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History
Great Britain
NameHMS Nightingale
BuilderWilliam Johnson, Blackwall
Launched15 October 1706
Acquired28 July 1706
Commissioned1708
Out of service12 June 1716
FateSold for breaking
General characteristics
Class and type24-gun sixth-rate
Tons burthen25355/94 bm
Length
  • 90 ft 2 in (27.5 m) gundeck
  • 74 ft 0.5 in (22.6 m) keel for tonnage
Beam25 ft 4.5 in (7.7 m)
Depth of hold10 ft 6 in (3.2 m)
PropulsionSail
Sail planship-rigged
Complement115
Armament
  • 20 × 6-pdrs on upper deck
  • 4 × 4-pdrs guns on quarterdeck

HMS Nightingale was a 24-gun sixth-rate ship of the Royal Navy, purchased in 1706 and in service in North America and English waters until 1716.

Nightingale was the fourth named ship since it was used for a vessel captured in 1626 and listed until 1628.[1]

Specifications and construction[edit]

Initially intended for merchant service, the vessel was purchased for naval use while still under construction at London's Blackwall Yard on 2 August 1706.[2] She was launched on 9 September 1706.[3] Her gundeck was 98 feet 2 inches (29.9 metres) with her keel 74 feet 0.5 inches (22.6 metres) reported for tonnage. Her breadth was 25 feet 4.5 inches (7.7 metres). Her depth of hold was 10 feet 6 inches (3.2 metres). Her builder's Measure tonnage was 25355/94 tons. She carried a standardize armament of twenty 6-pounders on the upper deck (UD) and four 4-pounders on the quarterdeck. She was a full rigged ship.[4][5]

Commissioned service[edit]

She was commissioned as Nightingale in 1707 under the command of Commander Covill Mayne, RN for service in the Downs. She went to Newfoundland in 1708. In March 1709 she was under the command of Captain Charles Gay, RN for the North Sea. She was assigned to the Scottish coast in 1711. In January 1713 under Captain Ezekiel Wright she sailed for Maryland. She remained there until she returned in 1715.[6]

Disposition[edit]

She was sold for £257[Note 1] on 21 June 1716.[7]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ A total cost accounting for inflation of approximately £40,900 in today's money.

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ Colledge
  2. ^ Winfield 2009
  3. ^ Winfield 2007
  4. ^ Winfield 2009
  5. ^ Winfield 2007
  6. ^ Winfield 2007
  7. ^ Winfield 2009

References[edit]

  • 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, Chapter 6, The Sixth Rates, Vessels acquired from 2 May 1660, Purchased Vessels (1706), Nightingale
  • Winfield 2007, British Warships in the Age of Sail (1714 – 1792), by Rif Winfield, published by Seaforth Publishing, England © 2007, EPUB ISBN 978-1-78346-925-3, Chapter 6, Sixth Rates, Sixth Rates of 20 or 24 guns, Vessels in Service at 1 August 1714, Purchased Vessels (1706), Nightingale
  • Colledge, 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, Section A (Nightingale)

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