HMS Newcastle (1653)
| History | |
|---|---|
 England | |
| Name: | Newcastle |
| Ordered: | 17 February 1652 |
| Builder: | Phineas Pett II, Ratcliffe |
| Launched: | May 1653 |
| Fate: | Wrecked, 1703 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Class and type: | Fourth-rate frigate |
| Tons burthen: | 631 |
| Length: | 108 ft (32.9 m) (keel) |
| Beam: | 33 ft 1 in (10.1 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 13 ft 2 in (4.0 m) |
| Sail plan: | Full-rigged ship |
| Armament: | 44 guns (1660); 54 guns (1677) |
Newcastle was a 44-gun fourth-rate frigate of the English Royal Navy, originally built for the navy of the Commonwealth of England by Phineas Pett II at Ratcliffe, and launched in May 1653. By 1677 her armament had been increased to 54 guns.[1]
Her first action came in 1655 when, along with fourteen other warships, she sailed into Porto Farina in Algiers to engage Barbary Pirates. This action resulted in the destruction of the entire pirate fleet, which won the Newcastle lineage its first battle honour. In 1657 she took part in Admiral Blake's daring attack on Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and in 1665, she fought at the Battle of Lowestoft. During the Revolution of 1688 Newcastle, commanded by George Churchill, defected to William of Orange (later King William III) along with most of the English navy.
Newcastle was wrecked at Spithead in the Great Storm of 1703 with the loss of 229 of her crew.[1][2]