Arrogant-class ship of the line

Scene in Plymouth Sound in August 1815, oil on canvas: HMS Bellerophon anchored in Plymouth Sound, with Napoleon Bonaparte aboard.
Class overview
NameArrogant
Operators Royal Navy
Preceded byBellona class
Succeeded byCanada class
In service22 January 1761 – 1868
Completed12
Lost2 (burnt or scuttled as unserviceable)
General characteristics
TypeShip of the line
Length
  • 168 ft (51 m) (gundeck)
  • 138 ft (42 m) (keel)
Beam46 ft 9 in (14.25 m)
PropulsionSails
Armament
  • 74 guns:
  • Gundeck: 28 × 32-pounders
  • Upper gundeck: 28 × 18-pounders
  • Quarterdeck: 14 × 9-pounders
  • Forecastle: 4 × 9-pounders
NotesShips in class include: Arrogant, Cornwall, Edgar, Goliath, Zealous, Audacious, Elephant, Bellerophon, Saturn, Vanguard, Excellent, Illustrious

The Arrogant-class ships of the line were a class of twelve 74-gun third rate ships designed by Sir Thomas Slade for the Royal Navy.

Design

[edit]

The Arrogant-class ships were designed as a development of Slade's previous Bellona class, sharing the same basic dimensions. During this period, the original armament was the same across all the ships of the common class, of which the Arrogant-class ships were members. Two ships were ordered on 13 December 1758 to this design (at the same time as the fourth and fifth units of the Bellona class), and a further ten ships were built to a slightly modified version of the Arrogant design from 1773 onwards.

Ships

[edit]
Ship name Builder Ordered Laid down Launched Completed Fate
HMS Arrogant John Barnard, Harwich 13 December 1758 March 1759 22 January 1761 28 April 1761 Sold at Bombay to be broken up, 1810
HMS Cornwall William Wells, Deptford 13 December 1758 19 February 1759 19 May 1761 16 September 1761 Burnt or scuttled as unserviceable at St Lucia, 30 June 1780
HMS Edgar Woolwich Dockyard 25 August 1774 -Nul 30 June 1779 Broken up, 1835
HMS Goliath Deptford Dockyard 21 February 1778 19 October 1781 Broken up, 1815
HMS Zealous Barnard, Deptford 19 June 1782 25 June 1785 Broken up, 1816
HMS Audacious Randall, Rotherhithe 23 July 1785 Broken up, 1815
HMS Elephant Parsons, Bursledon 27 December 1781 24 August 1786 Broken up, 1830
HMS Bellerophon Graves, Frindsbury 11 January 1782 6 October 1786 Sold out of the service, 1836
HMS Saturn Raymond, Northam 22 December 1781 22 November 1786 Broken up, 1868
HMS Vanguard Deptford Dockyard 9 December 1779 6 March 1787 Broken up, 1821
HMS Excellent Graham, Harwich 9 August 1781 27 November 1787 Broken up, 1835
HMS Illustrious Henry Adams, Bucklers Hard 31 December 1781 7 July 1789 Grounded in gale near Livorno (Leghorn) and burnt, 28 March 1795.

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.
  • Winfield, Rif (2007) British Warships in the Age of Sail 1714–1792; Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84415-700-6.
[edit]