Musquito class floating battery
Encyclopedia
The Musquito class was a Royal Navy
class of two 4-gun floating batteries built to a design by Admiral Sir Sidney Smith specifically to serve with his squadron in French coastal waters. Both were named and ordered under Admiralty Order 26 May 1794.
.) Two of the keels were parallel and forward and the third was aft.
Both vessels were built by Wells & Co. at Deptford Dockyard in 1794 and launched that same year.
islands and Sandfly was based at Jersey. After the loss of Musquito, Sandfly moved to St Marcou.
in 1798. She was paid off 1802 and broken up 1803.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
class of two 4-gun floating batteries built to a design by Admiral Sir Sidney Smith specifically to serve with his squadron in French coastal waters. Both were named and ordered under Admiralty Order 26 May 1794.
Design and construction
Smith had the two vessels built with tapered, flat-bottomed hulls, so that they could go into shallow waters. For stability he had them fitted with three Shank sliding or drop keels (actually removable centreboards). (The Shank keels were the invention of naval architect Captain John SchankJohn Schank
Admiral John Schank was an officer of the British Royal Navy known for his skill in ship construction and mechanical design.-Biography:...
.) Two of the keels were parallel and forward and the third was aft.
Both vessels were built by Wells & Co. at Deptford Dockyard in 1794 and launched that same year.
Deployment
Musquito was based at the St MarcouÎles Saint-Marcouf
Îles Saint-Marcouf are a group of two small uninhabited islands off the coast of Normandy, France. They lie in the Baie de la Seine region of the English Channel and are 6.5 kilometres east of the coast of the Cotentin peninsula at Ravenoville and 13 kilometres from the island of Tatihou...
islands and Sandfly was based at Jersey. After the loss of Musquito, Sandfly moved to St Marcou.
Musquito
Musquito was commissioned in May 1795 under Lieutenant William McCarthy. A gale blew her out of the anchorage at the St Marcou islands and wrecked her on the French coast on 20 June 1795, with the loss of five lives, including McCarthy.Sandfly
participated in the Battle of the Îles Saint-MarcoufBattle of the Îles Saint-Marcouf
The Battle of the Îles Saint-Marcouf was an engagement fought off the Îles Saint-Marcouf near the Cotentin peninsula on the Normandy coast of France in May 1798 during the French Revolutionary Wars. In 1795 a British garrison was placed on the islands, which operated as a resupply base for Royal...
in 1798. She was paid off 1802 and broken up 1803.