| History | |
|---|---|
 Great Britain | |
| Name | HMS Speedwell |
| Acquired | May 1780 by purchase |
| Fate | Foundered 1807 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Tons burthen | 19343⁄94 bm |
| Length | 75 ft 3 in (22.9 m) (overall); 54 ft 6 in (16.6 m) |
| Beam | 25 ft 10 in (7.9 m) |
| Depth of hold | 10 ft 2 in (3.1 m) |
| Propulsion | Sails |
| Sail plan | Cutter; Brig (post-1796) |
| Complement | 70 |
| Armament | 14 × 4-pounder guns (later 16) + 10 × ½-pound swivel guns |
HMS Speedwell was a mercantile vessel that the Admiralty purchased in 1780. During the American Revolutionary War she served at Gibraltar during the Great Siege. In 1796 she was converted to a brig. Although she did capture two French privateers and participate in an incident in which the Royal Navy violated Swedish neutrality, her service in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars was apparently relatively uneventful. A storm in February 1807 destroyed her, causing the loss of her entire crew.
- ^ Winfield (2008), p. 353.