1794 Razees
Encyclopedia
In 1794, three 64-gun third-rate
ships were cut down to 44-gun fifth-rate
frigates with a primary armament of 24-pounder guns, in a process known as razee
ing. This was in response to rumours then circulating of very large French frigates supposed to be under construction. By Admiralty Order of 11 August 1794, two 64-gun ships of the Intrepid class - Anson and Magnanime - were to be cut down by one deck level. By a subsequent Admiralty Order of 8 September 1794, a third 64-gun ship - the Indefatigable of the Ardent class - which had been launched but never commissioned in 1784, was similarly to be cut down.
The conversion retained the primary armament of twenty-six 24-pounder guns on the gun deck (but this deck became the upper deck rather than the lower deck), while the secondary armament became eight 12-pounder guns and four 32-pounder carronades on the quarter deck, and four 12-pounder guns and two 32-pounder carronades on the forecastle; the complement was reduced to 310 men.
Third-rate
In the British Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks . Years of experience proved that the third rate ships embodied the best compromise between sailing ability , firepower, and cost...
ships were cut down to 44-gun fifth-rate
Fifth-rate
In Britain's Royal Navy during the classic age of fighting sail, a fifth rate was the penultimate class of warships in a hierarchal system of six "ratings" based on size and firepower.-Rating:...
frigates with a primary armament of 24-pounder guns, in a process known as razee
Razee
A razee or razée is a sailing ship that has been cut down to reduce the number of decks. The word is derived from the French vaisseau rasé, meaning a razed ship.-Sixteenth century:...
ing. This was in response to rumours then circulating of very large French frigates supposed to be under construction. By Admiralty Order of 11 August 1794, two 64-gun ships of the Intrepid class - Anson and Magnanime - were to be cut down by one deck level. By a subsequent Admiralty Order of 8 September 1794, a third 64-gun ship - the Indefatigable of the Ardent class - which had been launched but never commissioned in 1784, was similarly to be cut down.
The conversion retained the primary armament of twenty-six 24-pounder guns on the gun deck (but this deck became the upper deck rather than the lower deck), while the secondary armament became eight 12-pounder guns and four 32-pounder carronades on the quarter deck, and four 12-pounder guns and two 32-pounder carronades on the forecastle; the complement was reduced to 310 men.
Razeed ships of 1794
- HMS AnsonHMS Anson (1781)HMS Anson was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Plymouth on 4 September 1781 by Georgina, Duchess of Devonshire.-History:...
- Built at: Plymouth DockyardHMNB DevonportHer Majesty's Naval Base Devonport , is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy . HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport, in the west of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England...
- Launched: 4 January 1781
- Converted at: Chatham DockyardChatham DockyardChatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional...
- Converted: July to December 1794 (for £8,426)
- Re-rated: 8 October 1794
- Fate: Wrecked in Mounts Bay 29 December 1807
- Built at: Plymouth Dockyard
- HMS MagnanimeHMS Magnanime (1780)HMS Magnanime was a 64-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 14 October 1780 at Deptford Dockyard. She belonged to the designed by Sir John Williams...
- Built at: Deptford Dockyard
- Launched: 14 October 1780
- Converted at: Plymouth DockyardHMNB DevonportHer Majesty's Naval Base Devonport , is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy . HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport, in the west of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England...
- Converted: June 1794 to February 1795 (for £17,066)
- Re-rated: 8 November 1794
- Fate: Broken up at Sheerness Dockyard in July 1813
- HMS IndefatigableHMS Indefatigable (1784)HMS Indefatigable was one of the Ardent class 64-gun third-rate ships-of-the-line designed by Sir Thomas Slade in 1761 for the Royal Navy. She had a long career under several distinguished commanders, serving throughout the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars...
- Built at: Henry Adams's yard, Bucklers Hard
- Launched: July 1784
- Converted at: Portsmouth Dockyard
- Converted: September 1794 to February 1795 (for £8,764)
- Rerated: 29 November 1794
- Fate: Broken up at Sheerness Dockyard in August 1816