HMS Hastings (1695)
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HMS Hastings was a 32-gun fifth rate built under contract by Thomas Ellis of Shoreham in 1694/95. She spent her brief career on counter piracy patrols and trade protection duties in Home Waters. She was wrecked in a storm off Waterford in December 1697.
| History | |
|---|---|
 England | |
| Name | HMS Hastings |
| Ordered | 2 April 1694 |
| Builder | Thomas Ellis, Shoreham |
| Launched | 5 February 1695 |
| Commissioned | 18 June 1695 |
| Fate | Wrecked in storm off Waterford 10 December 1697 |
| General characteristics as built | |
| Class & type | 32-gun fifth rate |
| Tons burthen | 38390⁄94 tons (bm) |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 28 ft 2.5 in (8.60 m) |
| Depth of hold | 10 ft 7.5 in (3.24 m) |
| Propulsion | Sails |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
| Complement | 145/110 |
| Armament |
|
She was the first vessel to carry the name Hastings in the English and Royal Navy.[1]
Construction and specifications
She was ordered on 2 April 1694 to be built under contract by Thomas Ellis of Shoreham. She was launched on 5 February 1695. Her dimensions were a gundeck of 108 feet 8 inches (33.12 metres) with a keel of 90 feet 9 inches (27.66 metres) for tonnage calculation with a breadth of 28 feet 2.5 inches (8.60 metres) and a depth of hold of 10 feet 7.5 inches (3.24 metres). Her builder’s measure tonnage was calculated as 38390⁄94 tons (burthen).[2]
The gun armament initially was four demi-culverins[3][Note 1] on the lower deck (LD) with two pair of guns per side. The upper deck (UD) battery would consist of between twenty and twenty-two 6-pounder guns[4][Note 2] with ten or eleven guns per side. The gun battery would be completed by four 4-pounder guns[5][Note 3] on the quarterdeck (QD) with two to three guns per side.[6]
Commissioned Service 1695-1697
HMS Hastings was commissioned on 18 June 1695 under the command of Captain John Draper for service in the West Indies. She returned to Home Waters with a convoy. She was assigned to Irish Waters in 1696. In 1697 she was escorting timber ships to Kinsale, Ireland.[2]
Loss
Notes
- A demi-culverin was a gun of 3,400 pounds with a four-inch bore firing a 9.5-pound shot with an eight-pound powder charge
- A 6-pounder was a Dutch gun used to replace the saker
- A minion renamed the 4-pounder was a gun of 1,000 pounds with a 3.5-inch bore firing a 4-pound shot with a 4-pound powder charge.