British Third Rate ship of the line 'Anson' (1781)

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Anson	385
Nominal Guns	64	BWAS-1714
Nationality	Great Britain
Operator	Royal Navy
Ordered	24.4.1773	BWAS-1793
Keel Laid Down	1.1774	BWAS-1793
Named	19.7.1773	BWAS-1714
Launched	4.9.1781	BWAS-1714
First Commissioned	3.1781	BWAS-1714
How acquired	Purpose built	BWAS-1714
Shipyard	Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth	BWAS-1714
Ship Class	Intrepid Class (1765)	BWAS-1714
Designed by	John WilliamsBritish Designer Ship Builder Service 1762-1784	BWAS-1793
Constructor	Sir John HenslowBritish Designer Ship Builder Dockyard Staff Service 1761-1805	BWAS-1714
Category	Third Rate	BWAS-1714
Ship Type	Ship of the Line	BWAS-1714
Sailing Rig	Ship Rigged	BWAS-1714
Wrecked	29.12.1807	BWAS-1714

Dimensions

DimensionMeasurementTypeMetric EquivalentBWAS-1714
Length of Gundeck159' 6"Imperial Feet48.4658
Length of Keel130' 1 ⅛"Imperial Feet39.6272
Breadth44' 5 ¼"Imperial Feet13.4176
Depth in Hold19' 0"Imperial Feet5.7912
Burthen1,375 ²⁰⁄₉₄Tons BM

Armament

4.9.1781Broadside 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

12.1794Broadside Weight = 480 Imperial Pound ( 217.68 kg)BWAS-1793
Upper Gun Deck26 British 24-Pounder
Quarterdeck4 British 32-Pound Carronade
Quarterdeck8 British 12-Pounder
Forecastle2 British 32-Pound Carronade
Forecastle4 British 12-Pounder

Crew Complement

Date# of MenNotesSource
1777500Design Complement
12.1794330as a frigateBWAS-1714

6 Ship Commanders

DatesRankNameSource
23.8.1781 - 12.4.1782Captain† ADM 6/22/329BWAS-171414.4.1782 - 10.5.1782Captain Transfered ADM 6/23/45
Issued by , Barbados - Windward Islands - Barbados & the Leeward Islands
Confirmed 4.4.1783ADM 6/2310.5.1782 - 7.1782Captain ADM 6/23/156
Issued by , Barbados - Windward Islands - Barbados & the Leeward Islands
Confirmed 27.10.1783BWAS-171410.1794 - 1800CaptainBWAS-17141.1801 - 1805CaptainBWAS-171412.1805 - 29.12.1807Captain†BWAS-1714

1 Commissioned Officer

DatesRankNameSource
8.11.1795Lieutenantref:846

8 Warrant Officers

DatesRankNameSource
3.11.1794 - bef.1794Surgeonref:198112.11.1794 - bef.12.4.1797First Surgeons' Materef:19818.7.1796 - bef.5.5.1797Second Surgeons' Materef:198112.4.1797 - 1797First Surgeons' Materef:19815.7.1797 - bef.5.5.1798Acting Surgeon's Materef:19815.5.1798 - 7.5.1798Acting Second Surgeons' Materef:19817.5.1798 - 1798Second Surgeons' Materef:198115.10.1800 - 1800Acting Second Surgeons' Materef:1981

2 Petty Officers

DatesRatingNameSource
1797MidshipmanNBD18491800 - 8.1802MidshipmanNBD1849

1 Supernumerary

DatesRankNameSource
9.12.1794 - 26.2.1801Able SeamanADM 29/8

2 Crewmen

DatesRatingNameSource
1795 - 1797Able SeamanNBD184918.8.1799 - 18001st Class VolunteerNBD1849

Service History

DateEventSource
15.10.1781Completed at Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth at a cost of £44473.11.0dBWAS-1714
15.1.1782Sailed for the Leeward IslandsBWAS-1714
12.4.1782Battle of the Saintes
7.1782Sailed for home and paid offBWAS-1714
10.1782Began refitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth BWAS-1714
11.1782Completed refitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth at a cost of £5486.13.7dBWAS-1714
2.1794small repair at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham BWAS-1714
7.1794Began cut down at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham BWAS-1714
10.1794Refitted as a 38 gun Fifth Rate Frigate
12.1794Completed cut down at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham at a cost of £8426.0.0dBWAS-1714
6.1795In Quiberon Bay operations until October 1795BWAS-1714
20.3.1796Attack on French convoy off Pointe du RazBWAS-1714
20.3.1796Action off Pointe du Raz
5.1797making good defects at Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth at a cost of £6404.0.0dBWAS-1714
16.7.1797Destruction of on the PenmarksBWAS-1714
16.7.1797Destruction of the Calliope
19.10.1797Took the Brig BG
17.11.1797Took the Corvette in the ChannelBG
28.12.1797Took the Ship in the Bay of Biscay
8.2.1798Took the Privateer in the Channel
31.8.1798Took the Privateer BG
6.9.1798Took the Frigate BG
12.10.1798Battle of Tory Island
12.10.1798Took the Frigate at the Battle of Tory Island
16.10.1798Capture of the Loire
18.10.1798Took the Frigate
26.1.1799

Sailed from Plymouth to cruise off Bordeaux

TNC
2.2.1799Took the Cutter in the North Sea
25.2.1799

Sailed from Plymouth for Spithead

TNC
7.4.1799

Sailed from Portsmouth

TNC
7.1799Began making good defects at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth BWAS-1714
8.1799Completed making good defects at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth at a cost of £8679.0.0dBWAS-1714
29.4.1800Took the Sloop in the Channel
29.6.1800Took the Privateer off Gibraltar
29.6.1800Took the Unrated off Gibraltar
29.6.1800Took the Gunboat off Gibraltar
12.1800Began refitting at UnknownBWAS-1714
1801Convoy dutiesBWAS-1714
1.1801Completed refitting at a cost of £8590.0.0dBWAS-1714
1802To the Mediterranean until 1805BWAS-1714
15.10.1803Took the Privateer
9.1805Began fitting at UnknownBWAS-1714
12.1805RecommissionedBWAS-1714
1.1806Completed fittingBWAS-1714
4.4.1806Sailed for the Leeward IslandsBWAS-1714
23.8.1806Took the Frigate off Havana
1.1.1807At capture of CuracoaBWAS-1714
29.12.1807Wrecked in Mounts Bay with 60 drownedBWAS-1714

Sources

IDNameAuthorType

ADM 29/8 Archive

ADM 6/23 Archive

BGOfficial, Web Site

BWAS-1714Rif Winfield, Book

BWAS-1793Rif Winfield, Book

NBD1849O'Brien, Digital Book

TNCVarious, Periodical

ref:1981 Document

ref:846 Document

Previous comments on this page

Posted by Jon Miller on Friday 24th of July 2026 06:46

Prize Money: Anson – Will be paid for the Jonge Marcus, on board, on her arrival in port. Recall, Messrs Poultain and Keys, Salter’s-Hall-court, London. [Portsmouth Telegraph, 30 December 1799]

Posted by Jon Miller on Friday 17th of July 2026 16:46

Portsmouth, 20 June 1801: Yesterday the Anson frigate, Capt Durham, sailed for Egypt, with money to pay the troops there. [Hampshire Chronicle, 22 June 1801]

Posted by Jon Miller on Sunday 12th of July 2026 18:16

Prize Money: The crew of the Anson for the capture of the Varngeur, will be paid the 12th inst on board the said ship, if in port. [Hampshire Chronicle, 16 March 1801]

Posted by Jon Miller on Thursday 9th of July 2026 14:00

Portsmouth, 3 January 1801: The Anson, of 40 guns, Capt Durham, was this day, through the great exertions of the officers and shipwrights, who worked all night, taken out of dock, and the Saturn, of 74 guns, taken in. [Hampshire Telegraph, 5 January 1801]

Posted by Jon Miller on Wednesday 17th of June 2026 05:30

The following is an accurate state of our present naval strength at Plymouth, including those ships under repair, together with the names of those new building, and ordered to be built:- On commission, the Ulysses, of 44, Crescent of 32, and Apollo, of 32 guns; under repair, the Hero and Kent of 74 guns each; building, the Royal Sovereign of 100, Glory of 90, Anson of 64, Medusa of 50, and Narcissus of 20 guns; ordered to be built, the Caesar of 74 guns. The under-named ships are in Plymouth Sound, with orders to be ready for sailing at a moment’s warning, and are supposed to be intended to proceed with, or immediately follow Adm Rodney to Gibraltar, viz the Invincible, of 74, the Marlborough, of 74, the Hector, Biensaisant , and Resolution of 64 guns each; .Exclusive of the above named are, the Formidable of 84, and the Queen of 98, guns, both ordered by an express from the Admiralty to to be sheathed with coppered immediately. [Exeter Flying Post, 7 January 1780]

Posted by Tim Oakley on Saturday 21st of October 2017 09:20

Circa Aug 1801 Mr. Prior, Purser of the Solebay, transferred to the Anson.

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