HMS St Albans (1764)

St Albans
History
Great Britain
NameHMS St Albans
Ordered13 January 1761
BuilderPerry, Blackwall Yard
Launched12 September 1764
FateBroken up, 1814
NotesFloating battery from 1813
General characteristics [1]
Class and typeSt Albans-class ship of the line
Tons burthen1380 (bm)
Length159 ft (48 m) (gundeck)
Beam44 ft 4 in (13.51 m)
Depth of hold18 ft 10 in (5.74 m)
PropulsionSails
Sail planFull-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.

  1. ^ a b Lavery (2003), p. 178.