Endymion class frigate
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The Endymion-class was a class of six Royal Navy 40-gun fifth-rate frigates launched in 1797 and 1813 to 1814.
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[edit] Design
In 1794, a frigate-squadron under the command of Captain Sir John Borlase Warren captured the French 40-gun frigate Pomone. Surprisingly to her captors, the ship was armed with 26 x 24-pounder long guns, a main-armament that was relatively uncommon for frigates in the 18th century. Furthermore, the Pomone impressed the British with outstanding sailing-qualities in every variation of the wind, and being capable of sailing more than 13 knots.
In April 1795, the Admiralty ordered three frigate-pairs with 36 guns, 38 guns and 40 guns, with each one built to the lines of the captured French frigate and the second to a new design by the Surveyors (the shipdesigners of the Royal Navy). The 40-gun French design was copied from the Pomone, and in November 1795 the keel was laid down for the new ship, that was launched as the Endymion in March 1797. She was not an exact copy of the Pomone, being built to British design-standards with stronger construction. Surprisingly, Endymion sailed even better than Pomone, reaching 14.4 knots, the highest recorded speed during the Age of Sail.
[edit] The 1812 Programme
Early in 1812, war with the United States seemed inevitable. To cope with the heavy American 24-pounder frigates of the Constitution-type, the Admiralty decided to build a batch of new 24-pounder frigates. During the long war with France, the standard British frigate was of about 1000 tons and armed with a main-battery of only 28 x 18-pounders, no match for the big US-Ships. The only proven design for a suitable 24-pounder frigate was that of Endymion, and in May 1812 two ships were ordered, the Severn and the Liffey. War broke out in June, and in December two further ships were ordered, becoming the Glasgow and Liverpool. The final ship was the Forth, ordered in January 1813. These 5 new ships were of a slightly modified design, having ports for 28 instead of 26 24-pounders and were built of softwood, to speed up the construction. The ships were launched from June 1813 to February 1814.
[edit] Principal characteristics
(there were small variations in the dimensions of the different ships)
- Length on gundeck: 159 ft 2 in
- Beam: 42 ft
- Tonnage: 1246 to 1277 tons
- Established armament: 28 (Endymion 26) x 24 pounders, 20 x 32-pounder carronades, 2 x 9 pounder chase guns
- Complement: 340 men
- Rated: 40-gun fifth-rates, rerated as 50-gun fourth-rates in 1817.
[edit] List of ships
| Name | Launched | Notable action and fate |
|---|---|---|
| Endymion | 29th March 1797 | Captured USS President, broken up 1868 |
| Severn | June 1813 | Bombardment of Algiers, sold for breaking 1825 |
| Liffey | September 1813 | First Burmese War, broken up 1827 |
| Liverpool | February 1814 | Sold 1822 |
| Glasgow | February 1814 | Bombardment of Algiers & Battle of Navarino, broken up 1829 |
| Forth | June 1813 | Broken up 1819 |
