HMS ''Winchelsea'' was a 32-gun

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 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 ...

, and was the sixth Royal Navy ship to bear this name (or its archaic form ''Winchelsey''). She was ordered during the

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� ...

, but completed too late for that conflict. She cost £11,515-18-0d to build.

Career

HMS ''Winchelsea'' was brought into service in February 1769, under Captain

Samuel Goodall Samuel Granston Goodall (died 21 April 1801) was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the Seven Years' War, the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars in a career that spanned 50 years, rising to the rank ...

and sailed for service to the Mediterranean.Winfield 2007, pp. 197-98 In December 1769 she struck rocks off

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

, Spain and was severely damaged. Refloated, she was taken in to

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

for repairs. Command was passed to Captain Thomas Wilkinson in June 1771 with the ship remaining at her

Mediterranean station The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a military formation, formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vita ...

. In June 1775 she 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 ...

and returned to Sheerness Dockyard to be placed

in ordinary ''In ordinary'' is an English phrase with multiple meanings. In relation to the Royal Household, it indicates that a position is a permanent one. In naval matters, vessels "in ordinary" (from the 17th century) are those out of service for repair o ...

. She saw later service during the American War of Independence. In December, 1776, under command of N. Bateman, she captured brig "Fraiture". Between late December, 1776 and early March, 1777 she captured schooners "Sally" and "St. Ann". On 14 May, 1777 she captured brigantine "Anne". On 19 May she captured sloop "Lamulant". On 18 August, 1777 she captured Polacra "La Providance". She captured sloops "Esprence" and "Elizabeth", brig "L'Creetia", probably between 12 September and 18 October, 1777. She captured sloop "Lidia" in early November, 1777. She captured schooner "Dorothy" 18 November, 1777. She captured "St. Joseph" between 18 November and 7 December, 1777. She captured sloop "Betsy" between 7-9 December, 1777. She captured sloops "Revenge", "Catherine", and schooner "Oxford" probably between 5-12 January, 1778. She captured schooner "Betsy" and sloop "Victory" probably in late January, 1778. On 31 May 1778 she captured an unknown sloop, and possibly privateer "Rose", 27

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

s south of

Cape Hatteras Cape Hatteras is a cape located at a pronounced bend in Hatteras Island, one of the barrier islands of North Carolina. Long stretches of beach, sand dunes, marshes, and maritime forests create a unique environment where wind and waves shape ...

. Served until 1794, and was refitted as a troop ship at

Portsmouth Dockyard His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth (HMNB Portsmouth) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport). Portsmouth Naval Base is part of the city of Portsmouth; it is l ...

in 1799–1800. Because ''Winchelsea'' served in the Navy's Egyptian campaign (8 March to 2 September 1801), her officers and crew qualified for the clasp "Egypt" to the Naval General Service Medal that the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...

authorised in 1850 for all surviving claimants.

Fate

She became a convalescent ship at Sheerness in 1803, finally being sold there to be broken up in November 1814.

Notes

Citations

References

* * Lavery, Brian (2003) ''The Ship of the Line – Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650–1850.'' Conway Maritime Press. . * Winfield, Rif (2007) ''British Warships in the Age of Sail, 1714-1792''. Seaforth Publishing. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Winchelsea (1764) Ships built in Sheerness 1764 ships Fifth-rate frigates of the Royal Navy Maritime incidents in 1769