HMS Jupiter (1778)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Jupiter.

Naval battle off the coast of Lisbon, 20 October 1778. The French ship Triton against the British ship Jupiter and the frigate Medea. Painting by Pierre-Julien Gilbert
History
Great Britain
NameHMS Jupiter
Ordered21 June & 1 July 1776
BuilderJohn Randall & Co, Rotherhithe
Laid downJuly 1776
Launched13 May 1778
CompletedBy 26 July 1778
FateWrecked on 10 December 1808
General characteristics
Class and type50-gun Portland-class fourth rate
Tons burthen1,061 30⁄94 (bm)
Length
  • 146 ft 1+1⁄2 in (44.5 m) (overall)
  • 119 ft 8 in (36.5 m) (keel)
Beam40 ft 10 in (12.4 m)
Depth of hold17 ft 6 in (5.3 m)
PropulsionSails
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Complement350
Armament
  • Lower deck: 22 × 24-pounder guns
  • Upper deck: 22 × 12-pounder guns
  • QD: 4 × 6-pounder guns
  • Fc: 2 × 6-pounder guns

HMS Jupiter was a 50-gun Portland-class fourth-rate ship of the Royal Navy. She served during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars, and the Napoleonic Wars in a career that spanned thirty years. She was also one of the fastest ships in the Royal Navy as shown by her attempt to capture the cutter Eclipse under Nathaniel Fanning.