 Plans of a Cleopatra class frigate (1779), the same as the Gosling
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| History | |
|---|---|
.svg){kind=small} Kingdom of Great Britain | |
| Name | HMS Gosling |
| Ordered | 30 June 1779 |
| Builder | Deal Naval Yard |
| Laid down | 10 May 1780 |
| Launched | 22 October 1783 |
| Commissioned | 14th March 1786 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | 28 gun Cleopatra class sixth-rate frigate |
| Tons burthen | 637 bm |
| Length | 122 ft 7 in (37.36 m) |
| Beam | 32 ft 5 in (9.88 m) |
| Depth of hold | 10 ft 1 in (3.07 m) |
| Sail plan | Full Rigged Ship |
| Complement | 230 Officers, Marines and Men |
| Armament |
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HMS Gosling was a 28 gun Cleopatra class frigate of the Royal Navy. She was ordered during the latter phase of the American Revolutionary War and the subsequent Anglo-French, Anglo-Dutch, and Anglo-Spanish wars. British economic interests had been suffering through the war with the numerous naval powers and new ships were needed to both replace losses and to expand the fleet. Gosling was laid down in the spring of 1780, though early construction was slow due to resources being diverted to focus on the construction on larger fifth-rate frigates and ships of the line. Due to these delays in construction the ship was only launched after the Treaty of Paris, thus leaving her without a war to serve in. She spent the next two and a half years spending time in various dry docks, mothball fleets, and fitting out before she was finally commissioned in 1785. Upon the outbreak of hostilities with France in 1792, Gosling was dispatched to the Caribbean sea to interdict French merchantmen and protect British interests in the region. Poor weather and a freak wave causing need for repairs in Barbados made for an uneventful deployment and the ship was recalled to Europe to be deployed to the Mediterranean.