British Third Rate ship of the line 'Thunderer' (1783)

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Thunderer	7122
Nominal Guns	74	B028
Nationality	Great Britain
Operator	Royal Navy
Ordered	23.7.1781	BWAS-1793
Keel Laid Down	3.1782	BWAS-1793
Acquired	13.11.1783	B028
Shipyard	Deptford - London	B028
Ship Class	Thunderer Class (1781)	B028
Designed by	Sir John HenslowBritish Designer Ship Builder Dockyard Staff Service 1761-1801	BWAS-1793
Constructor	John & William WellsBritish Ship Builder	B028
Category	Third Rate	B028
Ship Type	Ship of the Line	B028
Sailing Rig	Ship Rigged	B028
Broken Up	3.1814	B028

Dimensions

DimensionMeasurementTypeMetric EquivalentBWAS-1793
Length of Gundeck170' 8"Imperial Feet51.8189
Length of Keel139' 5"Imperial Feet42.3705
Breadth47' 7"Imperial Feet14.351
Depth in Hold19' 11"Imperial Feet5.794
Draught Forward13' 0"Imperial Feet3.9624
Draught Aft18' 4"Imperial Feet5.4991
Burthen1,679 ¹⁄₉₄Tons BM

Armament

1793Broadside Weight = 781 Imperial Pound ( 354.1835 kg)BWAS-1714
Lower Gun Deck28 British 32-Pounder
Upper Gun Deck28 British 18-Pounder
Quarterdeck14 British 9-Pounder
Forecastle4 British 9-Pounder

Crew Complement

Date# of MenNotesSource
1793600EstablishmentBWAS-1714

17 Ship Commanders

DatesRankNameSource
20.1.1794 - 1794Captain ADM 6/25/7ref:9241796 - 2.1797CaptainBWAS-17141.1796 - 2.1797CaptainBWAS-17142.1797 - 7.1797CommanderBWAS-17147.1797 - 5.1798CaptainBWAS-17141.1799 - 5.1799CaptainBWAS-17147.1800 - 4.1801CaptainBWAS-17144.1801CaptainBWAS-17144.1801 - 8.1801CaptainBWAS-17148.1801 - 9.1801CaptainBWAS-17149.1801 - 11.1801CaptainBWAS-17143.1803 - 2.1805CaptainBWAS-17144.1805 - 10.1805CaptainBWAS-171410.1805CommanderBWAS-171410.1805LieutenantBWAS-17143.1806 - 4.1806CaptainBWAS-17144.1806 - 11.1808CaptainBWAS-1714

1 Flag Officer

DatesRankNameSource
1.1796 - 1797Rear-AdmiralBWAS-1714

13 Commissioned Officers

DatesRankNameSource
1794Acting Lieutenantref:92420.1.1794 - 1794First Lieutenant ADM 6/25/7ref:92420.1.1794 - 1794Second Lieutenant ADM 6/25/7ADM 6/2520.1.1794 - 1794Third Lieutenant ADM 6/25/7ADM 6/2520.1.1794 - 17.4.1794Fourth Lieutenant Transfered ADM 6/25/7ADM 6/2520.1.1794 - 15.4.1794Fifth Lieutenant ADM 6/25/7ADM 6/2516.4.1794 - 17.4.1794Fifth Lieutenant ADM 6/25/30ADM 6/2518.4.1794 - 1794Fourth Lieutenant ADM 6/25/33ADM 6/2518.4.1794 - 1794Fifth Lieutenant ADM 6/25/33ADM 6/2521.4.1805 - 1806LieutenantNAO23.4.1805 - 1806LieutenantNAO23.4.1805 - 1806LieutenantNAO20.5.1805 - 1806LieutenantNAO

13 Warrant Officers

DatesRankNameSource
7.12.1790 - 1793Master1794Purserref:9241794Gunnerref:9241794Carpenterref:9241794Boatswainref:9241794Chaplainref:9241794Surgeonref:92426.2.1794 - 2.10.1796MasterADM 29-125.12.1801 - 26.11.1808GunnerNAO1803 - bef.26.4.1803Surgeonref:19811805Masterref:187619.4.1805 - 8.9.1805Surgeonref:18769.9.1805 - 26.11.1808Surgeon Transferedref:1876

5 Petty Officers

DatesRatingNameSource
1794MidshipmanADM 171/81794Master's MateADM 171/81795Master's MateADM 171/827.7.1800 - 13.6.1801MidshipmanADM 29/89.1806 - 21.12.1807MidshipmanNBD1849

10 Crewmen

DatesRatingNameSource
1794Able SeamanADM 171/81794Able SeamanADM 171/81794Captain's ServantADM 171/81794Captain's ServantADM 171/81794Surgeon's ServantADM 171/81794ClerkADM 171/826.2.1794 - 23.8.1794Yeoman of Sheets DischargedADM 29/826.2.1794 - 26.7.1800Able SeamanADM 29/818011st Class VolunteerNBD18491805 - 11.1808Able SeamanNBD1849

2 Marines

DatesRankNameSource
1794Lieutenant, 29th FootADM 171/81794Private, 29th Regiment of FootADM 171/8

Service History

DateEventSource
7.12.1783Completed at Deptford at a cost of £2,191.12.9d for fittingBWAS-1714
4.5.1784Completed at Woolwich at a cost of £3,938 including copperingBWAS-1714
10.1792Started a middling repair at ChathamBWAS-1714
2.1793Commissioned for the ChannelBWAS-1714
2.1794Completed repair at a cost of £21,529BWAS-1714
1.6.1794Glorious 1st of June
17.10.1795Took the Sloop
14.4.1797In company with destroyed the BWAS-1714
6.1801Started fitting at ChathamBWAS-1714
8.1801Completed fitting at a cost of £17,821BWAS-1714
11.1801Paid offBWAS-1714
3.1803RecommissionedBWAS-1714
28.5.1803In company with and took the 20-gun Franchise in the ChannelBWAS-1714
28.5.1803Took the Frigate in the Channel
26.7.1803Took the privateer **Venus** in the ChannelBWAS-1714
2.1805Paid offBWAS-1714
3.1805Started refitting at PlymouthBWAS-1714
4.1805RecommissionedBWAS-1714
6.1805Completed refitting at PlymouthBWAS-1714
22.7.18053rd Battle of Cape Finisterre
21.10.1805Battle of Trafalgar
12.3.1806Took the 14-gun privateer **San Christo del Paldo** off CadizBWAS-1714
2.1807In the DardanellesBWAS-1714
19.2.1807Forcing the Dardanelles
1.3.1807Passage of the Dardanelles
1808With Strachan's squadron off RochefortBWAS-1714
11.1808Paid off into ordinary at ChathamBWAS-1714
3.1814Broken up at ChathamBWAS-1714

Sources

IDNameAuthorType

ADM 171/8British Admiralty, Document

ADM 29-1 Document

ADM 29/8 Archive

ADM 6/25 Archive

B028J. J. Colledge, Book

BWAS-1714Rif Winfield, Book

BWAS-1793Rif Winfield, Book

NAOVarious, Web Site

NBD1849O'Brien, Digital Book

ref:1876Derek Ayshford, Pam Ayshford, Web Site

ref:1981 Document

ref:924A C de Poggi, Book

Previous comments on this page

Posted by Cy on Friday 11th of November 2022 08:06

It's from Winfield, British Warships in the age of sail 1714-1792. Thunderer and her 6 siblings are a separate design based on the Culloden Class. They wre all a bit smaller than the prototype.

Posted by jude de angulo on Thursday 10th of November 2022 19:45

many RN sources call Thunderer , 74, a Culloden Class Ship of the Line, only three decks calls it a Thunderer Class

Posted by Brian on Sunday 31st of January 2016 04:02

1803, Letter from Capt. Bedford to Admiral Cornwallis, Thunderer at Sea, July 26 - On the 26th inst. I captured the Venus, French privateer pierced for 28 guns, mounting 16 six pounders and 8 pound carronades, 150 men, commanded by Monsieur Lemperterie, she is a fine vessel, quite new, sails remarkably fast, well sound, coppered, and measures 558 tons . She sailed from Bordeaux the 21st. inst. in company with four other privateers....W. Bedford

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