The fourth HMS ''Diamond'' was a modified

fifth-rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a fifth rate was the second-smallest class of warships in a hierarchical system of six " ratings" based on size and firepower. Rating The rating system in the Royal N ...

frigate ordered in 1770, launched in 1774, but did not begin service until 1776. ''Diamond'' served off the eastern North American coast and shared in the capture at least one

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...

during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. The frigate was

paid off Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to placing a warship in ...

in 1779, but returned to service the same year after being coppered. ''Diamond'' sailed to the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

in 1780, was paid off a final time in 1783 and sold in 1784.

Construction and service

''Diamond'' was ordered on 25 December 1770 as one of five fifth-rate frigates of 32 guns each contained in the emergency frigate-building programme inaugurated when the likelihood of war with Spain arose over the ownership of the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouzet ...

(eight sixth-rate frigates of 28 guns each were ordered at the same time). 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 ...

's design for the ''Lowestoffe''s was approved, but was revised to produce a more rounded midships section; the amended design was approved on 3 January 1771 by Hawke's outgoing

Admiralty Board The Admiralty Board is the body established under the Defence Council of the United Kingdom for the administration of the Naval Service of the United Kingdom. It meets formally only once a year, and the day-to-day running of the Royal Navy is ...

, just before it was replaced. The contract to build ''Diamond'' was awarded to Hodgson & Co at Hull, the

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...

being laid in May 1771, and the frigate was launched on 28 May 1774, at a cost of £11,506.9.1d. She sailed from Hull on 13 June 1774 for

Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham (at its most extensive, in the early 20th century, ...

, where she remained for nearly two years before she was completed and fitted out to the Navy Board's needs (for £4,169.8.6d) in February to May 1776. ''Diamond'' was first commissioned in February 1776 under Captain Charles Fielding. On completion, she sailed for North America on 20 July 1776. On 24 May 1778 she, with

HMS Raisonnable Two ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS ''Raisonnable'', French language, French for "reasonable": * , originally a France, French vessel, the first ship to bear the name was a 64-gun third-rate ship of the line. She was captured by the R ...

, captured and burned American schooner "Fly" off

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

. On 27 May she, with HMS Raisonnable, captured American brig "Sally" off

. On 28 May she, with HMS Raisonnable, captured Connecticut privateer "General McDougall" off

. On 21 October 1778, ''Diamond'' and the

stopped the brig ''Recovery'' at . ''Recovery'' was sailing from

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

to Charles Town with a cargo of lumber, and her captors sent her into New York.

Fate

''Diamond'' was

into ordinary in 1779, but after being coppered she was recommissioned in November 1779 under Captain William Forster, and sailed for

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

on 13 April 1780. ''Diamond'' was finally paid off in August 1783 and was sold at Plymouth (for £405) on 30 December 1784.

Citations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Diamond (1774) Frigates of the Royal Navy 1774 ships