HMS Pallas (1757)

Pallas in three positions, by John Cleveley the Elder, 1769
History
Royal Navy EnsignGreat Britain
NameHMS Pallas
Ordered13 July 1756
BuilderWilliam Wells, Deptford
Laid downJuly 1756
Launched30 August 1757
Completed8 October 1757 at Deptford Dockyard
CommissionedAugust 1757
FateBurnt to avoid capture, 24 February 1783
General characteristics [1]
Class and typeVenus-class fifth-rate frigate
Tons burthen728 7394 bm
Length
  • 128 ft 4 in (39.12 m) (gundeck)
  • 106 ft 4 in (32.41 m) (keel)
Beam35 ft 10.75 in (10.9411 m)
Depth of hold12 ft 4.5 in (3.772 m)
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Complement240 officers and men
Armament
  • 36 guns comprising:
  • Upperdeck: 26 × 12-pounder guns
  • Quarterdeck: 8 × 6-pounder guns
  • Forecastle: 2 × 6-pounder guns

HMS Pallas was one of the three 36-gun Venus-class fifth-rate frigates of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1757 and initially served in Sir Edward Hawke's fleet blockading the coast of France where she fought at the Raid on Cherbourg and in the Battle of Bishops Court. She later served for a number of years in the Mediterranean Sea before moving to serve off the coast of Africa between 1774 and 1776 where she protected the isolated British colonies. In 1778 she joined the Newfoundland Station and participated in the attack on Saint Pierre and Miquelon. Pallas returned to the English Channel after this and assisted in destroying a French invasion force intended for the Channel Islands in 1779 before briefly serving on the Jamaica Station. In 1783 she was beached on São Jorge Island after she was found to be heavily leaking; she was burned there on 24 February.

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