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Hunter-class sloop

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Class overview
Operators Royal Navy
Preceded byBonetta class
Succeeded byAlderney class
Built1755-1756
In commission1756-1780
Completed2
Lost1
General characteristics (common design)
TypeSloop-of-war
Tons burthen223 6294 bm
Length
  • 88 ft 3 in (26.9 m) (gundeck)
  • 73 ft 0 in (22.3 m) (keel)
Beam24 ft 3 in (7.4 m)
Depth of hold7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Sail planSnow rig
Complement100
Armament
  • 10 × short 6-pounder guns;
  • also 12 x ½-pounder swivel guns

The Hunter class was a class of two sloops of wooden construction built for the Royal Navy between 1755 and 1756. Both were built by contract with commercial builders to a common design prepared by Thomas Slade, the Surveyor of the Navy.

Both were ordered on 5 August 1755, and contracts with the builders were agreed on 8 August. They were two-masted (snow-rigged) vessels, although the Hunter was built with a 'pink' or very narrow stern (and a keel 3 feet longer than the original design), while her sister Viper had a traditional 'square' stern.

Hunter was captured by two American privateers off Boston on 23 November 1775, but was retaken by HMS Greyhound the following day.

Vessels

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Name Ordered Builder Launched Notes
Hunter 5 August 1755 Thomas Stanton and William Wells,
Rotherhithe
28 February 1756 Sold by auction at New York City on 27 December 1780.
Viper 5 August 1755 Thomas West,
Deptford
31 March 1756 Wrecked 15 December 1779 in the Thames Estuary.

References

[edit]
  • Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
  • McLaughlan, Ian. The Sloop of War 1650-1763. Seaforth Publishing, 2014. ISBN 978-1-84832-187-8.
  • Winfield, Rif. British Warships in the Age of Sail 1714-1792: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing, 2007. ISBN 978-1-84415-700-6.