British Third Rate ship of the line 'Excellent' (1787)

Three Decks' Forum

Come and ask, answer or inform.

Recent updates

Excellent	4160
Nominal Guns	74	BWAS-1714
Nationality	Great Britain
Operator	Royal Navy
Ordered	9.8.1781	BWAS-1714
Keel Laid Down	3.1782	BWAS-1714
Acquired	27.11.1787	BWAS-1714
First Commissioned	7.1790
Shipyard	Harwich - Essex	BWAS-1714
Ship Class	Edgar Class
Designed by	Sir Thomas Slade (1703-1771)	BWAS-1714
Constructor	Joseph Graham	BWAS-1714
Category	Third Rate	BWAS-1714
Ship Type	Ship of the Line
Sailing Rig	Ship Rigged
Broken Up	10.1835	BWAS-1714

Dimensions

DimensionMeasurementTypeMetric EquivalentBWAS-1714
Length of Gundeck168' 0"Imperial Feet51.2064
Length of Keel138' 0"Imperial Feet42.0624
Breadth46' 11"Imperial Feet14.025
Depth in Hold19' 9"Imperial Feet5.8166
Burthen1,615 ⁷¹⁄₉₄Tons BM

Armament

27.11.1787Broadside Weight = 781 Imperial Pound ( 354.1835 kg)BWAS-1793
Lower Gun Deck28 British 32-Pounder
Upper Gun Deck28 British 18-Pounder
Quarterdeck14 British 9-Pounder
Forecastle4 British 9-Pounder

Crew Complement

Date# of MenNotesSource
25.8.1774550Design Complement

15 Commanding Officers

DatesRankNameSource
30.7.1790 - 9.12.1790CaptainJohn Gell (d.1806): on board from 3.8.1790 ADM 6/24/56BWAS-171429.8.1793 - 20.3.1794CaptainThe Hon. William Clement Finch (1753-1794) ADM 6/24/264BWAS-171420.3.1794 - 15.4.1794CaptainRichard Rodney Bligh (1737-1821) ADM 6/25/21ref:98917.4.1794 - 14.5.1794CaptainJohn Samuel Smith ADM 6/25/33BWAS-171414.5.1794 - 15.5.1794CaptainRichard King (1774-1834)NAO27.5.1794 - 10.1794CaptainJohn Whitby (d.1806) ADM 6/25/45BWAS-171410.1794 - 12.1794CaptainWilliam Mitchell (1746-1816)BWAS-17145.12.1794 - 14.1.1799CaptainCuthbert Collingwood (1750-1810): on board from 21.12.1794 ADM 6/25/114BWAS-17147.1799 - 4.1802CaptainRobert Stopford (1768-1847)BWAS-17144.1802 - 5.1802CaptainJohn NashBWAS-17145.1802Acting CaptainRobert TuckerBWAS-17145.1802 - 7.1803CaptainJohn NashBWAS-17147.1803 - 1806CaptainFrank SotheronBWAS-17142.1807 - 1809CaptainJohn West (1774-1862)BWAS-17141844CommanderHenry Bagot (1810-?)NBD1849

1 Flag Officer

DatesRankNameSource
3.6.1794 - 6.8.1794Rear-Admiral of the RedThe Hon. William Cornwallis (1744-1819)BWAS-1714

10 Commissioned Officers

DatesRankNameSource
31.10.1793 - 13.6.1794LieutenantThe Hon. Courtnay Boyle (1770-1844)ref:6166.1798 - 6.1799LieutenantWilliam Pryce Cumby (1771-1837)ref:61624.9.1803 - 16.11.1804LieutenantLucius Curtis (1786-?)NBD184922.1.1806 - 1807LieutenantWilliam Apreece (d.1859)NBD184910.4.1832 - 15.10.1833LieutenantWilliam Hoseason (1801-1877)W02514.4.1832 - 1832LieutenantHenry Bagot (1810-?)NBD18497.11.1832 - 1.3.1834LieutenantGeorge BottNBD184929.10.1840 - 4.3.1845First LieutenantWilliam AustinNBD184915.2.1843 - 16.5.1843LieutenantEdward David AsheNBD18493.8.1844 - 25.1.1845LieutenantHerbert Grey Austen (1816-?)BWAS-1793

1 Warrant Officer

DatesRatingNameSource
2.11.1786 - 2.8.1790BoatswainDavid OgilvieADM29-1

6 Petty Officers

DatesRatingNameSource
1794 - 10.1794MidshipmanSir Thomas Brown (d.1851)NBD18491799 - 29.4.1802Master's MateGeorge William BrownNBD18499.1799 - 12.1802MidshipmanJohn Thomas Young (1782-1848)NBD18491.1810 - 3.1810MidshipmanEdwin Ludlow RichNBD184910.1834 - 1836Master's MateJames Crawford Caffin (1812-1883)NBD18491841 - 8.6.1846Master's MateFrancis Beaufort Quin (d.1848)NBD1849

1 Crewman

DatesRatingNameSource
13.8.1802 - 7.18061st Class VolunteerEdward Brown Addis (1790-1866)NBD1849

Service History

DateEventSource
11.1787Began coppering and fitting at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham BWAS-1714
12.1787Completed at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham at a cost of £29746.16.11dBWAS-1714
12.1787Completed coppering and fitting at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham at a cost of £8723.15.9dBWAS-1714
9.1790fitting at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham at a cost of £5432.1.7dBWAS-1714
9.12.1790Paid offADM 51
6.1794In the ChannelBWAS-1714
6.1794fitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth at a cost of £7053.0.0dBWAS-1714
7.1795Sailed to the MediterraneanBWAS-1714
14.2.17972nd Battle of Cape St Vincent
14.2.1797Took the Third Rate Ship of the Line San Isidro (74) at the 2nd Battle of Cape St Vincent
9.1797Flagship at the Blockade of CadizBWAS-1714
14.1.1799Paid offBWAS-1714
6.1799Began fitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth BWAS-1714
8.1799Completed fitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth at a cost of £13685.0.0dBWAS-1714
11.10.1799Took the Unrated Sloop L'Aréthuse (18) near Lorient
4.1802Sailed for the Leeward IslandsBWAS-1714
6.1803Began fitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth BWAS-1714
8.1803Completed fitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth at a cost of £14898.0.0dBWAS-1714
11.1803Joined the fleet of ToulonBWAS-1714
1806Operations in the Bay of NaplesBWAS-1714
9.1806Began refitting at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham BWAS-1714
3.1807Completed refitting at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham at a cost of £16267.0.0dBWAS-1714
28.7.1809Attack at Duino
9.4.1810Paid offADM 51
1.1812Began large repair at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth BWAS-1714
1.1814Into ordinaryBWAS-1714
1.1814Completed large repair at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth at a cost of £54416.0.0dBWAS-1714
11.5.1820Ordered converted to a Fourth Rate frigate.BWAS-1714
6.1825Receiving ship at PortsmouthBWAS-1714
6.1825Refitted as a Unrated Receiving Ship
12.1825Converted to a Fourth Rate frigate begun, but not completedBWAS-1714
1830Gunnery training hulk at PortsmouthBWAS-1714

Sources

IDDescriptionAuthorType

BWAS-1714Rif WinfieldBook

BWAS-1793Rif WinfieldBook

ref:989 Archive

NAOVariousWeb Site

NBD1849O'BrienDigital Book

ref:616Nicholas TracyBook

W025P DavisWeb Site

ADM29-1 Document

ADM 51 Archive

Previous comments on this page

Posted by Roger Hutchins on Wednesday 1st of August 2018 15:11

Petty Officers: Pascoe Dunn (1786-1826) Master's Mate serving as Acting Lieut on her "off Cadiz" August 1808, when appointed to take the Italian brig prize Ronco to a British port. (ADM 9/5/1401 (1817).

Make a comment about this page

Recent comments to other pages

Date posted	By	Page
Sunday 19th of May 2019 18:14	thomas henning	Sir George Elliot (1784-1863)
Saturday 11th of May 2019 20:50	M. Walker	British Other Vessels prison ship 'San Nicolas' (1797)
Thursday 9th of May 2019 19:52	Cy	William Dickson (c.1728-1803)
Thursday 9th of May 2019 17:06	Cy	William Dickson (c.1728-1803)
Thursday 9th of May 2019 17:04	Cy	William Dickson (c.1728-1803)

GDPR Statement