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

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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	BWAS-1714
Shipyard	Harwich - Essex	BWAS-1714
Ship Class	Edgar Class	BWAS-1714
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	BWAS-1714
Sailing Rig	Ship Rigged	BWAS-1714
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 Ship Commanders

DatesRankNameSource
30.7.1790 - 9.12.1790Captain John 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 - 15.4.1794Captain Richard Rodney Bligh (1737-1821) Transfered ADM 6/25/21ADM 6/2517.4.1794 - 14.5.1794Captain John Samuel Smith ADM 6/25/33BWAS-171414.5.1794 - 15.5.1794Captain Richard King (1774-1834)NAO27.5.1794 - 10.1794Captain John Whitby (d.1806) ADM 6/25/45BWAS-171410.1794 - 12.1794Captain William Mitchell (1746-1816)BWAS-17145.12.1794 - 14.1.1799Captain Cuthbert Collingwood (1750-1810): on board from 21.12.1794 ADM 6/25/114BWAS-171414.7.1799 - 27.5.1802Captain Robert Stopford (1768-1847) Discharged ADM 196/68/191BWAS-17144.1802 - 5.1802Captain John NashBWAS-17145.1802Acting Captain Robert TuckerBWAS-17145.1802 - 7.1803Captain John NashBWAS-17147.1803 - 1806Captain Frank SotheronBWAS-17142.1807 - 1809Captain John West (1774-1862)BWAS-17141844Commander Henry Bagot (1810-?)NBD1849

1 Flag Officer

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

15 Commissioned Officers

DatesRankNameSource
30.7.1790 - 1790First Lieutenant John Gardiner ADM 6/24/56ADM 6/2430.7.1790 - 1790Second Lieutenant James Seward ADM 6/24/56ADM 6/2430.7.1790 - 1790Third Lieutenant Anthony Jepson (d.1807) ADM 6/24/56ADM 6/2430.7.1790 - 1790Acting Fourth Lieutenant Francis Corrie (d.1809) ADM 6/24/56ADM 6/2430.7.1790 - 1790Fifth Lieutenant James Macnamara ADM 6/24/56ADM 6/2431.10.1793 - 13.6.1794LieutenantThe Hon. Courtnay Boyle (1770-1844)ref:6166.1798 - 6.1799Lieutenant William Pryce Cumby (1771-1837)ref:61624.9.1803 - 16.11.1804Lieutenant Lucius Curtis (1786-?)NBD184922.1.1806 - 1807Lieutenant William Apreece (d.1859)NBD184910.4.1832 - 15.10.1833Lieutenant William Hoseason (1801-1877)W02514.4.1832 - 1832Lieutenant Henry Bagot (1810-?)NBD18497.11.1832 - 1.3.1834Lieutenant George BottNBD184929.10.1840 - 4.3.1845First Lieutenant William AustinNBD184915.2.1843 - 16.5.1843Lieutenant Edward David AsheNBD18493.8.1844 - 25.1.1845Lieutenant Herbert Grey Austen (1816-?)BWAS-1793

1 Warrant Officer

DatesRankNameSource
2.11.1786 - 2.8.1790Boatswain David OgilvieADM 29-1

6 Petty Officers

DatesRatingNameSource
1794 - 10.1794MidshipmanSir Thomas Brown (d.1851)NBD18491799 - 29.4.1802Master's Mate George William BrownNBD18499.1799 - 12.1802Midshipman John Thomas Young (1782-1848)NBD18491.1810 - 3.1810Midshipman Edwin Ludlow RichNBD184910.1834 - 1836Master's Mate James Crawford Caffin (1812-1883)NBD18491841 - 8.6.1846Master's Mate Francis Beaufort Quin (d.1848)NBD1849

1 Crewman

DatesRatingNameSource
13.8.1802 - 7.18061st Class Volunteer Edward 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 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 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

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).

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