HMS Sheerness (1691)

History
England
Name	HMS Sheerness
Ordered	28 June 1689
Builder	Royal Dockyard, Sheerness
Launched	6 March 1691
Commissioned	1691
Reclassified	sixth rate in 1717
Captured	28 March 1760
Fate	Taken by the French and burnt
General characteristics
Type	32-gun fifth rate
Tons burthen	3591/94 bm
Length	105 ft 9 in (32.2 m) gundeck 89 ft 3 in (27.2 m) keel for tonnage
Beam	27 ft 6 in (8.4 m) for tonnage
Depth of hold	10 ft 0 in (3.0 m)
Sail plan	ship-rigged
Complement	as fifth rate 145/100 as sixth rate 115/85
Armament	as built 4 × 4 demi-culverines on wooden trucks (LD) 20 × sakers on wooden trucks (UD) 4 × 4 minions on wooden trucks (QD) 1703 Establishment 4 × 4 9-pdr guns on wooden trucks (LD) 22/20 × 6-pdr guns on wooden trucks (UD) 6/4 × 4-pdr guns on wooden trucks (QD) as sixth rate 20/18 × 6-pdrs on wooden trucks (UD)
General characteristics as rebuilt 1731
Type	20-gun Sixth Rate
Tons burthen	428+13⁄94 bm
Length	106 ft 0 in (32.3 m) gundeck 87 ft 0 in (26.5 m) keel for tonnage
Beam	30 ft 5 in (9.3 m) for tonnage
Depth of hold	9 ft 2 in (2.8 m)
Sail plan	ship-rigged
Armament	20 × 6-pdr 19 cwt guns on wooden trucks (UD)

HMS Sheerness was a fifth rate built under the 1689 programme built at Sheerness Dockyard. Her guns were listed under old terms for guns as demi-culverines,^{[Note 1]} sakers^{[Note 2]} and minions.^{[Note 3]} After commissioning she spent her career in Home Waters, North America, the Mediterranean and the West Indies. She was reduced to a 20-gun sixth rate in 1717 then rebuilt as a Modified 1719 Establishment sixth rate in 1731. She was sold in 1744.^[1][2]

Sheerness was the second named vessel since it was used for a2-gun smack built at Chatham in 1673 and sunk 24 April 1695 as a foundation at Sheerness.^[3]

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