Nightingale Group

The Nightingale sixth rates were basically repeats of the Maidstone Group. Initially two vessels were ordered, however with one lost within months of completion a third vessel was ordered. The main difference between these and the Maidstones was the slight deck over the upper deck to improve defensibility. Their armament was similar as were the dimensions of the vessels. They were constructed between 1702 and 1704.[1]

Class overview
NameNightingale Group
Builders
Operators Royal Navy
Preceded byMaidstone Group
Succeeded byPurchased Group
Built1702–1704
In service1702–1724
Completed3
Lost2
Retired1
General characteristics
Type20-gun sixth rate
Tons burthen244+57⁄94 bm
Length
  • 93 ft 0 in (28.3 m) gundeck
  • 77 ft 8 in (23.7 m) keel for tonnage
Beam24 ft 4 in (7.4 m) for tonnage
Depth of hold10 ft 8 in (3.3 m)
Armament
  • 20 x 6 pdr guns on wooden trucks (UD)
  • 4 x 4 pdr guns on wooden trucks (QD)

Design and specifications

The construction of the vessels was assigned to naval dockyards. As with most vessels of this time period only order and launch dates are available. Each ship was built to the Maidstone Group generalized specification with dimensional creep accruing in all vessels. The dimensional data listed here is the general specification, whereas the actual dimensions where known will be listed with each ship. The general specification called for a gundeck of 93 feet 0 inches (28.3 metres) with a keel length of 77 feet 8 inches (23.7 metres) for tonnage calculation. The breadth would be 24 feet 4 inches (7.4 metres) for tonnage with a depth of hold of 10 feet 8 inches (3.3 metres). The tonnage calculation would be 244+57⁄94.[2]

The gun armament as established in 1703 would be twenty 6-pounder cannon mounted on wooden trucks on the upper deck with four 3-pounder guns on the quarterdeck.[3]

Ships of the Nightingale Group
NameBuilderLaunch dateRemarks
Nightingale (1702)Chatham Dockyard16 December 1702
  • taken by French 1707
  • retaken and renamed Fox 1708
  • Broken up at Deptford 2 March 1724
Squirrel (1703) iPortsmouth DockyardJune 1703Captured by French privateers 21 September 1703
Squirrel (1704) iiPortsmouth DockyardOctober 1704captured by French privateers 7 July 1706, then recaptured 1708 and foundered

Notes

    Citations
    1. Winfield
    2. Winfield
    3. Winfield

    References
    • Colledge, 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, e ISBN 978-1-5267-9328-7 (EPUB)
    • Winfield, British Warships in the Age of Sail (1603 – 1714), by Rif Winfield, published by Seaforth Publishing, England © 2009, EPUB ISBN 9781783469246, Chapter 6, The Sixth Rates, Vessels acquired from 18 December 1688, Sixth Rates of 20 guns and up to 26 guns, Nightingale Group
    This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.