The Wolf class was a class of three sloops of wooden construction built for the Royal Navy during 1741–43. They were ordered in 1741, 1742 and 1743 respectively, and were the first to increase significantly in size from the 200 burthen tons which had been the normal size from 1728; they were to a common design prepared by Jacob Allin, the Surveyor of the Navy. For the latter two vessels, the design was modified by the addition of 6 inches to their depth in hold.
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators |  Royal Navy |
| Preceded by | Drake class |
| Succeeded by | Baltimore class |
| Built | 1741–1743 |
| In commission | 1742–1763 |
| Completed | 3 |
| Lost | 2 |
| General characteristics (common design) | |
| Type | Sloop-of-war |
| Tons burthen | 243 74⁄94 bm |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 25 ft 0 in (7.6 m) |
| Depth of hold |
|
| Sail plan | Snow |
| Complement | 110 |
| Armament |
|
Although initially armed with ten 4-pounder guns, this class was built with eight pairs of gunports on the upper deck (each port flanked by two pairs of row-ports), and the two survivors in 1744 had their ordnance increased to fourteen guns.
Vessels edit
| Name | Ordered | Builder | Launched | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wolf | 21 July 1741 | Thomas West, Deptford |
27 February 1742 | Wrecked 31 December 1748 in Dundrum Bay. |
| Otter | 23 January 1742 | John Buxton, Jnr., Rotherhithe |
19 August 1742 | Sold 16 June 1763. |
| Grampus | 5 February 1743 | Philemon Perry, Blackwall |
27 July 1743 | Captured by the French 30 September 1744. |
References edit
- Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
- McLaughlan, Ian. The Sloop of War 1650–1763. Seaforth Publishing, 2014. ISBN 978-1-84832-187-8.
- Winfield, Rif. British Warships in the Age of Sail 1714–1792: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing, 2007. ISBN 978-1-84415-700-6.