British sloop 'Driver' (1797)

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Driver	3989
Nominal Guns	18	BWAS-1793
Nationality	Great Britain
Operator	Royal Navy
Ordered	18.1.1796	BWAS-1793
Launched	1797	BWAS-1793
How acquired	Built by Contract	BWAS-1793
Shipyard	Bermuda - North Atlantic Ocean	BWAS-1793
Ship Class	Dasher Class	BWAS-1793
Designed by	Goodrich	BWAS-1793
Constructor	Nathaniel Tynes	BWAS-1793
Category	Unrated	BWAS-1793
Ship Type	Sloop	BWAS-1793
Sailing Rig	Ship Rigged	BWAS-1793
Broken Up	24.7.1834	BWAS-1793

Dimensions

DimensionMeasurementTypeMetric EquivalentBWAS-1793
Length of Gundeck107' 0"Imperial Feet32.6136
Length of Keel83' 9 ½"Imperial Feet25.3111
Breadth29' 11"Imperial Feet8.842
Depth in Hold9' 9"Imperial Feet2.9718
Burthen398 ⁸⁵⁄₉₄Tons BM

Armament

1797Broadside Weight = 201 Imperial Pound ( 91.1535 kg)BWAS-1793
Upper Gun Deck16 British 24-Pound Carronade
Upper Gun Deck2 British 9-Pounder

Crew Complement

Date# of MenNotesSource
18.1.179680Design Complement

18 Commanding Officers

DatesRankNameSource
8.1798 - 2.11.1798CommanderJohn SeaterBWAS-17932.11.1798 - 1799CommanderThomas Hannaford Hurd (1747-1823)BWAS-179311.1799 - 1801CommanderJames DunbarBWAS-17937.1802 - 30.8.1803CommanderFrancis William Fane (d.1844)BWAS-179330.8.1803 - 1804LieutenantWilliam Compton (d.1804)BWAS-17931804 - 1.1805CaptainWilliam LyallBWAS-17931.1805 - 22.1.1806CommanderJohn Surman Carden (1771-1858)BWAS-179322.1.1806 - 22.9.1806CommanderRobert SimpsonBWAS-179322.9.1806 - 2.1807CommanderCharles ClaridgeBWAS-17932.1807 - 1808CommanderWilliam LoveBWAS-17937.1808 - 8.1809CommanderCharles ClaridgeBWAS-17938.1808 - 12.1.1810CommanderGeorge Paris Monke (d.1828)BWAS-17931810CommanderJohn LawrenceBWAS-179312.1.1810 - 12.1810CommanderThomas Swinnerton DyerBWAS-17938.1815 - 19.9.1815CommanderAlgernon Percy (1792-1865)NBD18498.1815 - 12.1817CommanderJohn RossBWAS-179312.1817 - 1821CommanderCharles Hope ReidBWAS-17931821 - 10.1821CommanderThomas WolrigeBWAS-1793

3 Commissioned Officers

DatesRankNameSource
1810LieutenantProvo William Parry Wallis (1791-1892)NBD184928.6.1810 - 1811LieutenantBenjamin John Bray (1786-1846)NBD184919.7.1822 - 1823CommanderCharles BowenBWAS-1714

Service History

DateEventSource
27.1.1799Arrived at SheernessBWAS-1793
27.1.1799Began making good defects at Sheerness Dockyard - Sheerness BWAS-1793
21.4.1799Completed making good defects at Sheerness Dockyard - Sheerness at a cost of £2614.0.0dBWAS-1793
10.1799Took the Privateer Le Barras (14) ref:692
2.1803Began fitting at Woolwich Dockyard - Woolwich BWAS-1793
4.1803Completed fitting at Woolwich Dockyard - Woolwich BWAS-1793
12.6.1807Took the Schooner Boladora
10.2.1809Capture of the Junon
10.2.1809Took the Frigate La Junon (36) off the Saintes
12.1810Laid up at PortsmouthBWAS-1793
6.1814Began middling repair at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth BWAS-1793
9.1814Completed middling repair at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth BWAS-1793
9.1815fitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth BWAS-1793
10.1821Paid off at PortsmouthBWAS-1793
8.1824fitting as a Coal Depot at Deptford Dockyard - Deptford BWAS-1793
1825fitting as a Convict Ship at UnknownBWAS-1793
1833Coal hulk at WoolwichBWAS-1793
1833Refitted as a Other Vessels Coal Depot
24.7.1834Broken up completed at DeptfordBWAS-1793

Sources

IDNameAuthorType

BWAS-1793Rif Winfield, Book

NBD1849O'Brien, Digital Book

BWAS-1714Rif Winfield, Book

ref:692J. J. Salein, Web Site

Previous comments on this page

Posted by Cy on Sunday 1st of September 2019 11:35

I think it highy unlikely that the Driver was named in honour of anything, other than a vague concept. Certainly I can find no reference to such.
BTW, Driver is not the class ship, but a sloop of the Dasher class, follow the link on the page for more info

Posted by WILLIAM DRIVER on Sunday 1st of September 2019 04:56

Would appreciate any answer to naming of these 2 classes of RN sloops? What person, event, or object is the "Driver" class of ships named for? In that my family name is Driver, I have a mild interest in its origin.

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