HMS St Albans (1764)

St Albans
History
Great Britain
Name	HMS St Albans
Ordered	13 January 1761
Builder	Perry, Blackwall Yard
Launched	12 September 1764
Fate	Broken up, 1814
Notes	Floating battery from 1813
General characteristics [1]
Class and type	St Albans-class ship of the line
Tons burthen	1380 (bm)
Length	159 ft (48 m) (gundeck)
Beam	44 ft 4 in (13.51 m)
Depth of hold	18 ft 10 in (5.74 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Armament	64 guns: Gundeck: 26 × 24-pounders Upper gundeck: 26 × 18-pounders QD: 10 × 4-pounders Fc: 2 × 9-pounders

HMS St Albans was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 12 September 1764 by Perry, Wells & Green at their Blackwall Yard, London.^[1]

She sailed with a complement of 525 men and 64 guns with a draught of 1,380 tons and a gun deck of 159 ft 6ins x 42 ft. This type of ship was the second biggest class of ships-of-the-line on the navy list with 39 ships in 1793, and 41 in 1812. The 64 was essentially a cut price 74-gun ship; it had neither the gun power nor the sailing qualities of the latter. but more could be produced for the money. It was not a popular class with naval officers.

She served in the American War of Independence from 1777 and was part of the fleet that captured St Lucia and won victories at Battle of St. Kitts and The Saintes. She was converted to a floating battery in 1813 and was broken up in 1814.