HMS Leander (1813)
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom
|
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| Name: | HMS Leander |
| Ordered: | 6 May 1813 |
| Builder: | Wigram, Wells & Green, Blackwall |
| Laid down: | June 1813 |
| Launched: | 10 November 1813 |
| Completed: | By 18 February 1814 |
| Fate: | Broken up in March 1830 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | 50-gun fourth rate |
| Tons burthen: | 1,572 10⁄94 bm |
| Length: |
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| Beam: | 45 ft 1 1⁄2 in (13.754 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 14 ft 4 in (4.37 m) |
| Sail plan: | Full rigged ship |
| Crew: | 450 |
| Armament: |
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HMS Leander was a 50-gun spar-decked frigate (rated in the fourth rate) of the Royal Navy which saw service in the Napoleonic Wars, the War of 1812, and the Second Barbary War.
Leander and her near sister HMS Newcastle were a new type of ship in the Royal Navy, being exceptionally large and powerful frigates. They were ordered in response to the threat posed by the heavy American spar-decked frigates, during the War of 1812. Leander proved a successful ship, which operated in squadrons which chased the American frigates, but ultimately failed to catch them before the war ended. Refitted to serve as flagships for admirals on foreign stations, Leander saw action with Admiral Edward Pellew's fleet at the bombardment of Algiers in 1816, firing over 3,000 round shot and sustaining severe casualties. She spent some time as the flagship on the North American Station, followed by in the East Indies, before returning to Britain in 1822 and being laid up the following year as a receiving ship. She spent the rest of her career in this role, until being broken up in 1830.
HMS Leander was ordered from the Blackwall-based firm of Wigram, Wells & Green on 6 May 1813. She was laid down in June 1813 and built of pitch pine to a design by Sir William Rule. Built of softwood to get her into service as quickly as possible, Leander was launched on 10 November 1813, less than five months after laying down. She was moved to Woolwich Dockyard and completed there by 18 February 1814. The construction of fourth rates, a type that had fallen out of favour prior to the French Revolutionary Wars, was a response to the American spar-decked frigates, like USS Constitution and USS Chesapeake. A spar-decked frigate was one with a continuous row of cannon on the uppermost deck, conventional frigates had an open waist amidships where no guns were mounted. Ordered alongside Leander was the similar 50-gun HMS Newcastle.
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