British fireship 'Alecto' (1781)

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Alecto	2977
Nominal Guns	12
Nationality	Great Britain
Operator	Royal Navy
Ordered	1780
Keel Laid Down	3.1780
Launched	26.5.1781
First Commissioned	22.6.1781
How acquired	Purpose built
Shipyard	Dover - Kent
Ship Class	Tisiphone Class
Constructor	Thomas King (1739-1815)
Category	Unrated
Ship Type	Fireship
Sold	1802

Dimensions

DimensionMeasurementTypeMetric EquivalentBWAS-1714
Length of Gundeck108' 9"Imperial Feet32.947
Length of Keel90' 6 ¾"Imperial Feet27.4511
Breadth29' 7 ½"Imperial Feet8.8519
Depth in Hold9' 0"Imperial Feet2.7432
Draught Forward7' 6"Imperial Feet2.286
Draught Aft10' 6"Imperial Feet3.2004
Burthen422 ⁷²⁄₉₄Tons BM

Armament

26.5.1781Broadside Weight = 48 Imperial Pound ( 21.768 kg)BWAS-1714
Gun Deck8 British 12-Pounder

Crew Complement

Date# of MenNotesSource
177955Design Complement

16 Commanding Officers

DatesRankNameSource
22.6.1781 - 9.2.1782CommanderThe Hon. Mathew Fortescue (d.1842) ADM 6/22/303BWAS-17939.2.1782 - 22.4.1782CommanderRichard Fisher ADM 6/22/408BWAS-179322.4.1782 - 20.6.1783CommanderThomas Butler ADM 6/23/81
Issued by George Brydges Rodney (Baronet ) (1719-1792), Barbados - Windward Islands - Barbados & the Leeward Islands
Commission confirmed 9.6.1783BWAS-179326.8.1789 - 27.3.1790CommanderRobert Allaster Forbes (d.1795) ADM 6/23/541ADM 6/2321.9.1790 - 1790CommanderDaniel Folliott ADM 6/24/69ADM 6/245.7.1794CommanderJohn Bazely ADM 6/25/56ADM 6/256.7.1794CommanderJames Walker (1764-1831) ADM 6/25/56ADM 6/256.7.1794CommanderChapman Jacobs ADM 6/25/56ADM 6/255.1798 - 1.1799CommanderJohn Allen (1774-1854)BWAS-17937.12.1798 - 4.1.1799CommanderThomas Bladen Capel (1776-1853)NAO2.1799 - 6.1799CommanderHenry GarrettNAO7.1799 - 10.1799CommanderLennox ThompsonBWAS-179310.1799 - 5.1800CommanderChristopher Bassett Jones (d.1805)BWAS-17935.1800 - 11.8.1800CommanderPeter Turner Bover (1772-1802)BWAS-179326.8.1800 - 9.1801CommanderRobert O'Brien (d.1838)BWAS-17939.1801 - 1802CommanderRobert CathcartBWAS-1793

1 Commissioned Officer

DatesRankNameSource
8.7.1799 - 1799LieutenantFrancis Mason (1779-?)RNB1823

Service History

DateEventSource
3.1780Began building at Dover - Kent BWAS-1714
26.5.1781Completed building at Dover - Kent at a cost of £9700.15.1dBWAS-1714
6.1781Commissioned for the ChannelBWAS-1714
13.6.1781fitting at Deptford Dockyard - Deptford BWAS-1714
11.2.1782Sailed for the Leeward IslandsBWAS-1714
12.4.1782Battle of the Saintes
19.4.1782Battle of the Mona Passage
4.1783Returned homeBWAS-1714
5.1783Paid off and laid up at PortsmouthBWAS-1714
4.1798fitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth at a cost of £5632.0.0dBWAS-1714
5.1798RecommissionedBWAS-1714
1.1799Guard ship at LymingtonBWAS-1714
6.3.1802Refitted as a 16 gun Unrated Floating Battery

Sources

IDNameAuthorType

BWAS-1714Rif Winfield, Book

BWAS-1793Rif Winfield, Book

ADM 6/23 Archive

ADM 6/24 Archive

ADM 6/25 Archive

NAOVarious, Web Site

RNB1823John Marshall, Digital Book

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