HMS Dartmouth (1698)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Dartmouth.

HMS Dartmouth was a 50-gun fourth-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, one of eight such ships authorised by the Navy Board on 24 December 1695 to be newly built (six by commercial contract and two in the Royal Dockyards); the others were the Hampshire, Winchester, Salisbury, Worcester, Jersey, Carlisle and Tilbury. The contract for the Dartmouth was signed in 1696 with shipbuilder James Parker, for the ship to be built in his site in Southampton, taking the name of the previous Dartmouth of 1693 (which had been captured by the French in 1695), and she was launched there on 3 March 1698.^[1]

The sinking of HMS Dartmouth, during the chase and capture of Glorioso, 8 October 1747
History
Great Britain
Name	HMS Dartmouth
Ordered	24 December 1695
Builder	James Parker, Southampton
Launched	3 March 1698
Out of service	8 October 1747
Fate	Blew up and sank in action on 8 October 1747
General characteristics as built[1][2]
Class & type	50-gun fourth-rate ship of the line
Tons burthen	681 47⁄94 bm
Length	131 ft 3+3⁄4 in (40.0 m) (gundeck) 108 ft 10+1⁄2 in (33.2 m) (keel)
Beam	34 ft 3+1⁄2 in (10.5 m)
Depth of hold	13 ft 6+1⁄2 in (4.1 m)
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Armament	50 guns of various weights of shot
General characteristics after 1716 rebuild[3][4]
Class & type	1706 Establishment 50-gun fourth-rate ship of the line
Tons burthen	711 67⁄94 bm
Length	130 ft 3 in (39.7 m) (gundeck) 108 ft 9 in (33.1 m) (keel)
Beam	35 ft 1 in (10.7 m)
Depth of hold	14 ft 4 in (4.4 m)
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Armament	50 guns (see 1741 rebuild)
General characteristics after 1741 rebuild[5][6]
Class & type	1733 proposals 50-gun fourth-rate ship of the line
Tons burthen	856 48⁄94 bm
Length	134 ft (40.8 m) (on gundeck) 108 ft 2 in (33.0 m) (keel)
Beam	38 ft 7 in (11.8 m)
Depth of hold	15 ft 9 in (4.8 m)
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Armament	50 guns Gundeck: 22 × 18-pounder guns Upper gundeck: 22 × 9-pounder guns QD: 4 × 6-pounder guns Fc: 2 × 6-pounder guns

Career

The Dartmouth was ordered on 3 March 1714 to be rebuilt according to the 1706 Establishment at Woolwich Dockyard, where she was re-launched on 7 August 1716^[3][4] and formed part of the naval task force sent to Scotland to help subdue the Jacobite rising of 1719. The ship was taken to pieces at Sheerness Dockyard in September 1733, in order to be rebuilt again, and on 8 October 1736 the material was ordered to be sent to Woolwich Dockyard, where work commenced according to the 1733 proposals of the 1719 Establishment.^[5] She was relaunched on 22 April 1741.^[6]

Fate

The Dartmouth (under the command of Captain James Hamilton) blew up, killing most of her crew (only 12 survivors), near Cape St Vincent on 8 October 1747 in action against the Spanish ship of the line Glorioso.^[6][7]

See also

• Voyage of the Glorioso