1647 Programme Group Explained

The 1647 Programme of four 370 ton fourth-rate vessels was approved by Parliament on 9 January 1647. The ships were to carry a minimum of 32 guns in peacetime and 38 guns in wartime. Each vessel would have 11 pairs lower deck gun ports and eventually an equal number on the upper deck with two pairs on the quarterdeck. The vessels would actually have varying number of guns and the dimensional data would vary considerably. Three vessels were ordered in December 1645.[1]

Design and specifications

The construction of the vessels was assigned to Chatham, Woolwich and Deptford dockyards. The ships would be built under the supervision of the master shipwrights of each Dockyard. As with most vessels of this time period only launch years are available. The dimensional data was so varied that it will be listed on the individual vessels along with their gun armament.[2]

Ships of the 1647 Programme Group

Name Builder Launch date Remarks
Woolwich Dockyard 1647
  • Rebuilt at Deptford 1689-90
  • Rebuilt Deptford 1706
  • Wrecked 15 March 1712
Deptford Dockyard 1647
  • Burnt in action with two Dutch warships 5 June 1667
Woolwich Dockyard 1647
  • Wrecked at Gibraltar on 3 December 1664
Deptford Dockyard 1647
  • Rebuilt at Deptford in 1681
  • Rebuilt at Rotherhithe 1702
  • Rebuilt at Sheerness 1718-22
  • Wrecked 12 January 1742

References

Notes and References

  1. Winfield
  2. Winfield