The Druid class was a class of two sloops of wooden construction built for the Royal Navy between 1760 and 1761. Both were built by contract with commercial builders to a common design derived from the Cruizer design of 1732 by Richard Stacey, the Master Shipwright at Deptford dockyard in that era, but with some noticeable differences.
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators |  Royal Navy |
| Preceded by | Alderney class |
| Built | 1760-1761 |
| In commission | 1761-1777 |
| Completed | 2 |
| Lost | 0 |
| General characteristics (common design) | |
| Type | Sloop-of-war |
| Tons burthen | 208 14⁄94 bm |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 23 ft 2 in (7.1 m) |
| Depth of hold | 9 ft 5 in (2.87 m) |
| Sail plan | Snow rig (originally) |
| Complement | 100 |
| Armament |
|
Both were ordered on 19 August 1760, and contracts with the respective builders were agreed on 22 and 25 August. They were two-masted (snow-rigged) vessels, although they were both later reported to be converted to three-masted ship sloops.
Hunter was captured by two American privateers off Boston on 23 November 1775, but was retaken by HMS Greyhound the following day.
Vessels edit
| Name | Ordered | Builder | Launched | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Druid | 19 August 1760 | John Barnard and John Turner, Harwich |
21 February 1761 | Sunk as a breakwater at Sheerness in August 1773. |
| Lynx | 10 August 1760 | Thomas Stanton, John Wells and William Wells, Rotherhithe |
11 March 1761 | Sold 14 February 1777 at Sheerness. |
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.