HMS ''Argo'' was a 28-gun
sixth-rate
In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a sixth-rate was the designation for small warships mounting between 20 and 28 carriage-mounted guns on a single deck, sometimes with smaller guns on the upper works and ...
frigate
A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat.
The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
of the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
. The ship was one of the , designed by
Sir Thomas Slade
Sir Thomas Slade (1703/4–1771) was an English naval architect, most famous for designing HMS ''Victory'', Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
Early life
He was the son of Arthur Slade (1682–1746) and his wife Hannah ...
as a development of based on , "with such alterations as may tend to the better stowing of men and carrying for guns."
Construction
''Argo'' was a 28-gun sixth-rate, one of 19 vessels forming part of the ''Coventry'' class of frigates. As with others in her class she was loosely modeled on the design and dimensions of , launched in 1756 and responsible for capturing five French
privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...
s in her first twelve months at sea.
[Winfield 2007, p. 227]
The frigate was named after the
Argo
In Greek mythology the ''Argo'' (; in Greek: ) was a ship built with the help of the gods that Jason and the Argonauts sailed from Iolcos to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece. The ship has gone on to be used as a motif in a variety of sour ...
, the ship from
Greek mythology
A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...
upon which
Jason and the
Argonauts
The Argonauts (; Ancient Greek: ) were a band of heroes in Greek mythology, who in the years before the Trojan War (around 1300 BC) accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, '' Argo'', ...
sailed from
Iolcos
Iolcus (; also rendered ''Iolkos'' ; grc, Ἰωλκός and Ἰαωλκός; grc-x-doric, Ἰαλκός; ell, Ιωλκός) is an ancient city, a modern village and a former municipality in Magnesia, Thessaly, Greece. Since the 2011 local gove ...
to
Colchis to retrieve the
Golden Fleece. The Navy's choice of this name followed a trend initiated in 1748 by
John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich
John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, PC, FRS (13 November 1718 – 30 April 1792) was a British statesman who succeeded his grandfather Edward Montagu, 3rd Earl of Sandwich as the Earl of Sandwich in 1729, at the age of ten. During his life ...
, in his capacity as
First Sea Lord, of using figures from
classical antiquity
Classical antiquity (also the classical era, classical period or classical age) is the period of cultural history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD centred on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ...
as descriptors for naval vessels. A total of six ''Coventry''-class vessels were named in this manner; a further ten were named after geographic features including regions, English or Irish rivers, or towns.
[Winfield 2007, pp. 227–231]
In sailing qualities ''Argo'' was broadly comparable with French frigates of equivalent size, but with a shorter and sturdier hull and greater weight in her
broadside
Broadside or broadsides may refer to:
Naval
* Broadside (naval), terminology for the side of a ship, the battery of cannon on one side of a warship, or their near simultaneous fire on naval warfare
Printing and literature
* Broadside (comic ...
guns. She was also comparatively broad-beamed with ample space for provisions and the
ship's mess, and incorporating a large
magazine
A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...
for
powder and
round shot. Taken together, these characteristics would enable ''Argo'' to remain at sea for long periods without resupply.
[Gardiner 1992, pp. 107108] She was also built with broad and heavy masts, which balanced the weight of her hull, improved stability in rough weather and made her capable of carrying a greater quantity of sail. The disadvantages of this comparatively heavy design were a decline in manoeuvrability and slower speed when sailing in light winds.[Gardiner 1992, pp. 111112]
Her designated complement was 200, comprising two commissioned officers a captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
and a lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
overseeing 40 warrant and petty officers, 91 naval ratings, 38 Marines
Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...
and 29 servants and other ranks.[Rodger 1986, pp. 348351] Among these other ranks were four positions reserved for widow's men fictitious crew members whose pay was intended to be reallocated to the families of sailors who died at sea.[
]
Naval career
''Argo'' was commissioned into the Royal Navy in October 1758, during Britain's Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754†...
with France and Spain. After receiving stores, guns and crew she was out to sea in late January 1759 under the command of Captain John Tinker, and was assigned to the British squadron blockading the French-held port of Dunkirk. Tinker departed the vessel in July 1759 and was replaced by a more junior officer, Commander Walter Griffith.[Winfield 2007, p. 230]
She took part in the expedition against Manila. In a two-hour action on 31 October 1762, ''Argo'' and the fourth-rate 60-gun captured the Spanish galleon , loaded with cargo valued at $1.5 million.
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
External links
*
''Argo'' at Ships of the Old Navy website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Argo (1758)
Frigates of the Royal Navy
1758 ships