Ardent-class ship of the line

The Ardent-class ships of the line were a class of seven 64-gun third rates, designed for the Royal Navy by Sir Thomas Slade.

A silhouette of an Ardent-class ship of the line
Class overview
NameArdent
Operators
Preceded byExeter class
Succeeded byIntrepid class
In service13 August 1764 – 1816
Completed7
Lost2
General characteristics
TypeShip of the line
Length
  • 160 ft (49 m) (gundeck)
  • 131 ft 8 in (40.13 m) (keel)
Beam44 ft 4 in (13.51 m)
PropulsionSails
Armament
  • 64 guns:
  • Gundeck: 26 × 24-pounders
  • Upper gundeck: 26 × 18-pounders
  • Quarterdeck: 10 × 4-pounders
  • Forecastle: 2 × 9-pounders
NotesShips in class include: Ardent, Raisonnable, Agamemnon, Belliqueux, Stately, Indefatigable, Nassau

Design

edit

Slade based the design of the Ardent class on the captured French ship Fougueux.

Ships

edit
Builder: Blades, Hull
Ordered: 16 December 1761
Launched: 13 August 1764
Fate: Sold out of the service, 1784
Builder: Chatham Dockyard
Ordered: 11 January 1763
Launched: 10 December 1768
Fate: Broken up, 1815
Builder: Adams, Bucklers Hard
Ordered: 8 April 1777
Launched: 10 April 1781
Fate: Wrecked, 1809
Builder: Perry, Blackwall Yard
Ordered: 19 February 1778
Launched: 5 June 1780
Fate: Broken up, 1816
Builder: Raymond, Northam
Ordered: 10 December 1778
Launched: 27 December 1784
Fate: Broken up, 1814
Builder: Adams, Bucklers Hard
Ordered: 3 August 1780
Launched: July 1784
Fate: Broken up, 1816
Builder: Hilhouse, Bristol
Ordered: 14 November 1782
Launched: 28 September 1785
Fate: Wrecked, 1799

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.