British Third Rate ship of the line 'Ardent' (1796)

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Ardent	3103
Nominal Guns	64	BWAS-1793
Nationality	Great Britain
Operator	Royal Navy
Named	14.7.1795	BWAS-1793
Acquired	9.4.1796	BWAS-1793
First Commissioned	5.1796	BWAS-1793
How acquired	Purchased on the Stocks	BWAS-1793
Shipyard	Northfleet Dockyard - Northfleet	BWAS-1793
Constructor	Thomas PitcherBritish Ship Builder Service 1801	BWAS-1793
Category	Third Rate	BWAS-1793
Ship Type	Ship of the Line	BWAS-1793
Sailing Rig	Ship Rigged	BWAS-1793
	3.1824	BWAS-1793

Dimensions

DimensionMeasurementTypeMetric EquivalentBWAS-1793
Length of Gundeck173' 3"Imperial Feet52.7314
Length of Keel144' 0"Imperial Feet43.8912
Breadth43' 0"Imperial Feet13.1064
Depth in Hold19' 10"Imperial Feet5.7912
Burthen1,416 ²⁴⁄₉₄Tons BM

Armament

5.1796Broadside Weight = 600 Imperial Pound ( 272.1 kg)BWAS-1793
Lower Gun Deck26 British 24-Pounder
Upper Gun Deck26 British 18-Pounder
Quarterdeck10 British 9-Pounder
Forecastle2 British 9-Pounder

Crew Complement

Date# of MenNotesSource
5.1796491 BWAS-1793
30.8.1799491 BG

15 Ship Commanders

DatesRankNameSource
1797 - 11.10.1797Captain†RNB182311.1797 - 6.1801CaptainBWAS-179320.10.1801 - 11.1801CaptainBWAS-179311.1801 - 1802CaptainBWAS-17933.1803 - 1805CaptainBWAS-17937.1806 - 9.1806CaptainBWAS-17939.1806 - 5.1807CaptainBWAS-17935.1807 - 2.1808CaptainBWAS-17931808 - 2.1808CaptainBWAS-179310.1808 - 4.1809CaptainBWAS-17934.1809 - 1812CaptainBWAS-17934.1812CaptainBWAS-17934.1812 - 1813CaptainBWAS-17932.1813 - 5.1814CaptainBWAS-179326.5.1814 - 5.1816CommanderNBD1849

2 Flag Officers

DatesRankNameSource
2.1801 - 6.1801Admiral of the BlueBWAS-17932.1805Admiral of the BlueBWAS-1793

4 Commissioned Officers

DatesRankNameSource
28.5.1800 - 26.2.1801LieutenantNBD184916.3.1802 - 14.11.1803LieutenantNBD18491.8.1806 - 10.9.1806LieutenantNBD18491812 - 12.2.1812LieutenantNBD1849

17 Warrant Officers

DatesRankNameSource
28.5.1796 - bef.29.3.1797Surgeonref:19815.8.1796 - 27.2.1797Second Surgeons' Materef:198127.2.1797 - bef.18.2.1798First Surgeons' Materef:198129.3.1797 - bef.11.7.1798Surgeonref:19811798 - 19.2.1798Acting First Surgeons' Materef:198119.2.1798 - 13.4.1798First Surgeons' Materef:198113.4.1798 - 9.7.1798Acting Second Surgeons' Materef:19819.7.1798 - 1797Third Surgeons' Materef:19819.7.1798 - bef.6.10.1800Second Surgeons' Materef:198111.7.1798 - bef.17.10.1798Surgeonref:198117.10.1798 - bef.4.2.1799Surgeonref:19814.2.1799 - bef.12.8.1801Surgeonref:19816.10.1800 - bef.13.4.1802Second Surgeons' Materef:198112.8.1801 - bef.18.3.1803Surgeonref:198112.4.1802 - 1802Acting Second Surgeons' Materef:198118.3.1803 - 1803Surgeonref:198118.4.1803 - 1803First Surgeons' Materef:1981

4 Petty Officers

DatesRatingNameSource
1799 - 1801MidshipmanNBD18491801 - 2.4.1801Midshipman†BG21.3.1803 - 18051st Class VolunteerNBD18496.1812 - 1813MidshipmanNBD1849

1 Crewman

DatesRatingNameSource
5.9.1801 - 12.4.18021st Class VolunteerNBD1849

Service History

DateEventSource
14.7.1795East India company Princess Royal puchased while buildingBWAS-1793
26.4.1796Began fitting at Woolwich Dockyard - Woolwich BWAS-1793
7.8.1796Completed fitting at Woolwich Dockyard - Woolwich at a cost of £5262.0.0dBWAS-1793
11.10.1797Battle of Camperdown
30.8.1799Seizure of the Dutch Fleet at Vlieter
2.4.1801Battle of Copenhagen
8.1802Began small repair at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham BWAS-1793
4.1803Completed small repair at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham at a cost of £11829.0.0dBWAS-1793
28.9.1807Sailed to join the River Plate operationsBWAS-1793
4.1808Began fitting as a Guardship at Sheerness Dockyard - Sheerness BWAS-1793
6.1808Completed fitting as a Guardship at Sheerness Dockyard - Sheerness BWAS-1793
19.5.1809Landed a party of about 80 men at the island of Romso, in the Great Belt. This force was surprised and captured by the Danes.NWB
2.1812Began fitting as a Troopship at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham BWAS-1793
6.1812Completed fitting as a Troopship at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham BWAS-1793
2.1813Began fitting as a Prison Ship at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth BWAS-1793
5.1813Completed fitting as a Prison Ship at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth BWAS-1793
1817At HalifaxBWAS-1793
1817Refitted as a Other Vessels Hulk

Sources

IDNameAuthorType

BGOfficial, Web Site

BWAS-1793Rif Winfield, Book

NBD1849O'Brien, Digital Book

NWBRoger Charles Anderson, Book

RNB1823John Marshall, Digital Book

ref:1981 Document

Previous comments on this page

Posted by Jon Miller on Monday 20th of July 2026 16:34

Lord Duncan’s Victory
It appearing that out of 1023 persons, who were killed or wounded in the gallant action under Admiral Lord Duncan, that the Committee have not, with all their inquiries, been able to find out the following list of seventy persons, or their families:-

Ardent - killed
Dennis Kelly Marine
Edward Roach (2) Able Portsmouth
John Samuel Ordinary A Mulatto, from Stockholm
Hugh Furlow Landsman Cowland, Lincoln
Ardent- wounded
Peter Allan Able South Shields
Hurst Beaumer Able Embden
James Close - since dead Able Belfast
Richard Howard – since dead Marine Banbury, Oxon
John Kerr – since dead Able Sunderland
William Robinson (2) Landsman Limerick
Samuel Smith Landsman
Joseph Hastings
John Ray
[Portsmouth Telegraoh, 30 December 1799]

Posted by Jon Miller on Monday 20th of July 2026 01:35

London, 25 July 1801: The Ardent and Glatton, ships of the line, are armed as floating batteries, and have joined the Batavier, Beschermer, and Vlieter, which are stationed to defend the mouths of the Thames and Medway. Five hundred pensioners of Greenwich Hospital have turned out volunteers , and gone down to complete the complement required to man these floating batteries. [Portsmouth Telegraph, 27 July 1801]

Posted by Jon Miller on Sunday 14th of June 2026 11:46

The Board of Admiralty are about to erect a superb monument in St Paul’s, to the memory of the gallant Captain Burgess, who fell in the action of the 11th of October, with the Dutch fleet, while commanding his Majesty’s ship Ardent. [Hampshire Chronicle, 24 February 1798]

Posted by Jon Miller on Sunday 31st of May 2026 11:54

Ardent
Casualties in the attack off Copenhagen on 2 April 1801:
Killed – 29 seamen and marines
Wounded – 64 seamen and marines
Total killed and wounded – 93
Officer killed – Mr George Hoare, Midshipman
[Morning Post, 16 April 1801]

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