British Fourth Rate ship of the line 'Assistance' (1781)

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Assistance	3162
Nominal Guns	50	BWAS-1714
Nationality	Great Britain
Operator	Royal Navy
Ordered	11.2.1778	BWAS-1714
Keel Laid Down	4.7.1778	BWAS-1714
Acquired	12.3.1781	BWAS-1714
Shipyard	Liverpool - Lancashire	BWAS-1714
Ship Class	Portland Class (1766)	BWAS-1714
Designed by	John WilliamsBritish Designer Ship Builder Service 1762-1784	BWAS-1714
Constructor	Peter BakerBritish Ship Builder Service 1732-1796	BWAS-1714
Category	Fourth Rate	BWAS-1714
Ship Type	Ship of the Line	BWAS-1714
Sailing Rig	Ship Rigged	BWAS-1714
Wrecked	29.3.1802	BWAS-1714

Dimensions

DimensionMeasurementTypeMetric EquivalentBWAS-1714
Length of Gundeck145' 1"Imperial Feet44.1966
Length of Keel119' 9"Imperial Feet36.2832
Breadth40' 8"Imperial Feet12.3952
Depth in Hold17' 6"Imperial Feet5.2034
Burthen1,053 ³⁷⁄₉₄Tons BM

Armament

12.3.1781Broadside Weight = 414 Imperial Pound ( 187.749 kg)BWAS-1714
Lower Gun Deck22 British 24-Pounder
Upper Gun Deck22 British 12-Pounder
Quarterdeck4 British 6-Pounder
Forecastle2 British 6-Pounder

Crew Complement

Date# of MenNotesSource
2.4.1766350Design Complement

11 Ship Commanders

DatesRankNameSource
24.1.1781 - 28.2.1783Captain ADM 6/22/239BWAS-17146.8.1783 - 15.9.1783Captain ADM 6/23/106ADM 6/2315.9.1783 - 21.8.1786Captain ADM 6/23/139BWAS-171415.7.1790 - 10.4.1792Captain ADM 6/24/51BWAS-171410.4.1792 - 7.2.1793Captain Transfered ADM 6/24/161BWAS-17146.2.1793 - 19.6.1793Captain Transfered ADM 6/24/204BWAS-171419.6.1793 - 5.1795Captain: on board from 21.6.1793 ADM 6/24/247BWAS-17145.1795 - 14.4.1798Captain† Discharged DeadBWAS-171412.1798 - 12.1799CaptainBWAS-171418.11.1799 - 1.1801CaptainBWAS-17141.1801 - 29.3.1802CaptainBWAS-1714

3 Flag Officers

DatesRankNameSource
15.9.1783 - 1.1784CommodoreBWAS-171426.1.1785 - 21.8.1786CommodoreBWAS-17148.1792 - 10.2.1793Rear-Admiral of the Red TransferedBWAS-1714

12 Commissioned Officers

DatesRankNameSource
15.7.1790 - 9.4.1792Third Lieutenant ADM 6/24/51ADM 6/245.12.1790 - 31.1.1793Lieutenant Transfered ADM 6/24/202ref:61610.4.1792 - 28.6.1792First Lieutenant: on board from 12.4.1792 Transfered ADM 6/24/161HMS0110.4.1792 - 27.2.1793Second Lieutenant Transfered ADM 6/24/161ADM 6/2410.4.1792 - 27.1.1793Third Lieutenant ADM 6/24/161ADM 6/242.7.1792 - 27.1.1793Fourth Lieutenant ADM 6/24/169ADM 6/2428.1.1793 - 4.4.1793Third Lieutenant Transfered ADM 6/24/198ADM 6/2419.6.1793 - 1793First Lieutenant ADM 6/24/417ADM 6/2419.6.1793 - 1793Second Lieutenant ADM 6/24/417ADM 6/2426.10.1793 - 5.1795Third Lieutenant ADM 6/24/278ADM 6/2427.11.1793 - 1793Fourth Lieutenant ADM6/24/286ADM 6/2417.6.1799 - 11.11.1799Acting LieutenantNAO

17 Warrant Officers

DatesRankNameSource
17.7.1790 - bef.12.4.1792Surgeonref:19817.8.1790 - 21.3.1791Second Surgeons' Materef:198121.8.1790 - bef.22.3.1791First Surgeons' Materef:198122.3.1791 - bef.12.4.1792First Surgeons' Materef:198112.4.1792 - bef.27.6.1793Surgeonref:198112.4.1792 - bef.6.8.1793First Surgeons' Materef:198112.4.1792 - bef.20.5.1794Second Surgeons' Materef:198128.6.1793 - bef.20.10.1794Surgeonref:19817.8.1793 - 1793First Surgeons' Materef:198121.5.1794 - bef.21.1.1796Second Surgeons' Materef:198121.10.1794 - bef.6.6.1795Surgeonref:19816.6.1795 - bef.1795Surgeonref:198122.1.1796 - 1796Second Surgeons' Materef:198114.10.1800 - bef.9.4.1801Surgeonref:19819.4.1801 - 1801Surgeonref:198119.4.1802 - 1802Acting Second Surgeons' Materef:198119.4.1802 - 1802Acting First Surgeons' Materef:1981

6 Petty Officers

DatesRatingNameSource
27.4.1792 - 20.6.1793Master's Materef:6161.3.1793 - 5.9.1794Midshipman ADM 6/24/51NAO8.6.1795 - 1801MidshipmanNBD184927.9.1796 - 15.7.1799Master's MateADM 29-112.1798 - 12.1799MidshipmanNBD18491800 - 3.1801Midshipman ADM 6/24/51NBD1849

5 Crewmen

DatesRatingNameSource
9.1784 - 6.1785Able Seaman ADM 106/1286/483ADM 1064.6.1791 - 9.1791Able SeamanNBD18494.6.1791 - 9.1791Able SeamanNBD184912.4.1792 - 26.6.1792Captain's ServantNAO12.4.1792 - 1792Master's ServantNBD1849

Service History

DateEventSource
31.12.1781fitting at Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth at a cost of £10908.3.3dBWAS-1714
2.5.1782Sailed with a convoy for North AmericaBWAS-1714
2.1783fitting at Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth BWAS-1714
28.2.1783Paid offADM 34
7.1783Began fitting at Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth BWAS-1714
9.1783Completed fitting at Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth at a cost of £4387.9.11dBWAS-1714
17.10.1783Sailed for Nova ScotiaBWAS-1714
21.8.1786Paid offADM 51
7.1789Began middling repair at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham BWAS-1714
5.1790Completed middling repair at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham at a cost of £15259.0.0dBWAS-1714
8.1790fitting at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham at a cost of £4474.0.0dBWAS-1714
3.1796Sailed for HalifaxBWAS-1714
5.1796Took the Brig ref:692
10.1800Began making good defects at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham BWAS-1714
1.1801Completed making good defects at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham at a cost of £8379.0.0dBWAS-1714
29.3.1802Wrecked on a sandbank between Dunkirk and GravelinesBWAS-1714

Sources

IDNameAuthorType

ADM 106 Document

ADM 29-1 Document

ADM 34 Document

ADM 51 Archive

ADM 6/23 Archive

ADM 6/24 Archive

BWAS-1714Rif Winfield, Book

HMS01Various, Web Site

NAOVarious, Web Site

NBD1849O'Brien, Digital Book

ref:1981 Document

ref:616Nicholas Tracy, Book

ref:692Jean Jacques Salein, Web Site

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