HMS Lynn (1696)

HMS Lynn was a 32-gun fifth rate built under contract by Thomas Ellis of Shoreham in 1695/96. She spent her entire career on trade protection and anti-piracy patrols. Her service was in Home Waters North America, the West Indies and the East Indies. She was sold in 1713.

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

History
Royal Navy EnsignEngland
NameHMS Lynn
Ordered3 May 1695
BuilderThomas Ellis, Shoreham
Launched24 April 1696
Commissioned1696
FateSold to Francis Sheldon 16 April 1713
General characteristics as built
Class and type32-gun fifth rate
Tons burthen37352⁄94 tons (bm)
Length
  • 107 ft 9.5 in (32.85 m) gundeck
  • 88 ft 0 in (26.82 m) keel for tonnage
Beam28 ft 3 in (8.61 m)
Depth of hold10 ft 8.5 in (3.26 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 Lynn in the English and Royal Navy.[1]

Construction and Specifications

She was ordered on 16 February 1694 to be built under contract by Mr. Flint of Plymouth. She was launched on 20 April 1695. Her dimensions were a gundeck of 109 feet 0 inches (33.22 metres) with a keel of 88 feet 0 inches (26.82 metres) for tonnage calculation with a breadth of 28 feet 8 inches (8.74 metres) and a depth of hold of 10 feet 6 inches (3.20 metres). Her builder’s measure tonnage was calculated as 38462⁄94 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 1696-1712

HMS Lynn was commissioned in 1696 under the command of Captain Horatio Townsend for service in Irish Waters in 1697. In 1698 she went to the West Indies where Captain Townsend died on 12 March 1699. Captain Edmund Letchmere took command following his death on 16 March 1699 and was assigned to Sir George Rooke's Fleet. Captain Letchmere was reappointed on 9 July 1700 then again on 26 May 1701. Captain John Watkins was in command in 1702. Between 1704 and 1705 Captain George Martin was in Command in the Leeward Islands. On 16 July 1706 Captain Sir George Forbes, the Earl of Grannard was assigned command. Captain Archibald Hamilton was in command at Barbados on 12 January 1707. On 28 February 1709 she was assigned Captain Henry Blinston as her commander for service in the Mediterranean. She sailed with Baker's squadron on the Portuguese coast in 1712.[2]

Disposition

She was sold to Francis Sheldon for £195[Note 4] on 16 April 1713.[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.
  4. A total cost accounting for inflation of approximately £30,900 in today's money

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, Lynn
  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
  • Clowes (1898), The Royal Navy, A History from the Earliest Times to the Present (Vol. III). London. England: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, © 1898
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