Lyme-class frigate

The Lyme class were a class of two 24-gun sixth-rate frigates of the Royal Navy. They served during the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War.

Class overview
NameLyme
Operators Royal Navy
Succeeded byLowestoffe class
Built1747–1749
In service1749–1771
Completed2
Lost1
Retired1
General characteristics
Type24-gun (later 28-gun) sixth-rate frigate
Tons burthen581+5094 bm
Length
  • 117 ft 10 in (35.9 m) (overall)
  • 96 ft 5.5 in (29.4 m) (keel)
Beam33 ft 8 in (10.3 m)
Depth of hold10 ft 2 in (3.10 m)
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Complement160 (raised to 180 on 22 September 1756, and to 200 on 11 November 1756)
Armament
  • 28 guns:
  • Upper gundeck: 24 × 9 pdrs
  • Quarterdeck: 4 × 3 pdrs (after 22 September 1756) + 12 × ½pdr swivels after 11 November 1756

They were built to the draught of a French privateer named Le Tygre, which had been captured earlier in 1747. They were initially rated as 24-gun ships, in spite of having four 3-pdr guns mounted on the quarterdeck, as well as the twenty-four 9-pdr guns forming their primary battery on the upper deck. However, in 1756 they were re-classed as 28-gun ships. They are normally seen as the first true sailing frigates to be built for the Royal Navy.

Ships in class

References

  • David Lyon, "The Sailing Navy List", Brasseys Publications, London 1993.
  • Rif Winfield, "British Warships in the Age of Sail, 1714 to 1792", Seaforth Publishing, London 2007. ISBN 978-1-84415-700-6
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