British First Rate ship of the line 'Caledonia' (1808)

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Caledonia ➡ 1856 Dreadnought	25
Nominal Guns	120	BWAS-1793
Nationality	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Operator	Royal Navy
Ordered	6.11.1794	BWAS-1793
Keel Laid Down	1.1805	BWAS-1793
Named	19.1.1796	BWAS-1793
Launched	25.6.1808	BWAS-1793
How acquired	Purpose built	BWAS-1793
Shipyard	Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth	BWAS-1793
Ship Class	Caledonia Class (1794)	BWAS-1793
Designed by	William RuleBritish Designer Ship Builder Dockyard Staff Service 1778-1813	BWAS-1793
Constructor	Joseph TuckerBritish Ship Builder Administrator Dockyard Staff Service 1802-1831	BWAS-1793
Category	First Rate	BWAS-1793
Ship Type	Ship of the Line	BWAS-1793
Sailing Rig	Ship Rigged	BWAS-1793
Broken Up	20.3.1875	BWAS-1793

Dimensions

DimensionMeasurementTypeMetric EquivalentBWAS-1793
Length of Gundeck205' 0"Imperial Feet62.484
Length of Keel170' 9 ⅛"Imperial Feet51.8192
Breadth (oa)54' 7"Imperial Feet16.5037
Breadth53' 8"Imperial Feet16.2221
Depth in Hold23' 2"Imperial Feet7.0273
Draught Forward15' 10"Imperial Feet4.572
Draught Aft18' 2"Imperial Feet5.4928
Burthen2,616 ⁵⁄₉₄Tons BM

Armament

1796Broadside Weight = 1346 Imperial Pound ( 610.411 kg)ref:1139
Lower Gun Deck32 British 32-Pounder
Middle Gun Deck34 British 24-Pounder
Upper Gun Deck34 British 18-Pounder
Quarterdeck16 British 12-Pounder
Forecastle4 British 12-Pounder

1808Broadside Weight = 1538 Imperial Pound ( 697.483 kg)BWAS-1793
Lower Gun Deck32 British 32-Pounder
Middle Gun Deck34 British 24-Pounder
Upper Gun Deck34 British 18-Pounder
Quarterdeck10 British 32-Pound Carronade
Quarterdeck6 British 12-Pounder
Forecastle2 British 32-Pounder
Forecastle2 British 12-Pounder
Roundhouse6 British 24-Pound Carronade

Crew Complement

Date# of MenNotesSource
1808875EstablishmentBWAS-1793

17 Ship Commanders

DatesRankNameSource
8.1808 - 10.1810CaptainBWAS-17933.12.1810 - 9.7.1811CaptainBWAS-179319.12.1810 - 12.5.1811Captain Discharged ADM 196/3/2BWAS-17935.1811CaptainBWAS-17931.1813 - 4.1814CaptainBWAS-17934.1814 - 6.1814CaptainBWAS-17936.1814 - 9.1814CaptainBWAS-17935.1815 - 7.1815CaptainBWAS-17935.1830 - 1831CaptainNBD18491831CaptainNBD184918.5.1833 - 10.1835CaptainNBD184930.10.1835 - 1837CaptainW03321.10.1840 - 21.4.1842CaptainBWAS-179327.10.1840 - 21.4.1842CaptainW03321.4.1842 - 4.1845CaptainW03322.5.1845 - 1.1848CaptainW02528.1.1848 - 1851CaptainW033

9 Flag Officers

DatesRankNameSource
2.1809 - 4.1809Admiral of the BlueBWAS-17936.1809 - 12.1809CommodoreBWAS-17931810Rear-AdmiralBWAS-17936.1811 - 7.1811AdmiralBWAS-17937.1811 - 1.1813Rear-AdmiralBWAS-17931.1813 - 4.6.1814Rear-Admiral of the WhiteBWAS-17934.6.1814 - 9.1814Rear-Admiral of the RedBWAS-179321.4.1842 - 1844AdmiralW0331844 - 5.1844Rear-AdmiralNBD1849

24 Commissioned Officers

DatesRankNameSource
8.8.1808 - 5.1811Flag LieutenantNBD18498.8.1808 - 14.5.1811LieutenantNBD18495.10.1809 - 2.1.1810LieutenantNBD18495.12.1809 - 4.1811LieutenantADM 95.1811 - 1815LieutenantNBD18498.5.1811 - 5.8.1813LieutenantNBD184918.9.1812 - 22.10.1812LieutenantNBD18491814 - 5.4.1814Acting LieutenantNBD18494.5.1814 - 10.6.1815LieutenantNBD18491.5.1830 - 1830LieutenantNBD18499.6.1831 - 6.6.1834LieutenantW02529.11.1831 - 1833LieutenantNBD184924.6.1833 - 1833LieutenantNBD184916.1.1834 - 5.3.1834SupernumeraryNBD184923.1.1834 - 10.1.1837CommanderNBD18495.3.1834 - 30.8.1837Flag LieutenantNBD184922.8.1836 - 16.8.1837LieutenantNBD18496.5.1837 - 8.1837LieutenantW02521.10.1842 - 14.2.1843LieutenantNBD184931.1.1843 - 13.3.1845LieutenantNBD184911.12.1844 - 11.1.1845LieutenantNBD184911.12.1844 - 4.3.1845LieutenantNL18651845 - 1846First LieutenantNBD184910.6.1845 - 1845LieutenantNBD1849

2 Warrant Officers

DatesRankNameSource
5.1831 - 10.1831Masterref:18716.8.1833 - 1.1.1834Masterref:1871

12 Petty Officers

DatesRatingNameSource
1809 - 5.10.1809MidshipmanNBD18496.1809 - 4.1811Master's MateNBD184911.1809 - 1.5.1811MidshipmanNBD18492.1810 - 1.5.1810MidshipmanNBD18492.1812 - 5.2.1813Master's MateNBD18493.9.1812 - 4.1.1814MidshipmanNBD18491813 - 3.1814MidshipmanNBD18491.1.1813 - 1814Master's MateNBD18498.1813 - 9.1814Master's MateNBD18499.1813 - 12.1813Master's MateNBD18492.1814 - 1814MidshipmanNBD18496.1815 - 1816MidshipmanNBD1849

1 Crewman

DatesRatingNameSource
1808 - 11.18091st Class VolunteerNBD1849

Service History

DateEventSource
23.9.1808Completed at a cost of £96,381 to build plus £6,711 for fittingBWAS-1793
4.1809At the Basque RoadsBWAS-1793
20.2.1810Sailed for the MediterraneanBWAS-1793
27.9.1810Action of 1810-09-27
14.6.1811Sailed for the MediterraneanBWAS-1793
9.1814Paid offBWAS-1793
4.1815Started fitting for sea at PlymouthBWAS-1793
5.1815Completed fitting at a cost of £24,205BWAS-1793
7.1815Paid off and laid up in ordinary until 1830BWAS-1793
5.1826Started a repair and refitting as a guard shipBWAS-1793
5.1831Completed reapir at a cost of £113,839 and refitting as a guardship at a cost of £9,511BWAS-1793
2.1838Started fitting as a demonstration ship at PlymouthBWAS-1793
6.1838Completed fitting as a demonstration ship at a cost of £8,909BWAS-1793
11.1840Fitted as a flagship at a cost of £6,129 at PlymouthBWAS-1793
5.1855Started fitting as a hospital ship at PlymouthBWAS-1793
5.1855Completed fitting as a hospital shipBWAS-1793
21.6.1856Renamed DreadnoughtBWAS-1817
7.1856Refitted as a Unrated Hospital ShipBWAS-1817
14.7.1870Returned to Admiralty controlBWAS-1793
6.5.1871Lent to the Metropolitan AsylumsBWAS-1793
10.11.1874

Ordered to be broken up

BWAS-1817
20.3.1875Break up completed at ChathamBWAS-1793

Notes on Ship

Designref:1139

Originally ordered as a 100-gun ship. Reordered 15.12.1795 as 120 guns. New plan completed 11.6.1796 (NMM object id. ZAZ0105).

Sources

IDNameAuthorType

ADM 9 Archive

BWAS-1793Rif Winfield, Book

BWAS-1817Rif Winfield, Book

NBD1849O'Brien, Digital Book

NL1865The Admiralty, Digital Book

W025P. Davis, Web Site

W033Ronald Deschenes, Web Site

ref:1139 Archive

ref:1871 Archive

Previous comments on this page

Posted by colin walker on Friday 13th of July 2018 02:54

Do you have info on other ranks aboard?

Posted by Ian Chard on Friday 4th of May 2018 21:09

The tombstone of William Shelton Covell esq, identifies him as having been born in 1791 and having served as a midshipman on Lord Gambier's flagship HMS Caledonia.
WS Covell died on 12 Aug 1847 and was buried at St Mary's, Fishponds in Stapleton, Gloucestershire. The 1841 census records him as a patient of the 'Licensed Madhouse, Fishponds asylum, parish of Stapleton'.

Posted by Richard McKinnon on Wednesday 1st of November 2017 05:45

Lieutenant James Balfour Robertson served on the HMS Caledonia under Admiral Pickmore and Captain Bedford from 5th Dec 1809 to April 1811
Source:National Archives Memorandum of the Service Record of Lieutenant James Balfour Robertson

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