HMS Boreas (1757)
Boreas was built to the same design as HMS Carysfort, (pictured)
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| History | |
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 Great Britain
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| Name: | HMS Boreas |
| Ordered: | 18 April 1757 |
| Builder: | Woolwich Dockyard |
| Laid down: | 21 April 1757 |
| Launched: | 29 July 1757 |
| Completed: | 6 September 1757 |
| Commissioned: | August 1757 |
| Fate: | Sold on 29 June 1770 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Coventry-class sixth-rate frigate |
| Tons burthen: | 587 30⁄94 bm |
| Length: |
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| Beam: | 33 ft 8 in (10.3 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) |
| Sail plan: | Full-rigged ship |
| Complement: | 200 |
| Armament: |
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HMS Boreas was a 28-gun Coventry-class sixth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. Built in 1757, she was one of five frigates of the class built of fir rather than oak. Boreas saw service during the Seven Years' War and took part in two actions at sea. She assisted in the capture of the 36-gun French frigate Diane in April 1758, and her most famous engagement was the capture of the French frigate Sirène in October 1760. She was sold out of the service in 1770.
Boreas was ordered on 18 April 1757 and laid down on 21 April that year at the Admiralty yards at Woolwich Dockyard. She was launched on 29 July 1757 and completed by 6 September 1757. She initially cost £6,314.9.10d, this rising to £9,193.18.3d when the cost of fitting her out was included. She was one of five frigates of the class built of fir rather than oak. Fir was cheaper and more abundant than oak and permitted noticeably faster construction, but at a cost of a reduced lifespan; the fir-built Coventry-class vessels lasted an average of eight years, three times less than their oak-built equivalents. The fir-built ships also required greater maintenance after periods at sea, averaging £1,573 in repairs for each year of service compared with £1,261 for comparable vessels built from oak.
The frigate was named after Boreas, the Greek god of the north wind and bringer of winter. The naming followed a trend initiated in 1748 by John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, in his capacity as First Lord of the Admiralty, of using figures from classical antiquity as descriptors for naval vessels. A total of six Coventry-class vessels were named in this manner; a further ten were named after geographic features including regions, English or Irish rivers, or towns.
In sailing qualities Boreas was broadly comparable with French frigates of equivalent size, but with a shorter and sturdier hull and greater weight in her broadside guns. She was also comparatively broad-beamed with ample space for provisions and the ship's mess, and incorporating a large magazine for powder and round shot. Taken together, these characteristics would enable Boreas to remain at sea for long periods without resupply. She was also built with broad and heavy masts, which balanced the weight of her hull, improved stability in rough weather and made her capable of carrying a greater quantity of sail. The disadvantages of this comparatively heavy design were a decline in manoeuvrability and slower speed when sailing in light winds.
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Wikipedia