HMS Sylph (1795)

HMS Sylph (R) and the cutter Mary Ann, 1795
History
Great Britain
NameHMS Sylph
NamesakeSylph
Ordered13 July 1795
Cost£5,322
Laid downJuly 1795
Launched3 September 1795
Completed23 September 1795
CommissionedAugust 1795
FateBroken up, April 1811
General characteristics [1]
Class and typeAlbatross-class brig-sloop
Tons burthen3695294 (bm)
Length
  • 96 ft 2 in (29.3 m) (gundeck)
  • 73 ft 10+12 in (22.5 m) (keel)
Beam30 ft 8 in (9.3 m)
Depth of hold12 ft 9 in (3.9 m)
PropulsionSails
Complement121
ArmamentGun deck: 16 × 32-pounder carronades + 2 × 6-pounder bow chasers

HMS Sylph was a 16-gun Albatross-class brig-sloop of the Royal Navy designed by William Rule and launched in 1795 at Deptford Dockyard. Her namesake was the air spirit sylph. She commissioned in August 1795 under Commander John Chambers White, who would have her until the end of 1799. She was later commanded by Charles Dashwood.

Sylph was an active ship through the French Revolutionary Wars, participating in actions such as the action of 12 May 1796 and taking a number of warships and privateers during service as a blockade and patrol ship. The majority of her service would be spent in the North Sea, English Channel and off the coast of Spain. Sylph served actively until 1805, when she was laid up at Portsmouth. She was broken up there in 1811.

  1. ^ Winfield, British Warships, p. 645