British Third Rate ship of the line 'Audacious' (1785)

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Audacious	3185
Nominal Guns	74	BWAS-1714
Nationality	Great Britain
Operator	Royal Navy
Acquired	23.7.1785	BWAS-1714
First Commissioned	2.1792	BWAS-1714
Shipyard	Rotherhithe - London - Surrey	BWAS-1714
Ship Class	Edgar Class (1774)	BWAS-1714
Constructor	John RandallBritish Designer Ship Builder Service 1780-1802	BWAS-1714
Category	Third Rate	BWAS-1714
Ship Type	Ship of the Line	BWAS-1714
Sailing Rig	Ship Rigged	BWAS-1714
Broken Up	8.1815	BWAS-1714

Dimensions

DimensionMeasurementTypeMetric EquivalentBWAS-1714
Length of Gundeck168' 2"Imperial Feet51.2071
Length of Keel137' 9"Imperial Feet41.7638
Breadth47' 1"Imperial Feet14.3292
Depth in Hold19' 10"Imperial Feet5.7912
Draught Forward12' 6"Imperial Feet3.7338
Draught Aft17' 9 ½"Imperial Feet5.1943
Burthen1,624 ²⁷⁄₉₄Tons BM

Armament

23.7.1785Broadside Weight = 781 Imperial Pound ( 354.1835 kg)BWAS-1793
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
25.8.1774550Design Complement

12 Ship Commanders

DatesRankNameSource
24.12.1792 - 4.7.1794Captain ADM 6/24/186BWAS-17147.7.1794 - 6.1795Captain ADM 6/25/57BWAS-17146.1795 - 1796CaptainBWAS-17141798 - 1800CaptainBWAS-17144.1801 - 6.1801CaptainBWAS-17146.1801CaptainBWAS-17146.1801 - 1802CaptainBWAS-17146.1805 - 1.1806CaptainBWAS-17141.1806CaptainBWAS-17141.1806 - 1807CaptainBWAS-17141807 - 1809CaptainBWAS-17143.1810 - 11.1811CaptainBWAS-1714

1 Flag Officer

DatesRankNameSource
4.1800 - 1800Vice-Admiral of the RedBWAS-1714

10 Commissioned Officers

DatesRankNameSource
24.12.1792 - 1792First Lieutenant ADM 6/24/186ADM 6/2424.12.1792 - 13.5.1793Second Lieutenant ADM 6/24/186ADM 6/2424.12.1792 - 1792Third Lieutenant ADM 6/24/186ADM 6/2424.12.1792 - 1792Fourth Lieutenant ADM 6/24/186ADM 6/2424.12.1792 - 1792Fifth Lieutenant ADM 6/24/186ADM 6/2414.5.1793 - 5.2.1794Second Lieutenant Transfered ADM 6/24/238ADM 6/2415.2.1794 - 5.7.1794Second Lieutenant ADM 6/25/13ADM 6/2529.8.1795 - 28.4.1796Acting LieutenantADM 6/2521.1.1806 - 18.12.1811LieutenantNBD184911.1809 - 12.1810LieutenantNBD1849

20 Warrant Officers

DatesRankNameSource
28.12.1792 - bef.25.9.1794Surgeonref:198110.1.1793 - 23.10.1794MasterADM 29-19.2.1793 - 10.4.1794Second Surgeons' Materef:19818.3.1793 - bef.10.4.1794First Surgeons' Materef:19811794 - 1.6.1794Surgeonref:166510.4.1794 - bef.12.1.1795First Surgeons' Materef:198125.9.1794 - bef.6.9.1797Surgeonref:198112.1.1795 - bef.23.12.1800First Surgeons' Materef:198129.1.1795 - bef.11.8.1797Third Surgeons' Materef:19816.2.1797 - bef.11.4.1801Surgeonref:198111.8.1797 - bef.23.5.1801Acting Second Surgeons' Materef:198123.12.1800 - bef.13.10.1801Acting First Surgeons' Materef:198123.12.1800 - bef.13.10.1801Acting First Surgeons' Materef:198111.4.1801 - bef.1803Surgeonref:19818.5.1801 - bef.1803Third Surgeons' Materef:198111.5.1801 - 4.10.1802MasterADM 29-123.5.1801 - bef.1803Second Surgeons' Materef:198113.10.1801 - bef.22.10.1801Acting First Surgeons' Materef:198122.10.1801 - bef.30.10.1801First Surgeons' Materef:198130.10.1801 - bef.1803First Surgeons' Materef:1981

7 Petty Officers

DatesRatingNameSource
1794MidshipmanADM 171/81794MidshipmanADM 171/81794ClerkADM 171/829.10.1801 - 4.10.1802Midshipmanref:107329.10.1801 - 4.10.1802Midshipmanref:10731805MidshipmanNBD18491807 - 4.1809MidshipmanNBD1849

11 Crewmen

DatesRatingNameSource
1794Able SeamanADM 171/81794Able SeamanADM 171/81794Able SeamanADM 171/81794Ordinary SeamanADM 171/81794LandmanADM 171/81794LandmanADM 171/81794LandmanADM 171/81794Captain's ServantADM 171/81794Captain's ServantADM 171/81794ServantADM 171/81794BoyADM 171/8

Service History

DateEventSource
9.1785Began fitting at Deptford Dockyard - Deptford BWAS-1714
10.1785Completed fitting at Deptford Dockyard - Deptford at a cost of £11850.0.0dBWAS-1714
10.1785Completed at Deptford Dockyard - Deptford BWAS-1714
8.1791Began small repair at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham BWAS-1714
23.2.1793Completed small repair at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham at a cost of £10026.0.0dBWAS-1714
23.5.1795Sailed for the MediterraneanBWAS-1714
13.7.1795Battle of Hyeres
1.1797Began making good defects at Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth BWAS-1714
3.1797Completed making good defects at Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth at a cost of £9199.0.0dBWAS-1714
1.8.1798Battle of the Nile
18.2.1800Capture of the Généreux
4.1801RecommissionedBWAS-1714
6.7.1801Battle of Algeciras Bay
12.7.1801The Gut of Gibraltar
1.4.1802Sailed for the Leeward IslandsBWAS-1714
4.1805Began fitting at Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth BWAS-1714
6.1805RecommissionedBWAS-1714
8.1805Completed fitting at Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth at a cost of £27429.0.0dBWAS-1714
1807In the Channel FleetBWAS-1714
1808In the BalticBWAS-1714
1.1809Evacuation of CorunnaBWAS-1714
28.7.1809Expedition to the Scheldt
28.7.1809Walcheren Expedition
24.9.1810Sailed for PortugalBWAS-1714
11.1811Laid up in ordinary at ChathamBWAS-1714
8.1815Broken up at ChathamBWAS-1714

Fleets
Dates	Fleet	Fleet Commander	Source
14.8.1798-1798	Saumarez's Squadron 1798	Sir James SaumarezBritish Naval Sailor

Sources

IDNameAuthorType

Book

ADM 171/8British Admiralty, Document

ADM 29-1 Document

ADM 6/24 Archive

ADM 6/25 Archive

BWAS-1714Rif Winfield, Book

BWAS-1793Rif Winfield, Book

NBD1849O'Brien, Digital Book

ref:1073Willis Harry Miller, Book

ref:1665Thomas Trotter, Book

ref:1981 Document

Previous comments on this page

Posted by Tim Oakley on Thursday 27th of October 2022 18:05

December 1800 Curzon handed command of the Indefatigable over to Captain Matthew Henry Scott upon his appointment to the Montagu 74 in the Channel. However, this vessel, under the temporary command of Captain Robert Cuthbert, had already joined Rear-Admiral Sir Robert Calder s squadron which had sailed in search of Rear-Admiral Honor Ganteaume s fleet during that officer s cruise from January to July 1801. Instead, in April Curzon was appointed to the Audacious 74 at Plymouth, but before she could sail he was invalided from his command, and for the next six years heremained unemployed due to serious illness. [More than Nelson]

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