British Fifth Rate ship of the line 'Roebuck' (1774)

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Roebuck	6230
Nominal Guns	44	BWAS-1714
Nationality	Great Britain
Operator	Royal Navy
Ordered	30.11.1769	BWAS-1714
Keel Laid Down	10.1770	BWAS-1714
Launched	28.4.1774	BWAS-1714
First Commissioned	4.7.1775	BWAS-1714
How acquired	Purpose built	BWAS-1714
Shipyard	Chatham Dockyard - Chatham	BWAS-1714
Ship Class	Roebuck Class	BWAS-1714
Designed by	Sir Thomas Slade (1703-1771)	BWAS-1714
Constructor	William Gray (d.1775)	BWAS-1714
Category	Fifth Rate	BWAS-1714
Ship Type	Ship of the Line	BWAS-1714
Sailing Rig	Ship Rigged	BWAS-1714
Broken Up	7.1811	BWAS-1714

Dimensions

DimensionMeasurementTypeMetric EquivalentBWAS-1714
Length of Gundeck140' 0"Imperial Feet42.672
Length of Keel115' 9"Imperial Feet35.0672
Breadth37' 9 ½"Imperial Feet11.2903
Depth in Hold16' 4"Imperial Feet4.8937
Burthen879 ²⁶⁄₉₄Tons BM

Armament

9.1775Broadside Weight = 285 Imperial Pound ( 129.2475 kg)BWAS-1714
Lower Gun Deck20 British 18-Pounder
Upper Gun Deck22 British 9-Pounder
Forecastle2 British 6-Pounder

Crew Complement

Date# of MenNotesSource
7.1775280 BWAS-1714
1783300 BWAS-1714

12 Commanding Officers

DatesRankNameSource
4.7.1775 - 2.7.1781CaptainAndrew Snape Hamond (1738-1828) ADM 6/21/101BWAS-17142.7.1781 - 8.4.1783CaptainSir John Orde (1751-1824) ADM 6/22/539
Issued by Thomas Graves (1725-1802), North America
Commission confirmed 11.11.1782BWAS-171424.6.1790 - 21.9.1790CommanderGeorge Lindsay (c.1737-1798) ADM 6/24/43BWAS-171422.9.1790 - 25.1.1793CommanderJames May (d.1808) ADM 6/24/70ADM 6/2419.9.1793 - 1793CommanderAndrew Christie ADM 6/24/268ADM 6/244.7.1795 - 2.1796CommanderDavid M'IverBWAS-17142.1796 - 22.7.1796LieutenantAlexander Saunderson Burrowes (d.1806)BWAS-171422.7.1796 - 11.1798CommanderAlexander Saunderson Burrowes (d.1806)BWAS-17147.1799 - 1.1802CommanderJohn Buchanan (d.1802)BWAS-17147.1.1802 - 22.4.1802CommanderJames Hawes (d.1804)BWAS-17147.1803 - 1805CaptainGeorge McKinleyBWAS-17143.1806 - 30.7.1811CaptainRichard Curry (1772-?)BWAS-1714

4 Flag Officers

DatesRankNameSource
4.1780 - 1781Vice-Admiral of the BlueMarriot Arbuthnot (1711-1794)BWAS-171411.1803 - 23.4.1804Vice-Admiral of the RedRichard Rodney Bligh (1737-1821)BWAS-171411.1805 - 1809Vice-Admiral of the BlueBilly Douglas (d.1817)BWAS-17141810 - 1811Rear-Admiral of the WhiteLord Alan Hyde Gardner (2^nd Baron Gardner of Uttoxeter) (1770-1815)BWAS-1714

5 Commissioned Officers

DatesRankNameSource
9.8.1775 - 9.10.1776First LieutenantHenry Sebastian Leeke (c.1736-1776) ADM 6/21/111ADM 6/2110.10.1776 - 23.4.1778Third LieutenantPeter Aplin (1753-1817) ADM 6/22/210
Issued by Lord Richard Howe (4^th Viscount Howe) (1725/26-1799), North America
Commission confirmed 15.12.1780ODNB8.1791LieutenantThe Hon. Courtnay Boyle (1770-1844)ref:6163.4.1804 - 6.12.1805LieutenantDavid Keys (d.1847)NBD18494.11.1810 - 21.6.1811LieutenantHenry BirdNBD1849

3 Petty Officers

DatesRatingNameSource
1775 - 23.4.1778MidshipmanAndrew Snape Douglas (1761-1797)ref:6161776 - 9.8.1776MidshipmanPeter Aplin (1753-1817)ref:67611.1805 - 1805Master's MateThomas BevisNBD1849

3 Crewmen

DatesRatingNameSource
5.1782 - 11.17841st Class VolunteerJohn Baker (1770-1845)NBD18491.4.1801 - 9.18011st Class VolunteerCharles James Beart (d.1861)NBD184910.12.1804 - 18041st Class VolunteerAlexander Aitkin (d.1874)NBD1849

Service History

DateEventSource
8.1775Began fitting at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham BWAS-1714
22.8.1775Completed fitting at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham at a cost of £495.1.4dBWAS-1714
4.9.1775Sailed for North AmericaBWAS-1714
9.10.1776In action in the Hudson RiverBWAS-1714
2.4.1777Took the Schooner Defence (12)
5.4.1777Took the Sloop Sachem (10)
22.7.1778Encounter at Sandy Hook
11.8.1778Howe's encounter with d'Estaing
2.1779Began coppering at Woolwich Dockyard - Woolwich BWAS-1714
24.2.1779Took the Privateer Revenge
4.1779Completed coppering at Woolwich Dockyard - Woolwich at a cost of £4848.7.6dBWAS-1714
5.12.1779Took the Ship Lady Washington (16)
1.1780Operations against Charleston
14.4.1781Action of 1781-04-14
14.4.1781Took the Frigate Confederacy (36)
5.5.1781Took the Ship Protector (26)
4.2.1782Took the Privateer La Providence
3.1782Returned to England and stationed in the North SeaBWAS-1714
4.1783Paid offBWAS-1714
9.1783Began middling repair at Sheerness Dockyard - Sheerness BWAS-1714
10.1783SurveyedBWAS-1714
2.1785Completed middling repair at Sheerness Dockyard - Sheerness at a cost of £11388.0.10dBWAS-1714
10.1788Began fitting at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham BWAS-1714
6.1790RecommissionedBWAS-1714
6.1790Refitted as a Unrated Hospital Ship
7.1790Completed fitting at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham at a cost of £1814.0.0dBWAS-1714
9.1791Paid offBWAS-1714
9.1793Recommissioned as a troop shipBWAS-1714
9.1793Refitted as a Unrated Troop Ship
26.11.1793Sailed for the Leeward IslandsBWAS-1714
6.7.1796Took the Privateer Baataf off Barbados
19.2.1798Took the Privateer La Parfaite off Martinique
11.1798Returned to EnglandBWAS-1714
4.1799Began fitting at Deptford Dockyard - Deptford BWAS-1714
7.1799Recommissioned as a troopship for the MediterraneanBWAS-1714
7.1799Completed fitting at Deptford Dockyard - Deptford at a cost of £10044.0.0dBWAS-1714
5.1802Paid off into ordinary at WoolwichBWAS-1714
7.1803Recommissioned as a guard ship at LeithBWAS-1714
7.1803Began fitting at Woolwich Dockyard - Woolwich BWAS-1714
9.1803Completed fitting at Woolwich Dockyard - Woolwich at a cost of £4201.0.0dBWAS-1714
9.1805Guardship at Great YarmouthBWAS-1714
7.1811Broken up at SheernessBWAS-1714

Sources

IDNameAuthorType

BWAS-1714Rif Winfield, Book

ADM 6/24 Archive

ADM 6/21 Archive

ODNBOxford University Press, Web Site

ref:616Nicholas Tracy, Book

NBD1849O'Brien, Digital Book

ref:676 Web Site

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