HMS Ludlow (1698)

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

HMS Ludlow was a 32-gun fifth rate built by Mrs. Anne Mundy of Woodbridge in 1697/98.

History
England
Name	HMS Ludlow
Ordered	1697
Builder	Mrs. Anne Mundy, Woodbridge
Launched	12 September 1698
Commissioned	1699
Captured	16 January 1703
Fate	Captured by French off Goree
General characteristics as built
Class and type	32-gun fifth rate
Tons burthen	3825⁄94 tons (bm)
Length	108 ft 0 in (32.92 m) gundeck 90 ft 0 in (27.43 m) keel for tonnage
Beam	28 ft 3 in (8.61 m)
Depth of hold	10 ft 7 in (3.23 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Complement	145/110
Armament	as built 32 guns 4/4 × demi-culverins (LD) 22/20 × 6-pdr guns (UD) 6/4 × 4-pdr guns (QD)

She was the first vessel to bear the name Ludlow in the English and Royal Navy.^[1]

Construction and specifications

She was ordered in 1697 to be built under contract by Mrs. Anne Mundy of Woodbridge. She was launched on 12 September 1698. Her dimensions were a gundeck of 108 feet 0 inches (32.92 metres) with a keel of 90 feet 0 inches (27.43 metres) for tonnage calculation with a breadth of 28 feet 3 inches (8.61 metres) and a depth of hold of 10 feet 7 inches (3.23 metres). Her builder's measure tonnage was calculated as 3825⁄94 tons (burthen).^[2]

The gun armament initially was four demi-culverins^{[3][Note 1]} on the lower deck (LD) with two pair of guns per side. The upper deck (UD) battery would consist of between twenty and twenty-two 6-pounder guns^{[4][Note 2]} with ten or eleven guns per side. The gun battery would be completed by four 4-pounder guns^{[5][Note 3]} on the quarterdeck (QD) with two to three guns per side.^[6]

Commissioned Service 1699-1703

She was commissioned in 1699 under the command of Captain Henry Lumley for service in North America and in the West Indies. In 1703 he was replaced by Captain William Cock remaining in the West Indies.^[2]

Loss

She was taken by the 40-gun Frenchman L' Adroit off Gorre on 16 January 1703 losing 30 personnel killed and wounded.^[2]

Notes

1. 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
2. A 6-pounder was a Dutch gun used to replace the saker
3. A minion renamed the 4-pounder 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

1. Colledge (2020)
2. Winfred 2009, Ch 5, The Fifth Rates, Vessels acquired from 16 December 1688, Fifth Rates of 32 and 36 guns, 1694 Programme, Ludlow
3. Lavery (1989), Part V, Ch 18, culverins, page 101
4. Lavery (1989), Part V, Ch 18, The 6-pounder, page 102
5. Lavery (1989), Part V, Ch 18, Minion or 4-pounder, page 103
6. Winfred 2009, Ch 5, The Fifth Rates, Vessels acquired from 16 December 1688, Fifth Rates of 32 and 36 guns, 1694 Programme

References

• Winfield (2009), British Warships in the Age of Sail (1603 – 1714), by Rif Winfield, published by Seaforth Publishing, England © 2009, EPUB ISBN 978-1-78346-924-6
• Colledge (2020), Ships of the Royal Navy, by J.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
• Lavery (1989), The Arming and Fitting of English Ships of War 1600 – 1815, by Brian Lavery, published by US Naval Institute Press © Brian Lavery 1989, ISBN 978-0-87021-009-9, Part V Guns, Type of Guns
• Clowes (1898), The Royal Navy, A History from the Earliest Times to the Present (Vol. II). London. England: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, © 1898