HMS ''Woolwich'' was a 54-gun
fourth rate ship of the line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two colu ...
of the
Royal Navy, built by
Phineas Pett III Phineas () is a masculine given name. Notable people with the name include:
* Phineas, an Anglicized name for the priest Phinehas in the Hebrew Bible
* King Phineas, the first king of the Beta Israel in Ethiopia
* Phineas Banning (1830–1885), Am ...
at
Woolwich Dockyard and launched in 1675.
She underwent a rebuild in 1702.
In 1705, when
Thomas Ekines
Thomas Ekines was an English projector and captain in the Royal Navy who combined the two roles by submitting proposals to the British government for military action in the Americas.
Ekines first project was proposed to William of Orange on 16 J ...
was in command, she was involved in the seizure of a Dutch ship which Ekines claimed was trading with Britains enemies of the
War of the Spanish Succession. Although Ekines right to seize the ship was upheld, his further seizure of the bulk of the cargo for his personal gain caused major problems for his ongoing naval career.
On 10 June 1736 she was ordered to be stripped at
Deptford Dockyard, and rebuilt by
Richard Stacey to the lines of a 50-gun fourth rate according to the
1733 proposals of the
1719 Establishment
The 1719 Establishment was a set of mandatory requirements governing the construction of all Royal Navy warships capable of carrying more than 20 naval long guns. It was designed to bring economies of scale through uniform vessel design, and ens ...
. She was relaunched on 6 April 1741.
''Woolwich'' was broken up at
Chatham Dockyard in 1747.
Notes
References
*Lavery, Brian (2003) ''The Ship of the Line - Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850.'' Conway Maritime Press. .
Ships of the line of the Royal Navy
1670s ships
Ships built in Woolwich
Ships built in Deptford
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