HMS Hastings (1698)

HMS Hastings was a 32-gun fifth rate built by Isaac Betts of Woodbridge in 1696/98. She was employed in convoy service, trade protection and counter piracy patrols. She was wrecked off Greater Yarmouth in February 1707.

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

History
Royal Navy EnsignEngland
NameHMS Hastings
Ordered1696
BuilderIsaac Betts, Woodbridge
Launched17 May 1698
Commissioned1698
FateWrecked in a storm near Great Yarmouth 9 February 1707
General characteristics as built
Class and type32-gun fifth rate
Tons burthen38132⁄94 tons (bm)
Length
  • 108 ft 4 in (33.02 m) gundeck
  • 89 ft 10 in (27.38 m) keel for tonnage
Beam28 ft 3 in (8.61 m)
Depth of hold10 ft 6 in (3.20 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 second vessel to bear the name Hastings since it was used for a 32-gun fifth rate built by Thomas Ellis of Shoreham on 5 February 1695 then wrecked 1697 off Waterford.[1]

Construction and Specifications

She was ordered on 1696 to be built under contract by Isaac Betts of Woodbridge. She was launched on 17 May 1698. Her dimensions were a gundeck of 108 feet 4 inches (33.02 metres) with a keel of 89 feet 10 inches (27.38 metres) for tonnage calculation with a breadth of 28 feet 3 inches (8.61 metres) and a depth of hold of 10 feet 6 inches (3.20 metres). Her builder's measure tonnage was calculated as 38132⁄94 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 1698-1707

She was commissioned in 1698 under the command of Captain Richard White (died 7 July 1700). She sailed in early 1699 for the East Indies. Captain Edward Rumsey took command on 1 September 1699 to return to Home Waters. In 1702 she was under Captain Richard Culliford for patrolling the Bristol Channel. He was followed by Captain Thomas Kenney in 1703. Captain Charles Parsons took command on 6 April 1704 then Captain Philip Stanhope on 7 November 1704. She sailed to Guinea on the east coast of Africa in 1705. Later that year Commander Francis Vaughan took command for convoy service in the North Sea.[2]

Loss

She was wrecked in a storm near Great Yarmouth on 9 February 1707. Only 24 personnel survived the sinking. Captain Vaughan was drowned in the mishap.[2]

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, Hastings
  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

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, 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
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