HMS Merlin was a 10-gun snow-rigged sloop-of-war, the first of 21 Royal Navy vessels in the Merlin class. Launched in 1744, she was the first Royal Navy sloop to carry the new 6-pounder cannons, in place of the 3-pounder guns on predecessor craft. As a fast and comparatively heavily armed vessel, she saw active service against French privateers during the War of the Austrian Succession, capturing five enemy vessels during her four years at sea. She was also present for the Battle of Saint-Louis-du-Sud in 1748 but was too small to play a truly active role in bombarding the fort.[1]

Drawing of the Merlin, 1743
History
Royal Navy EnsignGreat Britain
NameHMS Merlin
Ordered7 July 1743
BuilderGreville & Whetstone, Limehouse
Laid down1 August 1743
Launched20 March 1744
Completed30 March 1744 at Deptford Dockyard
CommissionedFebruary 1744
DecommissionedJuly 1748
In service1744–1748
Honours and
awards
Battle of Saint-Louis-du-Sud, 1748
FateSold at Plymouth Dockyard, 16 November 1748
General characteristics
Class and type10-gun Merlin-class sloop-of-war
Tons burthen271 4294 bm
Length
  • 91 ft 0 in (27.7 m) (gun deck)
  • 74 ft 9 in (22.8 m) (keel)
Beam26 ft 0 in (7.9 m)
Depth of hold6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Sail planTwo-masted snow rigging
Complement110
Armament

The sloop was decommissioned at the end of the War, and declared surplus to Admiralty needs in July 1748. She was sold out of Navy service at Plymouth Dockyard on 16 November 1748.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Winfield 2007, p. 301

Bibliography

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  • Winfield, Rif (2007). British Warships of the Age of Sail 1714–1792: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Barnsley, United Kingdom: Seaforth. ISBN 9781844157006.
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