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HMS Britannia (1682)

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Britannia shown in two positions, painting by Isaac Sailmaker
History
Royal Navy EnsignGreat Britain
NameHMS Britannia
BuilderPhineas Pett II, Chatham Dockyard
Launched27 June 1682
FateBroken up, 1749
General characteristics as built[1]
Class & type100-gun first rate ship of the line
Tons burthen1620 7094 (bm)
Length167 ft 5 in (51.0 m) (gundeck)
Beam47 ft 4 in (14.4 m)
Depth of hold17 ft 2.5 in (5.2 m)
PropulsionSails
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Armament100 guns of various weights of shot
General characteristics after 1719 rebuild[2]
Class & type100-gun first rate ship of the line
Tons burthen18947794 (bm)
Length174 ft 6 in (53.2 m) (gundeck)
Beam50 ft 2 in (15.3 m)
Depth of hold20 ft 1 in (6.1 m)
PropulsionSails
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Armament100 guns of various weights of shot

HMS Britannia was a 100-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She was built by Phineas Pett II at Chatham Dockyard and launched on 27 June 1682.[3] Britannia was built under the "thirty ship program" that was authorised by parliament on 23 February 1677. On commissioning, she was found to be unstable due to insufficient draught. The remedial process of girdling was immediately applied. This involves applying an extra layer of planking below the waterline to increase the beam. Nevertheless, her performance remained unsatisfactory for the rest of her life. [4]: 10, 14 [5]: ch 6 [6]: 130 

On 19 May 1692 she was the allied fleet flagship at the Battle of Barfleur.[7]

In 1705 she took on board Charles III of Spain, when on her way to Catalonia[1]

In 1715, Britannia was ordered to be taken to pieces[1] and rebuilt at Woolwich Dockyard, from where she relaunched on 30 October 1719, again as a 100-gun first rate.[2]

Britannia was placed on harbour service in 1745, and was broken up in 1749.[2]

She was captained from 1734 to 1736 by Sir Tancred Robinson.[8]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Lavery, Ships of the Line, vol. 1, p. 162.
  2. ^ a b c Lavery, Ships of the Line, vol. 1, p. 165.
  3. ^ "No. 1734". The London Gazette. 27 June 1682. p. 2.
  4. ^ Endsor, Richard (2009). The Restoration warship: the design, construction and career of a third rate of Charles II's navy. Annapolis, Md: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 9781591147121.
  5. ^ }Davies, J. D. (2008). Pepys's Navy: Ships, Men and Warfare, 1649-1689. Havertown: Pen & Sword Books Limited. ISBN 9781848320147.
  6. ^ Adams, Jonathan (2013). A Maritime Archaeology of Ships: Innovation and Social Change in Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe. Oxford: Oxbow Books. ISBN 978-1-78297-045-3.
  7. ^ "The Battle of Barfleur, 19 May 1692". Roya Museums Greenwich. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  8. ^ "Sir Tancred Robinson (d. 1754)". Retrieved 3 December 2013.

References

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  • Lavery, Brian (1983) The Ship of the Line – Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-252-8.
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