British Fifth Rate ship 'Southsea Castle' (1745)

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Southsea Castle

6794
Nominal Guns44BWAS-1714
NationalityGreat Britain
OperatorRoyal Navy
Ordered23.5.1744BWAS-1714
Keel Laid Down29.5.1744BWAS-1714
Launched10.8.1745BWAS-1714
How acquiredPurpose builtBWAS-1714
ShipyardLiverpool - Lancashire BWAS-1714
Constructor
John OkillBritish
Ship Builder
BWAS-1714
CategoryFifth RateBWAS-1714
Ship TypeShipBWAS-1714
Sailing RigShip RiggedBWAS-1714
Wrecked1.10.1762BWAS-1714

Dimensions


DimensionMeasurementTypeMetric EquivalentBWAS-1714
Length of Gundeck126' 1"Imperial Feet38.4058 
Length of Keel102' 3 ½"Imperial Feet31.1023 
Breadth36' 2"Imperial Feet10.9813 
Depth in Hold15' 5 ½"Imperial Feet4.5847 
Burthen711 66⁄94Tons BM 

Armament


10.8.1745Broadside Weight = 282 Imperial Pound ( 127.887 kg)BWAS-1714
Lower Gun Deck20 British 18-Pounder
Upper Gun Deck20 British 9-Pounder
Quarterdeck4 British 6-Pounder

Crew Complement


Date# of MenNotesSource
1741250Design Complement
1.1760130 BWAS-1714

9 Ship Commanders


DatesRankNameSource
24.8.1745 - 2.2.1745/46Captain
John AmherstBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1730-1778
Transfered ADM 6/16/532BWAS-17143.2.1745/46 - 8.12.1746Captain
Hugh BonfoyBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1731-1735
ADM 6/17/53BWAS-17149.12.1746 - 7.10.1748Captain
Thomas CravenBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1730-1770
ADM 6/17/179BWAS-171413.12.1759 - 27.11.1760Commander
William NewsonBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1733-1762
ADM 6/19/118BWAS-171427.11.1760 - 1.2.1761Commander
Henry CowellBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1731-1765
ADM 6/20/93
Issued by
Charles SteevensBritish
Naval Sailor
Ship Owner
Service 1729-1743
, East Indies - Asia
Confirmed 14.10.1765ADM 6/201.2.1761 - 6.6.1761Commander
Isaac Florimond OurryBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1738-1746
ADM 6/20/47
Issued by
Charles SteevensBritish
Naval Sailor
Ship Owner
Service 1729-1743

Confirmed 27.8.1764ADM 6/206.6.1761 - 24.8.1761Commander
Samuel PitchfordBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1759-1805
ADM 6/20/48
Issued by
Samuel CornishBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1727-1770
, East Indies - Asia
Confirmed 30.8.1764ADM 6/2024.8.1761 - 1.8.1762Commander
George OurryBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1746-1793
Transfered ADM 6/20/43
Issued by
Samuel CornishBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1727-1770
, East Indies - Asia
Confirmed 9.8.1764ADM 6/2025.8.1762 - 1.10.1762Commander
William SherwoodBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1747-1762
ADM 6/19/489
Issued by
Samuel CornishBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1727-1770
, East Indies - Asia
Confirmed 28.4.1763BWAS-1714

6 Commissioned Officers


DatesRankNameSource
13.7.1745 - 23.8.1745Second Lieutenant
Thomas DurellBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1742-1757
ADM 6/16/511ADM 6/1624.8.1745 - 19.3.1745/46First Lieutenant
John AikenheadBritish
Service 1736-1760
Transfered ADM 6/16/532ADM 6/1624.8.1745 - 4.10.1745Second Lieutenant
William DriverBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1738-1745
† Discharged Dead ADM 6/16/532ADM 6/1622.11.1745 - 19.3.1745/46Second Lieutenant
Charles RoomeBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1729-1746
ADM 6/16/25ADM 6/1720.3.1745/46 - 7.10.1748First Lieutenant
William BirchBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1727-1748
ADM 6/17/75ADM 6/1720.3.1745/46 - 7.10.1748Third Lt. & Lt. at Arms
Arthur GriggBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1736-1756
ADM 6/17/75ADM 6/17

Service History


DateEventSource
9.3.1745/46Completed at Liverpool - Lancashire BWAS-1714
17.6.1746Took the Privateer
Le Duc d'Estissac (Unknown) 1745-1746
French Unknown Gun
Privateer Unknown

13.4.1747Took the Privateer
L'Alexandre (20) 1746-1747
French 20 Gun
Privateer Unknown
BG
1748In the MediterraneanBWAS-1714
7.10.1748

Paid off

ADM 106
9.1759Refitted as a 28 gun Unrated Storeship
9.1759Began fitting at Deptford Dockyard - Deptford BWAS-1714
12.1759RecommissionedBWAS-1714
1.1760Completed fitting at Deptford Dockyard - Deptford at a cost of £8872.0.3dBWAS-1714
6.3.1760Sailed for the East IndiesBWAS-1714
6.6.1762Manilla operations
24.9.1762Battle of Manilla
1.10.1762Wrecked off ManillaBWAS-1714

 
Previous comments on this page

Posted by Cy on Thursday 21st of May 2026 19:09

This shows one of the problems with newspaper reports, they are notoriously unreliable. There has never been an RN officer called Robert Hindman, There was a Michael Hindman, but he wasn't commissioned until 1761.

Posted by Jon Miller on Thursday 21st of May 2026 18:36

London, 11 January 1750: Mr Robert Hindman, late First Lieutenant of the South-Sea Castle man of war, is appointed commander of the Diligence Customhouse cruizer on the coast of Sussex. [Kentish Post, 13 January]

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