British sloop 'Snake' (1797)

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Recent Comments

Brave (12) 1798-1799
British 12 Gun
Hired Cutter
(1798)
Earl of Mornington (14) 1799-1804
British 14 Gun
Merchant Packet
(1799)
Concorde (36) 1783-1811
British 36 Gun
5th Rate Frigate
(1783)
Rambler (14) 1796-1810
British 14 Gun
Unrated Cutter
(1796)
Impregnable (98) 1786-1799
British 98 Gun
2nd Rate Ship of the Line
(1786)
Earl of Wycombe (Unknown) 1786-1800
British Unknown Gun
Merchant East Indiaman
(1786)
Belvedere (Unknown) 1787-1805
British Unknown Gun
Merchant East Indiaman
(1787)
Taunton Castle (Unknown) 1790-1812
British Unknown Gun
Merchant East Indiaman
(1790)
Carnatic (26) 1787-1802
British 26 Gun
Merchant East Indiaman
(1787)
Loyalist (Unknown) 1796-1803
British Unknown Gun
Merchant East Indiaman
(1796)
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Snake
Nominal Guns	18	BWAS-1793
Nationality	Great Britain
Operator	Royal Navy
Ordered	19.12.1796	BWAS-1793
Keel Laid Down	1.1797	BWAS-1793
Named	23.11.1797	BWAS-1793
Launched	18.12.1797	BWAS-1793
First Commissioned	2.1798	BWAS-1793
How acquired	Built by Contract	BWAS-1793
Shipyard	Buckler's Hard - Hampshire	BWAS-1793
Ship Class	Snake Class (1796)	BWAS-1793
Designed by	William RuleBritish Designer Ship Builder Dockyard Staff Service 1778-1813	BWAS-1793
Constructor	Balthazar AdamsBritish Ship Builder Service 1783-1814	BWAS-1793
Category	Unrated	BWAS-1793
Ship Type	Sloop	BWAS-1793
Sailing Rig	Ship Rigged	BWAS-1793
Sold	18.4.1816	BWAS-1793

Dimensions

DimensionMeasurementTypeMetric EquivalentBWAS-1793
Length of Gundeck100' 1 ½"Imperial Feet30.4927
Length of Keel77' 4"Imperial Feet23.4841
Breadth30' 7 ½"Imperial Feet9.1567
Depth in Hold12' 9"Imperial Feet3.7719
Draught Forward8' 0"Imperial Feet2.4384
Draught Aft10' 6"Imperial Feet3.2004
Burthen385 ⁷⁵⁄₉₄Tons BM

Armament

18.12.1797Broadside Weight = 262 Imperial Pound ( 118.817 kg)BWAS-1793
Upper Gun Deck16 British 32-Pound Carronade
Bow Chaser2 British 6-Pounder

Crew Complement

Date# of MenNotesSource
20.12.1796121Design Complement

9 Ship Commanders

DatesRankNameSource
2.1798 - 1800CommanderBWAS-17931.1801 - 14.2.1801CommanderBWAS-179314.2.1801 - 24.8.1804CommanderBWAS-17931805 - 22.1.1806CommanderBWAS-17933.1806CommanderBWAS-17937.1807 - 11.1810CommanderBWAS-179311.1810 - 12.8.1812CommanderBWAS-179312.8.1812 - 2.1814CommanderBWAS-179316.2.1814 - 1815CommanderBWAS-1793

2 Commissioned Officers

DatesRankNameSource
10.8.1811 - 31.1.1814LieutenantNBD18495.4.1815 - 31.10.1815First LieutenantNBD1849

1 Warrant Officer

DatesRankNameSource
1.7.1815 - 16.12.1815Masterref:1871

Service History

DateEventSource
1.1797Began building at Buckler's Hard - Hampshire
18.12.1797Completed building at Buckler's Hard - Hampshire at a cost of £4576.0.0d
21.12.1797Began fitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth BWAS-1793
29.4.1798Completed fitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth at a cost of £5491.0.0dBWAS-1793
10.11.1799Took the Schooner off Beachy headBG
1801Sailed with a convoy to West AfricaBWAS-1793
12.1801Sailed for JamaicaBWAS-1793
3.1807Began middling repair at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham BWAS-1793
7.1807RecommissionedBWAS-1793
8.1807Completed middling repair at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham BWAS-1793
4.1809Began fitting at Sheerness Dockyard - Sheerness BWAS-1793
5.1809Refitted as a 18 gun Unrated Unknown
5.1809Completed fitting at Sheerness Dockyard - Sheerness BWAS-1793
10.1809Took the Privateer off Bergen
18.4.1816Sold at Sheerness for £820BWAS-1793

Sources

IDNameAuthorType

BGOfficial, Web Site

BWAS-1793Rif Winfield, Book

NBD1849O'Brien, Digital Book

ref:1871 Archive

Previous comments on this page

Posted by Jon Miller on Tuesday 7th of July 2026 06:44

Portsmouth, 18 November 1815: The Snake and Redwing, arrived on Thursday from North Shields, and brought back part of the marines who had been seen thither from this port, for the purpose of assisting in quelling the refractory seamen. They are ordered to Deptford, to be paid off.
[Hampshire Chronicle, 20 November 1815]

Posted by Jon Miller on Monday 15th of June 2026 13:40

Portsmouth, 21 December 1799: His Majesty’s ships Melpomene and Snake are ordered to be fitted and victualled for foreign service. [Hampshire Telegraph, 23 December 1799]

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