English ship Laurel (1651)

History
England
Name	Laurel
Ordered	5 February 1651
Builder	Portsmouth Dockyard
Launched	1651
Commissioned	1651
Honours and awards	Kentish Knock 1652 Dungeness 1652 Portland 1653 The Gabbard 1653 Scheveningen 1653
Fate	Wrecked 30 May 1657
General characteristics
Class and type	46-gun Fourth-rate
Tons burthen	489+0⁄94 tons bm
Length	103 ft 0 in (31.4 m) Keel for tonnage
Beam	30 ft 1 in (9.2 m) maximum 29 ft 10.5 in (9.1 m) for tonnage
Depth of hold	15 ft 0 in (4.6 m)
Sail plan	ship-rigged
Complement	180 in 1652 200 by 1653
Armament	46 as built 48 to 50 guns 1653

Laurel was a 48-gun fourth-rate of the navy of the Commonwealth of England. She participated in almost all major Fleet Actions of the First Anglo-Dutch War. She was an active participant in the battles of Kentish Knock, Dungeness, Portland, The Gabbard and Scheveningen. She went to the west Indies with Admiral William Penn. She was wrecked in May 1657.^[1]

Laurel was the first named vessel in the English and Royal Navy.^[2]