HMS Fowey (1696)

HMS Fowey was a 32-gun fifth rate built by Mr. Flint of Plymouth in 1695/96. She was employed in trade protection and counter-piracy patrols in Home Waters and North America. She was in on the capture of a 50-gun Frenchman while returning from Virginia. She was taken by the French off the Scilly Islands in August 1704.

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Fowey.

History
Royal Navy EnsignEngland
NameHMS Fowey
Ordered3 May 1695
BuilderThomas Burges & William Briggs, Shoreham
Launched7 May 1696
Commissioned1696
Captured1 August 1704
FateTaken by a squadron of seven French privateers
General characteristics as built
Class and type32-gun fifth rate
Tons burthen37748⁄94 tons (bm)
Length
  • 108 ft 0 in (32.92 m) gundeck
  • 89 ft 5.5 in (27.27 m) keel for tonnage
Beam28 ft 2 in (8.59 m)
Depth of hold10 ft 6.5 in (3.21 m)
PropulsionSails
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Complement145/110
Armament
  • as built 32 guns
  • 4/4 x demi-culverins (LD)
  • 22/20 x 6-pdr guns (UD)
  • 6/4 x 4-pdr guns (QD)

She was the first vessel to bear the name Fowey in the English and Royal Navy.[1]

Construction and Specifications

She was ordered on 3 May 1695 to be built under contract by Thomas Burgess and William Briggs of Shoreham. She was launched on 7 May 1696. Her dimensions were a gundeck of 108 feet 0 inches (32.92 metres) with a keel of 89 feet 5.5 inches (27.27 metres) for tonnage calculation with a breadth of 28 feet 2 inches (8.59 metres) and a depth of hold of 10 feet 6.5 inches (3.21 metres). Her builder's measure tonnage was calculated as 37748⁄94 tons (burthen).[2]

The gun armament initially was four demi-culverins[3][Note 1] on the lower deck (LD) with two pair of guns per side. The upper deck (UD) battery would consist of between twenty and twenty-two 6-pounder guns[4][Note 2] with ten or eleven guns per side. The gun battery would be completed by four 4-pounder guns[5][Note 3] on the quarterdeck (QD) with two to three guns per side.[6]

Commissioned Service 1696-1704

She was commissioned in 1696 under the command of Captain Charles Brittiff. In 1697 sge was under Captain Richard Culliford and stationed at the Nore in the mouth of the River Thames. She sailed to New York in 1698. In 1700 she came under the command of Commander Thomas Legge for service in North America and the West Indies. In 1703, Captain Richard Browne assumed command. In concert with the 60-gun Dreadnought and the 50-gun Falkland She took a 50-gun ship in June 1704.[7] She sailed with a Virginia convoy in 1704.[2]

Loss

She was taken by a squadron of seven French privateers off the Isles of Scilly on 12 August 1704.[2][8]

In French Service 1704-1711

The French recorded dimensions were a length of 104 feet (32 meters) with a breadth of 26 feet (7.9 meters) and a depth of hold of 10 feet (3.0 meters). Her calculated tonnage was 250 tons. She had a draught of 12 to 12.5 feet (3.7 to 3.8 meters). Her armament in French service was four 12-pounder guns on the lower deck, with twenty 6-pounder guns on the upper deck, and six 3-pounder guns on the quarterdeck. Her manning was between 160/150 men with 4/5 officers.[8]

In French service she was renamed Le Fouey and spent her time in coast guard service with the French Navy. She was hulked at Brest in 1713 and broken in 1720.[8]

Notes
  1. A demi-culverin was a gun of 3,400 pounds with a four inch bore firing a 9.5 pound shot with an eight pound powder charge
  2. A 6-ponder was a Dutch gun used to replace the saker
  3. A minion renamed the 4-pounder was a gun of 1,000 pounds with a 3.5 inch bore firing a 4 pound shot with an 4 pound powder charge.

Citations
  1. Colledge (2020)
  2. Winfred 2009, Ch 5, The Fifth Rates, Vessels acquired from 16 December 1688, Fifth Rates of 32 and 36 guns, 1694 Programme, Fowey
  3. Lavery (1989), Part V, Ch 18, culverins, page 101
  4. Lavery (1989), Part V, Ch 18, The 6-pounder, page 102
  5. Lavery (1989), Part V, Ch 18, Minion or 4-pounder, page 103
  6. Winfred 2009, Ch 5, The Fifth Rates, Vessels acquired from 16 December 1688, Fifth Rates of 32 and 36 guns, 1694 Programme
  7. Clowes (1898), Chapter XXIV, page 506
  8. Roberts 2017, French Warships in the Age of Sail 1626-1786, Chapter 5, The Fifth Rank, © Vessels Acquired from 16 April 1689, E-English Prizes 1703-1705, Fouey, page 203

References
  • Winfield (2009), British Warships in the Age of Sail (1603 – 1714), by Rif Winfield, published by Seaforth Publishing, England © 2009, EPUB ISBN 978-1-78346-924-6
  • Colledge (2020), Ships of the Royal Navy, by J.J. Colledge, revised and updated by Lt Cdr Ben Warlow and Steve Bush, published by Seaforth Publishing, Barnsley, Great Britain, © 2020, EPUB ISBN 978-1-5267-9328-7
  • Lavery (1989), The Arming and Fitting of English Ships of War 1600 - 1815, by Brian Lavery, published by US Naval Institute Press © Brian Lavery 1989, ISBN 978-0-87021-009-9, Part V Guns, Chapter 18, Type of Guns
  • Clowes (1898), The Royal Navy, A History from the Earliest Times to the Present (Vol. II). London. England: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, © 1898
  • Roberts (2017), French Warships in the Age of Sail 1626–1786, by Rif Winfield & Stephen S. Roberts, published by Seaforth Publishing, Barnsley, Great Britain, © 2017, ISBN 978-1-4738-9353-5 (Epub)
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