English ship Tredagh (1654)

The ship that became the first HMS Resolution was a 50-gun third-rate frigate built under the 1652 Programme for the navy of the Commonwealth of England by Sir Phineas Pett at Ratcliffe, and launched in 1654 under the name Tredagh[1] (Tredagh is an alternative name for the Irish town of Drogheda, scene of the Siege of Drogheda, a Roundhead victory, during the English Civil War).

The Battle of Lowestoft, 1665
History
Royal Navy EnsignEngland
NameTredagh
OrderedDecember 1652
BuilderPhineas Pett II, Ratcliffe
Launched22 May 1654
RenamedHMS Resolution, 1660
FateBurnt, 25 July 1666
Notes
General characteristics
Class and typeThird-rate frigate
Tons burthen771
Length117 ft 3 in (35.7 m) (keel)
Beam35 ft 2 in (10.7 m)
Depth of hold14 ft 5 in (4.4 m)
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Armament50 guns of various weights of shot

After the Restoration in 1660, Tredagh was renamed HMS Resolution.[1] On 25 February 1665 (Julian calendar, then still in use; 7 March 1666 in the Gregorian calendar) Resolution fought in the Battle of Lowestoft as the flagship of Rear Admiral Robert Sansum. On 25 July 1666 Julian (4 August 1666 Gregorian) she fought in the St. James's Day Battle under the command of Captain Willoughby Hannam as the flagship of Rear Admiral Sir John Harman. In the battle she ran aground and was burnt by a Dutch fireship.

Notes edit

  1. ^ a b Lavery, Ships of the Line vol.1, p159.

References edit

  • Lavery, Brian (2003) The Ship of the Line - Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-252-8.