1694 Programme Group

Class overview
Name| 1694 Programme Group
Builders|

* six by Dockyard
* thirteen by contract

Operators|

* Kingdom of England
* Kingdom of Great Britain after 1707

Preceded by| 1693 Programme Group
Succeeded by| Betty (1695)
Built| 1694–1699
In service| 1695–1741
Completed| 19
Lost| 10
Retired| 9
General characteristics
Type| 32-gun fifth rate
Tons burthen| 36692⁄94 tons (bm)
Length|

* 108 ft 02 in (33.0 m) gundeck
* 88 ft 0 in (26.8 m) keel for tonnage

Beam| 28 ft 0 in (8.5 m) for tonnage
Depth of hold| 10 ft 6 in (3.2 m)
Sail plan| ship-rigged
Armament|

* as Built
* 4/8 x 4 demi-culverins (LD)
* 22/20 x sakers (UD)
* 6/4 x 4 minions (QD)
* 1703 Establishment
* 8/4 x 4 9-pdr guns (LD)
* 22/20 x 6-pdr guns (UD)
* 6/4 x 4-pdr guns (QD)

General characteristics 1719 Establishment
Class and type| 20-gun sixth rate
Tons burthen| 3755⁄94 tons (bm)
Length|

* 106 ft 1 in (32.33 m) gundeck
* 87 ft 10 in (26.77 m) keel for tonnage

Beam| 28 ft 4 in (8.64 m)
Depth of hold| 9 ft 2 in (2.79 m)
Propulsion| Sails
Sail plan| Full-rigged ship
Armament|

* 1719 Establishment 20 guns
* 20 x 6-pdr guns (UD)

The 1694 Programme of 32-gun fifth rates were derived from the 1693 programme vessels as demi-batterie ships. The concept was to have one tier of ordnance flush on the upper deck for use in all weathers on a freeboard of at least seven feet. The ordnance would be arranged with a minimum of eleven gun ports on the upper deck. The lower deck would be provided with four to eight gun ports for heavier guns that could only be used in calm weather. For added propulsion ten oar ports per side would be provided with a central loading port. Nineteen more 32-gun vessels to these specifications were ordered in from 1694 to 1698 with Thirteen to be built by Contract and nine in dockyard.[1]

## Design and specifications[edit]

As with most vessels of this time period only order and launch dates are available. The dimensional data listed here is the specification data and the acceptable design creep will be listed on each individual vessel. The gundeck was 108 feet 0 inches (32.9 metres) with a keel length of 88 feet 0 inches (26.8 metres) for tonnage calculation. The breadth would be 28 feet 0 inches (8.5 metres) with a depth of hold of 10 ft 6 in (3.2 m). The tonnage calculation would be 366+92⁄94 tons. The ships would be sail powered carrying a ship-rigged sail plan. Also there was a provision for ten oar ports per side located between the gun ports on the lower deck.[1] Lyme and Scarborough would be rebuilt to the 1719 establishment for 20-gun vessels. The establishment dimensions were 106 feet 0 inches (32.31 metres) with a keel length of 87 feet 9 inches (26.75 metres) for tonnage calculation. The breadth would be 28 feet 4 inches (8.64 metres) with a depth of hold of 9 feet 2 inches (2.79 metres). The tonnage calculation would be 374{0⁄94 tons (bm).[2][3]

The gun armament initially was four demi-culverines[Note 1] mounted on wooden trucks 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 sakers[Note 2] guns mounted on wooden trucks with ten or eleven guns per side. The gun battery would be completed by four to six minions[Note 3] guns mounted on wooden trucks on the quarterdeck (QD) with two to three guns per side. In the 1703 Establishment the old gun designations would be replaced by a system that designated the guns by the weight of shot fired. The demi-culverines would become known as 9-pounders, the Sakers as 6-pounders and the minions as 4-pounders. Therefore, their armament as of 1703 for Shoreham and Sorlings would be listed as four 9-pounder guns on the lower deck (LD), twenty 6-pounder 19 hundredweight (cwt) guns on the upper deck (UD) with four 4-pounder 12 cwt guns on the quarterdeck (QD). For Scarborough, Faversham, Looe(ii) and Bridgewater would be rerated as 36-gun vessels with an increase in the 9-pounders to eight guns. The 4-pounders would be removed in 1714.[1] Under the 1719 Establishment the guns would be established as twenty 6-pounders on the upper deck (UD).[3][4]

## Ships of the 1694 Programme Group[edit]

Name | Builder | Launch date | Remarks

|
|
|

Lyme (1695) | Mr Flint, Plymouth | 20 April 1695 |

* rebuilt as 1719 Establishment sixth rate in 1720
* Breaking completed January 1739

Hastings (1695) (i) | Thomas Ellis, Shoreham | 5 February 1695 |

* Wrecked 10 December 1697

Milford (1695) | William Hubbard, Ipswich | 6 March 1695 |

* Taken by French 7 January 1697

Arundel (1695) | Thomas Ellis, Shoreham | 13 September 1695 |

* sold under AO 11 June 1713

Rye (1696) | Sheerness Dockyard | 7 June 1696 |

* sunk as breakwater Harwich 5 July 1727

Scarborough (1696) | James Parker, Southampton | 24 March 1696 |

* Captured by French 1 November 1710
* Recaptured by British 31 March 1712 and renamed Garland
* Reduced to 20-gun sixth rate 1717
* rebuilt at Sheerness as sixth rate 24 October 1721
* Sold at Sheerness 27 September 1744

Looe (1696) (i) | Plymouth Dockyard | 5 August 1696 |

* Wrecked Baltimore Bay, Ireland 30 April 1697

Lynn (1696) | Thomas Ellis, Shoreham | 24 April 1696 |

* Sold to Francis Sheldon 16 April 1713

Fowey (1696) | Thomas Burgess & William Briggs, Shoreham | 7 May 1696 |

* Taken by French 1 August 1708

Southsea Castle (1696) (i) | John Knowler, Redbridge | 3 September 1696 |

* Wrecked 15 September 1697

Gosport (1696) | William Collins, Shoreham | 3 September 1696 |

* Taken by French 28 July 1706

Poole (1696) | Joseph Nye & George Moore, East Cowes | 6 August 1696 |

* Converted to a fireship at Portsmouth 1719
* sunk as a breakwater Harwich 8 July 1737

Feversham (1696) | Thomas Ellis and William Collins, Shoreham | 1 October 1696 |

* foundered 7 October 1711

Hastings (1698) (ii) | Isaac Betts, Woodbridge | 17 May 1698 |

* Wrecked 9 February 1707

Lowestoffe (1697) | Chatham Dockyard | 16 August 1697 |

* Rebuilt as 20-gun sixth rate
* Sold on 12 July 1744

Looe (1697) (ii) | Portsmouth Dockyard | 15 October 1697 |

* Wrecked 12 December 1705

Southsea Castle (1697) (ii) | Deptford Dockyard | 16 November 1697 |

* Wrecked 12 November 1699

Bridgewater (1698) | Sheerness Dockyard | 30 May 1698 |

* Converted to a fireship 1727
* Broken in April 1738

Ludlow (1698) | Mrs Ann Mundy, Woodbridge | 12 September 1698 |

* taken by French 16 January 1703

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ A demi-culverine was a gun of 3,400 pounds with a four inch bore firing a 9.5 pound shot with an eight pound powder charge.
2. ^ A sacar or saker was a gun of 1,400 pounds with a 3.5 inch bore firing a 5.5 pound shot with an 5,5 pound powder charge.
3. ^ A minion was a gun of 1,000 pounds with a 3.5 inch bore firing a 4 pound shot with an 4 pound powder charge.

## Citations[edit]

1. ^ a b c Winfield (2009), Chapter 5, The Fifth Rates, Vessels acquired from 16 December 1688, Fifth Rates 32-36 guns, 1694 Programe
2. ^ Clowes (1898), Chapter XXVI, page 9
3. ^ a b Winfield (2007), Chapter 6, Sixth Rates, Sixth Rates of 20 or 24 guns, Vessels acquired from 1 August 1714, 1719 Establishment Group
4. ^ Clowes (1898), Chapter XXVI, page 9

## References[edit]

* Winfield 2009, British Warships in the Age of Sail (1603 – 1714), by Rif Winfield, published by Seaforth Publishing, England © 2009, EPUB ISBN 978-1-78346-924-6
* Winfield 2007, British Warships in the Age of Sail (1714 – 1792), by Rif Winfield, published by Seaforth Publishing, England © 2007, EPUB ISBN 978-1-78346-925-3
* Colledge, Ships of the Royal Navy, by J.J. Colledge, revised and updated by Lt Cdr Ben Warlow and Steve Bush, published by Seaforth Publishing, Barnsley, Great Britain, © 2020, EPUB ISBN 978-1-5267-9328-7
* Clowes (1898), The Royal Navy, A History from the Earliest Times to the Present (Vol. III). London. England: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, © 1898

* v
* t
* e

1694 Programme Group

* Lyme
* Hastings (i)
* Milford
* Arundel
* Rye
* Scarborough
* Looe (i)
* Lynn
* Fowey
* Southsea Castle (i)
* Gosport
* Poole
* Feversham
* Hastings (ii)
* Lowestoffe
* Looe (ii)
* Southsea Castle (ii)
* Bridgewater
* Ludlow

* Preceded by: 1693 Programme Group
* Followed by: Tartar Group 32-gun ship

* List of frigate classes of the Royal Navy

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