiae) was the maritime force of the Papal States. Loosely construed, it was in sporadic existence from approximately the Battle of Ostia (849) during the pontificate ...

by Napoleon 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