Speedy class brig
Encyclopedia
The Speedy class brigs were a two-ship class of brig
built for the Royal Navy
during the later years of the American War of Independence. They survived into the French Revolutionary Wars
.
, a specialist builder of such craft. They were designed with a cutter-type hull, and anticipated the development of a new concept of the brig in naval warfare, that of small, fast escort vessels, instead of the slower but more seaworthy ship-sloop
s. Their names were selected to epitomise this approach, , and . Small, light craft, they were 207 Tons bm
, and measured 78 in 3 in (23.85 m) (overall) and 59ft 0½ inch (18.00 m) (keel), with a beam of 25 foot and 10 in 10 in (3.3 m) depth in the hold. Armed with fourteen 4-pounders, giving a broadside weight of 28 pounds, and twelve ½pdr swivel gun
s, they had a crew of 70. This was broken up into 57 officers, seamen and marines
; 12 servants and boys; and 1 widow's man.
in November 1792, and did not return to service before being sold in 1795. Speedy was still in service on the outbreak of war with revolutionary France and was assigned to the Mediterranean, where she served under a number of distinguished commanders. She was captured in 1794, but had been retaken within a year. Her last captain, Lord Cochrane
, achieved some of his greatest exploits with her, forcing the surrender of a much larger Spanish warship, the Gamo
, but was forced to surrender her after being pursued by a large French squadron in 1801. She was donated to the Papal Navy
by Napoleon
and broken up a few years later.
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
built for the Royal Navy
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...
during the later years of the American War of Independence. They survived into the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
.
Concept
The Speedy class was designed in 1781 by the shipbuilder Thomas King, of DoverDover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
, a specialist builder of such craft. They were designed with a cutter-type hull, and anticipated the development of a new concept of the brig in naval warfare, that of small, fast escort vessels, instead of the slower but more seaworthy ship-sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
s. Their names were selected to epitomise this approach, , and . Small, light craft, they were 207 Tons bm
Builder's Old Measurement
Builder's Old Measurement is the method of calculating the size or cargo capacity of a ship used in England from approximately 1720 to 1849. It estimated the tonnage of a ship based on length and maximum beam...
, and measured 78 in 3 in (23.85 m) (overall) and 59ft 0½ inch (18.00 m) (keel), with a beam of 25 foot and 10 in 10 in (3.3 m) depth in the hold. Armed with fourteen 4-pounders, giving a broadside weight of 28 pounds, and twelve ½pdr swivel gun
Swivel gun
The term swivel gun usually refers to a small cannon, mounted on a swiveling stand or fork which allows a very wide arc of movement. Another type of firearm referred to as a swivel gun was an early flintlock combination gun with two barrels that rotated along their axes to allow the shooter to...
s, they had a crew of 70. This was broken up into 57 officers, seamen and marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
; 12 servants and boys; and 1 widow's man.
Careers
Both ships were completed too late to see any significant service in the American War of Independence, and spent most of the years of peace in British waters. Flirt sailed to the Caribbean in 1791, but was laid up in DeptfordDeptford
Deptford is a district of south London, England, located on the south bank of the River Thames. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne, and from the mid 16th century to the late 19th was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first of the Royal Navy Dockyards.Deptford and the docks are...
in November 1792, and did not return to service before being sold in 1795. Speedy was still in service on the outbreak of war with revolutionary France and was assigned to the Mediterranean, where she served under a number of distinguished commanders. She was captured in 1794, but had been retaken within a year. Her last captain, Lord Cochrane
Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald
Admiral Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, 1st Marquess of Maranhão, GCB, ODM , styled Lord Cochrane between 1778 and 1831, was a senior British naval flag officer and radical politician....
, achieved some of his greatest exploits with her, forcing the surrender of a much larger Spanish warship, the Gamo
Spanish frigate El Gamo
The Spanish ship El Gamo was a 32-gun xebec-frigate of the Spanish Navy involved in action with, and subsequently captured by Lord Cochrane on 6 May 1801...
, but was forced to surrender her after being pursued by a large French squadron in 1801. She was donated to the Papal Navy
Papal Navy
The Papal Navy was the maritime force of the Papal States. Loosely construed, it was in sporadic existence from the Battle of Ostia during the pontificate of Leo IV until the ascension of Pope Leo XIII in 1878.-History:...
by Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
and broken up a few years later.