| Essex | 134 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominal Guns | 56 | B028 | |
| Nationality | Great Britain | B028 | |
| Operator | The Royal Navy | B028 | |
| Ordered | 1652/04/01 | BWAS-1603 | |
| Named | 1652/11/06 | B135 | |
| Launched | 1653/04/18 | BWAS-1603 | |
| First Commissioned | 1653 | ||
| How acquired | Purpose built | BWAS-1603 | |
| Shipyard | Deptford Dockyard | B028 | |
| Constructor | Phineus Pett | B065 | |
| Category | Third Rate | B028 | |
| Ship Type | Ship of the Line | B028 | |
| Captured | 1666/06/04 | BWAS-1603 | |
| Becomes | Dutch fourth rate ship of the line 'Essex' (1666) | B028 | |
Dimensions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dimension | Measurement | Type | Metric Equivalent | B065 |
| Length of Keel | 118' 0" | Imperial Feet | 35.9664 | Breadth | 32' 3" | Imperial Feet | 9.8298 | Depth in Hold | 14' 0" | Imperial Feet | 4.2672 | Draught Aft | 17' 0" | Imperial Feet | 5.1816 | Burthen | 652 | Tons BM |
| Dimension | Measurement | Type | Metric Equivalent | BWAS-1603 |
| Length of Keel | 118' 0" | Imperial Feet | 35.9664 | Breadth | 32' 3" | Imperial Feet | 9.8298 | Depth in Hold | 14' 0" | Imperial Feet | 4.2672 | Burthen | 652 57⁄94 | Tons BM |
Armament | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1666 | Broadside Weight = 437 Imperial Pound ( 198.1796 kg) | BWAS-1603 | ||
| Gun Deck | 12 | British Demi-Cannon | ||
| Gun Deck | 28 | British Demi-Culverin | ||
| Gun Deck | 12 | British Culverin | ||
| Gun Deck | 4 | British Saker | ||
| Crew Complement | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | # of Men | Notes | Source |
| 1653 | 250 | BWAS-1603 | |
| 1660 | 200 | BWAS-1603 | |
| 1666 | 260 | Establishment for war abroad | BWAS-1603 |
| 1666 | 200 | Establishment for war at home | BWAS-1603 |
| 1666 | 160 | Establishment for peace | BWAS-1603 |
| Flag Officers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| From | To | Rank | Name | Source |
| 1653/06/02 | 1653/07 | General at Sea | Robert Blake | B146 |
| Commanders | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| From | To | Rank | Name | Source |
| 1653 | 1653/07 | Captain | William Brandley | BWAS-1603 |
| 1653/07 | 1654 | Captain | Robert Sanders | BWAS-1603 |
| 1654 | 1654 | Captain | John Bourne | BWAS-1603 |
| 1656 | 1657 | Captain | Jeremy Smith | BWAS-1603 |
| 1657 | 1657 | Captain | William Whitehorne | BWAS-1603 |
| 1659 | 1659 | Captain | John Hayward | BWAS-1603 |
| 1660 | 1661 | Captain | Thomas Bunn | B051 |
| 1663/08/07 | 1664/08/14 | Captain | James Smith† | B051 |
| 1664/09/20 | 1666/01/05 | Captain | Richard Utber | B051 |
| 1665/08/15 | 1666/06/04 | Captain | William Reeves | B051 |
| Service History | Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1653/06/02 | General Blake in the Essex set sail with the several ships with him who were this morning no lower down than Shoeburyness, the wind being Northerly and little wind | B146 |
| 1653/06/02 | Present at the Battle of the Gabbard | |
| 1653/09/06 | Off the coast of Holland | B146 |
| 1654 | John Bourne was appointed to sail in the Essex in command of a squadron of six ships destined for the protection of the Newfoundland fisheries | TRN2 |
| 1655 | Began repairs at Portsmouth Dockyard | BWAS-1603 |
| 1656 | Completed repairs at Portsmouth Dockyard | BWAS-1603 |
| 1659 | Operations in the Sound | BWAS-1603 |
| 1664 | In the Mediterranean | BWAS-1603 |
| 1665/06/03 | Present at the Battle of Lowestoft | |
| 1666/06/01 | Present at the Four Days Battle | |
| Fleets | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| From | Until | Fleet | Fleet Commander | Source | 1659 | 1659 | British Baltic Fleet 1659 | Lord Edward Montagu |
| Sources | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ID | Description | Author | Type |
| B028 | Ships of the Royal Navy - Volume I | J. J. Colledge | Book |
| BWAS-1603 | British Warships in the Age of Sail 1603 - 1714 | Rif Winfield | Book |
| B135 | NRS Vol 030 - The First Dutch War - Vol III | Anderson | Digital Book |
| B065 | The Ship of the Line Vol I | Brian Lavery | Book |
| B146 | NRS Vol 041 - The First Dutch War - Vol V | C. T. Atkinson ed | Book |
| B051 | Biographia Navalis - Volume I | John Charnock | Book |
| TRN2 | The Royal Navy : a history from the earliest times to the present Vol II | William Laid Clowes | Digital Book |