British Warships in the Age of Sail, 1603–1714 : Design, Construction, Careers and Fates

The seventeenth century saw the transformation of Britain from a minor state on the fringes of Europe into a global economic power, whose interests were protected and promoted by the largest navy in the world. The character of this navy was forged by a bloody civil war, three fiercely disputed conflicts with the Dutch, and the first of many wars with the French. In the process the ships themselves were transformed from the surviving galleons that had defeated the Spanish Armada, through huge prestige vessels like Prince Royal and Sovereign of the Seas and the lightly built frigates of the Commonwealth era into warships that were recognizably ships of the line. These radical developments in the design and employment of warships can be followed in detail for the first time in this comprehensive new reference book, which outlines the history of every ship built, purchased or captured that saw naval service during this era. Like its companion volumes on the 1714-1792 and 1793-1817 periods, the book is organized by Rate, classification and class, with outline technical and building data, but followed by a concise summary of the careers of each ship in every class. With its unique depth of information, this is a work of the utmost importance to every naval historian and general reader interested in the navy of the sailing era. Title Page Copyright Contents Series Foreword by Andrew Lambert Preface Acknowledgements Sources and Data Bibliography Introduction Chronology Fleet Actions Glossary and Abbreviations Preamble Chapter 1 First Rates – ‘Ships Royal’ (A) Vessels in service or rebuilding at 24 March 1603 (B) Vessels acquired from 24 March 1603 (C) Vessels acquired from 9 May 1660 (D) Vessels acquired from 18 December 1688 Chapter 2 Second Rates – the ‘Great Ships’ (A) Vessels in service or on order at 24 March 1603 (B) Vessels acquired from 24 March 1603 (C) Vessels acquired from 9 May 1660 (D) Vessels acquired from 18 December 1688 Chapter 3 The Third Rates – ‘Middling Ships’ (A) Vessels in service or on order at 24 March 1603 (B) Vessels acquired from 24 March 1603 (C) Vessels acquired from 2 May 1660 (D) Vessels acquired from 18 December 1688 Third Rates of 80 guns. Third Rates of 70 guns Third Rates of of 66 guns Chapter 4 The Fourth Rates – ‘Small Ships’ (A) Vessels in service or on order at 24 March 1603 (B) Vessels acquired from 24 March 1603 (C) Vessels acquired from 2 May 1660 (D) Vessels acquired from 18 December 1688 Fourth Rates of 60–64 guns Fourth Rates of 50 guns Chapter 5 The Fifth Rates (A) Vessels in service at 24 March 1603 (B) Vessels acquired from 24 March 1603 (C) Vessels acquired from 2 May 1660 (D) Vessels acquired from 18 December 1688 Fifth Rates of 40–44 guns Fifth Rates of 32 and 36 guns Fifth Rates of 28 guns Chapter 6 The Sixth Rates (A) Vessels in service at 24 March 1603 (B) Vessels acquired from 24 March 1603 (C) Vessels acquired from 2 May 1660 (D) Vessels acquired from 18 December 1688 Sixth Rates of 20 guns and up to 26 guns Sixth Rates with fewer than 20 guns Chapter 7 Unrated Vessels Patrol and Escort Vessels (B) Vessels acquired before 2 May 1660 (C) Vessels acquired from 2 May 1660 (D) Vessels acquired from 18 December 1688 Bomb Vessels Fireships Storeships Yachts Unarmed auxiliaries Chapter 8 Hired Vessels (B) Vessels hired from 25 March 1603 (C) Vessels hired from 2 May 1660 (D) Vessels hired from 18 December 1688 Vessels hired from 1701 Appendices A – English naval vessels engaged in the action against the Armada 1588 B – Construction costs for English Warships 1659–70 C – Lists of Ships in the Navy, as at various dates D – Dockyard Launchings 1603–1714 The seventeenth century saw the transformation of Britain from a minor state on the fringes of Europe into a global economic power, whose interests were protected and promoted by the largest navy in the world. The character of this navy was forged by a bloody civil war, three fiercely disputed conflicts with the Dutch, and the first of many wars with the French. In the process the ships themselves were transformed from the surviving galleons that had defeated the Spanish Armada, through huge prestige vessels like Prince Royal and Sovereign of the Seas and the lightly built frigates of the Commonwealth era into warships that were recognisably ships of the line. These radical developments in the design and employment of warships can be followed in detail for the first time in this comprehensive new reference book, which outlines the history of every ship built, purchased or captured that saw naval service during this era. Like its companion volumes on the 1714-1792 and 1793-1817 periods, the book is organised by Rate, classification and class, with outline technical and building data, but followed by a concise summary of the careers of each ship in every class. With its unique depth of information, this is a work of the utmost importance to every naval historian and general reader interested in the navy of the sailing era The 1st volume in this comprehensive reference series details the design and employment of British warships in the 17th and early 18th centuries. During the seventeenth century, Britain transformed from a minor state into a global economic power with the largest navy in the world. The character of this navy was forged by a bloody civil war, three fiercely disputed conflicts with the Dutch, and the first of many wars with the French. In the process, British naval ships evolved from the galleons that had defeated the Spanish Armada to prestige vessels like HMS Sovereign of the Seas, and the lightly built frigates of the Commonwealth era. This detailed and authoritative reference volume outlines the history of every ship built, purchased or captured that saw naval service during this era. Like its companion volumes, the book is organized by Rate, classification and class. The technical and building data of each ship is followed by a concise summary of its career. With its unique depth of information, this is a work of the utmost importance to every naval historian and general reader interested in the navy of the sailing era.