HMS Phoenix (1759)

For other ships of the same name, see HMS Phoenix.
The Phoenix and the Rose engaged by the enemy's fire ships and galleys on Aug. 16, 1776. Engraving by Dominic Serres after a sketch by Sir James Wallace
History
Great Britain
Name: HMS Phoenix
Ordered: 5 January 1758
Builder: John & Robert Batson, Limehouse
Laid down: February 1758
Launched: 25 June 1759
Completed: By 26 July 1759
Fate: Foundered on 4 October 1780
General characteristics
Class & type: 40-gun fifth rate frigate
Tons burthen: 842 67⁄94 bm
Length:
  • 140 ft 9 in (42.90 m) (gundeck)
  • 116 ft 8 in (35.56 m) (keel)
Beam: 36 ft 9.75 in (11.2205 m)
Depth of hold: 15 ft 11.5 in (4.864 m)
Sail plan: Full rigged ship
Complement: 280
Armament:
  • 44 guns:
  • Lower gundeck: 20 × 18-pounder guns
  • Upper gundeck: 20 × 9-pounder guns
  • Quarterdeck: 4 × 6-pounder guns

HMS Phoenix was a 44-gun[1][2] fifth rate Ship of the Royal Navy.

She saw service during the American War of Independence under Captain Hyde Parker, Jr.[2] She, along with HMS Rose and three smaller ships launched an attack on New York City on 12 July 1776.[1] During that attack, Phoenix and the other ships easily passed patriot defences and bombarded urban New York for two hours.[3] This action largely confirmed continental fears that British naval superiority would allow the Royal Navy to act with relative impunity when attacking deep-water ports.[3]

The Phoenix was lost on 4 October 1780 in a storm.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 Chernow, Ron (2011). Washington: A Life. Penguin Books. p. 238. ISBN 978-0143119968.
  2. 1 2 Naval Documents of The American Revolution Vol. 5 Part 5 (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. 1970. p. 1043.
  3. 1 2 Fischer, David (2004). Washington's Crossing. Oxford. pp. 83–84. ISBN 9780195181593.
  4. ↑ Lettens, Jan. "HMS Phoenix (+1780)". Retrieved 7 September 2013.
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