HMS Panther (1703)
| History | |
|---|---|
.svg.png){kind=small} Great Britain | |
| Name | HMS Panther |
| Ordered | 8 July 1702 |
| Builder | Popely, Deptford |
| Launched | 15 March 1703 |
| Fate | Sold, 1768 |
| General characteristics as built[1] | |
| Class & type | 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line |
| Tons burthen | 683 bm |
| Length | 131 ft 3+1⁄2 in (40.0 m) (gundeck) |
| Beam | 34 ft 4 in (10.5 m) |
| Depth of hold | 13 ft 8 in (4.2 m) |
| Propulsion | Sails |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
| Armament | 50 guns of various weights of shot |
| General characteristics after 1716 rebuild[2] | |
| Class & type | 1706 Establishment 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line |
| Tons burthen | 715 bm |
| Length | 130 ft (39.6 m) (gundeck) |
| Beam | 35 ft (10.7 m) |
| Depth of hold | 14 ft (4.3 m) |
| Propulsion | Sails |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
| Armament |
|
HMS Panther was a 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built by contract by Francis Popely at his yard at Deptford and launched on 15 March 1703.[1]
On 13 August 1704, under Captain Peregrine Bertie, she took part in the Battle of Malaga as part of Rooke's fleet. Over the winter of 1704-05, she was with Leake's squadron. In 1705 she was under the command of Captain Charles Smith, with Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell's fleet in the Mediterranean. In 1706 she was under the command of Captain Henry Hubbard, with Byng's squadron over the winter of 1706-07.
In 1707, she belonged to Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell's fleet. She saw action during the unsuccessful Battle of Toulon and was present during the great naval disaster off the Isles of Scilly when Shovell and four of his ships (Association, Eagle, Romney and Firebrand) were lost, claiming the lives of nearly 2,000[3] sailors. Panther suffered little to no damage and finally managed to reach Portsmouth.
Panther was rebuilt according to the 1706 Establishment at Woolwich Dockyard, and relaunched on 6 April 1716. She was hulked in 1743, remaining in that role until she was sold out of the navy in 1768.[2]
Notes
- 1 2 Lavery, Ships of the Line, vol. 1, p. 166.
- 1 2 Lavery, Ships of the Line, vol. 1, p. 168.
- ↑ Sobel, Dava, Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time, Fourth Estate Ltd., London 1998, p. 6, ISBN 1-85702-571-7
References
- Lavery, Brian (1983) The Ship of the Line – Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-252-8.