HMS Chatham (1691)
HMS Chatham (1691)
HMS Chatham was a 50-gun fourth-rate ship of the Royal Navy. She was the first of five similar ships ordered in 1690 and built at Chatham Dockyard by master shipwright Robert Lee. She was launched on 20 October 1691.
Construction and design
- Ordered: 14 March 1690
- Builder: Robert Lee, Chatham Dockyard
- Launched: 20 October 1691
- Dimensions (as built): about 126 ft on the gundeck, 34 ft 4 in beam, 13 ft 4 in depth of hold; about 686 tons burthen
- Propulsion: Sails (full-rigged)
- Armament (as built): 50 guns in total — 22 culverins (about 16-pounders) on the lower deck, 18 × 8-pounders on the upper deck, and 10 × 4-pounders on the quarterdeck and forecastle
Rebuilds and armament changes
- 1703 Establishment: re-armed to 22 × 12-pounders (lower deck), 22 × 6-pounders (upper deck), plus additional 6-pounders on the quarterdeck and forecastle
- 1716 Establishment: 22 × 18-pounders (gundeck), 22 × 9-pounders (upper deck), 6 × 6-pounders (quarterdeck)
- 1718–1721 rebuild (Deptford): lengthened; after rebuild (1719/1721 Establishment)
- Armament after rebuild: 22 × 18-pounders (gundeck), 22 × 9-pounders (upper deck), 4 × 6-pounders (quarterdeck), 2 × 6-pounders (forecastle)
- Dimensions after rebuild: length on gundeck about 134 ft, beam about 36 ft, depth of hold about 15 ft 2 in; 756 tons burthen
Service history
- Commanded by Captain Robert Bokenham
- 14 January 1705: captured the St Malo privateer Connetable
- 8 August 1705: in company with the Medway, captured the French 60-gun Auguste (built at Brest in 1704), which the British took into service as HMS Auguste
Fate
- Sunk as a breakwater at Sheerness in September 1749
- Raised and taken to pieces at Sheerness in May 1762
This is a concise overview of HMS Chatham’s design, service, and fate.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 00:36 (CET).