British sloop 'Speedwell' (1752)

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Speedwell ➡ 1779 Spitfire	6814
Nominal Guns	8	BWAS-1714
Nationality	Great Britain
Operator	Royal Navy
Ordered	14.1.1751/52	BWAS-1714
Keel Laid Down	11.2.1751/52	BWAS-1714
Named	21.10.1752	BWAS-1714
Launched	21.10.1752	BWAS-1714
First Commissioned	13.2.1753	BWAS-1714
How acquired	Purpose built	BWAS-1714
Shipyard	Chatham Dockyard - Chatham	BWAS-1714
Ship Class	Cruizer Class (1752)	BWAS-1714
Designed by	William RuleBritish Designer Ship Builder Dockyard Staff Service 1778-1813	BWAS-1714
Constructor	Sir Thomas SladeBritish Designer Ship Builder Dockyard Staff Service 1744-1783	BWAS-1714
Category	Unrated	BWAS-1714
Ship Type	Sloop	BWAS-1714
Sailing Rig	Ketch	BWAS-1714
Sold	5.12.1780	BWAS-1714

Dimensions

DimensionMeasurementTypeMetric EquivalentBWAS-1714
Length of Gundeck75' 7"Imperial Feet22.8956
Length of Keel62' 3"Imperial Feet18.9357
Breadth20' 7 ½"Imperial Feet6.1087
Depth in Hold9' 4"Imperial Feet2.8448
Burthen140 ⁷⁹⁄₉₄Tons BM

Armament

21.10.1752Broadside Weight = 14.5 Imperial Pound ( 6.576 kg)BWAS-1714
Gun Deck8 British 3-Pounder
Gun Deck10 British 1/2-Pound Swivel

Crew Complement

Date# of MenNotesSource
21.10.175250Design ComplementBWAS-1714
27.8.177940As a fireshipBWAS-1714

17 Ship Commanders

DatesRankNameSource
13.2.1753 - 6.8.1756Commander ADM 6/18/59BWAS-17146.8.1756 - 7.2.1757Commander ADM 6/18/299BWAS-17147.2.1757 - 13.1.1758Commander ADM 6/18/353BWAS-171413.1.1758 - 2.3.1759Commander ADM 6/18/470BWAS-17142.3.1759 - 14.3.1760Commander ADM 6/19/40BWAS-171414.3.1760 - 11.2.1761Commander Transfered ADM 6/19/146BWAS-171411.2.1761 - 4.3.1761Commander Transfered ADM 6/19/277ADM 6/194.3.1761 - 14.2.1763Commander ADM 6/19/288BWAS-17148.6.1763 - 16.9.1766Commander ADM 6/19/508BWAS-171429.11.1766 - 18.1.1770Commander ADM 6/20/148BWAS-171418.1.1770 - 26.1.1773Commander ADM 6/20/268BWAS-171426.1.1773 - 25.6.1773Commander ADM 6/20/475ODNB26.6.1773 - 26.1.1776Commander ADM 6/20/501ADM 6/2026.1.1776 - 16.9.1777Commander ADM 6/21/152BWAS-171416.9.1777 - 12.5.1778Commander Transfered ADM 6/21/312ADM 6/2113.5.1778 - 6.2.1779Commander ADM 6/21/404BWAS-171427.8.1779 - 16.8.1780Commander Transfered ADM 6/22/20BWAS-1714

1 Commissioned Officer

DatesRankNameSource
31.8.1762 - 14.2.1763Lieutenant ADM 6/19/434ADM 6/19

3 Petty Officers

DatesRatingNameSource
24.5.1753 - 13.8.1754Midshipman ADM 107/4/401ADM 107/429.1.1754 - 11.1.1755Midshipman ADM 107/4/364ADM 107/46.2.1755 - 7.4.1756Midshipman ADM 107/4/364ADM 107/4

2 Crewmen

DatesRatingNameSource
14.8.1754 - 21.9.1755Able Seaman Transfered ADM 107/4/401ADM 107/412.1.1755 - 5.2.1755Able Seaman ADM 107/4/364ADM 107/4

Service History

DateEventSource
11.2.1752Began building at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham BWAS-1714
10.10.1752Began fitting at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham BWAS-1714
21.10.1752Completed building at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham at a cost of £2285.13.3dBWAS-1714
2.1753Off the Isle of WightBWAS-1714
7.3.1753Completed fitting at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham at a cost of £853.11.10dBWAS-1714
11.3.1757Sailed for North AmericaBWAS-1714
8.1757Louisbourg Expedition
6.1758Operations against St Malo, Cherbourg and St CasBWAS-1714
5.6.1758Raid on Saint-Malo
19.1.1759Sailed for the Leeward IslandsBWAS-1714
3.1759fitting at Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth BWAS-1714
22.2.1760SurveyedBWAS-1714
14.2.1763Paid offADM 51
16.9.1766Paid offADM 51
11.1766RecommissionedBWAS-1714
12.1766Began middling repair at Deptford Dockyard - Deptford BWAS-1714
2.1767Completed middling repair at Deptford Dockyard - Deptford at a cost of £1737.16.0dBWAS-1714
6.1770Began large repair at Sheerness Dockyard - Sheerness BWAS-1714
9.1770Completed large repair at Sheerness Dockyard - Sheerness BWAS-1714
22.6.1773Spithead reviewBWAS-1714
5.1775fitting at Sheerness Dockyard - Sheerness at a cost of £407.4.9dBWAS-1714
1776In the ChannelBWAS-1714
6.2.1779Paid offADM 51
8.1779Recommissioned as a fireshipBWAS-1714
27.8.1779Refitted as a 8 gun Unrated Fireship
27.8.1779Renamed SpitfireBWAS-1714
5.12.1780Sold at Sheerness for £160BWAS-1714

Sources

IDNameAuthorType

ADM 107/4 Archive

ADM 51 Archive

ADM 6/19 Archive

ADM 6/20 Archive

ADM 6/21 Archive

BWAS-1714Rif Winfield, Book

ODNBOxford University Press, Web Site

Previous comments on this page

Posted by cy on Saturday 3rd of October 2020 08:30

Yes, 100% there were also numerous merchant vessels named Speedwell in 1752.

See here https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt/search?q1=speedwell&id=mdp.39015028378910&view=1up&seq=5

Posted by Anne Cox on Saturday 3rd of October 2020 07:27

I found documentation that my ancestors arrived in Nova Scotia on a ship called the Speedwell on 16th May 1752. From your records it can't be the ship you give service details for. Were there several ships of that name?

Posted by Peter Evans on Saturday 2nd of February 2019 20:55

John Cragwell Boatswain of the Sloop Speedwell drowned in the River Thames and buried at St Nicholas Parish Church Deptford 23 September 1766 (Source - Parish Records)

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