English ship Pearl (1651)
| History | |
|---|---|
 England[1] | |
| Name | Pearl |
| Ordered | early 1651 |
| Builder | Peter Pett, Ratcliffe, London |
| Launched | June 1651 |
| Commissioned | 1652 |
| Honours and awards |
|
| Fate | Sunk as a foundation (breakwater) in 1697 |
| General characteristics as built 1651 | |
| Type | 22-gun Fifth rate (later 32 guns) |
| Tons burthen | 28581⁄94 bm |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 25 ft 0 in (7.6 m) for tonnage |
| Draught | 12 ft 0 in (3.7 m) |
| Depth of hold | 10 ft 1 in (3.1 m) |
| Sail plan | ship-rigged |
| Complement |
|
| Armament |
|
The Pearl was a Fifth rate warship of the Commonwealth of England's naval forces, one of four such ships built under the 1651 Programme (the other three were the Mermaid, Primrose and Nightingale). She was built under contract at Peter Pett's shipyard at Ratcliffe, and was launched about June 1651. Her length on the gundeck was 103 feet 3 inches (31.5 metres) with a keel length of 86 feet 0 inches (26.2 metres) for tonnage calculation. The breadth was 25 feet 0 inches (7.6 metres) with a depth in hold of 10 ft 1 in (3.1 m). The tonnage was thus 28581⁄94 bm tons.[1] She was completed at an initial contract cost of £1,852.10.0d[Note 1] (or £6.10.0d per ton for the anticipated 280 tons bm)[Note 2] per ton.[1]
She was originally armed with 22 guns, comprising 18 demi-culverins on the single gundeck and 4 sakers on the quarterdeck, but by 1653 she had 26 guns (seemingly 4 more sakers added). After commissioning she took part in the Battle of the Kentish Knock on 28 September 1652, in the Battle of Portland in 18 February 1653 and the Battle of the Gabbard in June1653; later she was in Blake's fleet in the Mediterranean, including the Battle of Porto Farino off Tunis on 4 April 1655.
After the Stuart Restoration in 1660 she was taken into the new English Royal Navy, becoming HMS Pearl. By 1665 she still was nominally a 26-gun Fifth rate but she actually carried only sixteen demi-culverins, six sakers and 2 minions. Under the 1677 Establishment as a 30-gun vessel she carried eighteen demi-culverins,[Note 3] eight sakers[Note 4] and four minions.[Note 5] She was a 28-gun vessel under the 1685 Establishment with twelve demi-culverins, ten 6-pounders, four saker cutts and two 3-pounders.[1]
The Pearl took part in the Battle of Texel on 11 August 1673. In August 1688 she was re-classified as a fireship, but was reconverted to a Fifth rsate in 1689. she was sunk as a foundation (breakwater) at Sheerness Dockyard on 6 August 1697.[1]
Notes
[edit]- ^ The cost accounting for inflation of approximately £330,700 in reference to today.
- ^ The cost accounting for inflation of approximately £1,100 in reference to today.
- ^ A demi-culverin was a gun of 3,400 pounds with a four-inch bore firing a 9.5-pound shot with an eight-pound powder charge.
- ^ A sacar or saker was a gun of 1,400 pounds with a 3.5-inch bore firing a 5.5-pound shot with a 5.5-pound powder charge.
- ^ A minion was a gun of 1,000 pounds with a 3.5-inch bore firing a 4-pound shot with a 4-pound powder charge.
Citations
[edit]References
[edit]- Rif Winfield (2009), British Warships in the Age of Sail 1603 – 1714, by Rif Winfield, published by Seaforth Publishing, England © 2009, ISBN 978-1-84832-040-6, EPUB ISBN 978-1-78346-924-6, Chapter 5, The Fifth Rates
- Jim Colledge, Ships of the Royal Navy, by James J. Colledge, revised and updated by Lt Cdr Ben Warlow and Steve Bush, published by Seaforth Publishing, Barnsley, Great Britain, © 2020, EPUB ISBN 978-1-5267-9328-7, Section M (Mermaid)