HMS Maidstone (1758)
Coventry 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 Maidstone |
| Ordered: | 3 September 1756 |
| Builder: | Thomas Seward, Rochester |
| Laid down: | 1 October 1756 |
| Launched: | 9 February 1758 |
| Completed: | 7 April 1758 at Chatham Dockyard |
| Commissioned: | January 1758 |
| Fate: | Taken to pieces at Sheerness July 1794 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | 28-gun Coventry-class sixth-rate frigate |
| Tons burthen: | 593 14⁄94 bm |
| Length: |
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| Beam: | 33 ft 10 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 Maidstone was a 28-gun Coventry-class sixth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy.
The vessel was named after Maidstone, a county town in Kent, England, 32 miles (51 km) south-east of London. In selecting her name the Board of Admiralty continued a tradition dating to 1644 of using geographic features for ship names; overall, ten of the nineteen Coventry-class vessels were named after well-known regions, rivers or towns. With few exceptions the remainder of the class were named after figures from classical antiquity, following a more modern trend initiated in 1748 by John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich in his capacity as First Lord of the Admiralty.
In sailing qualities Maidstone 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 Maidstone 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.
Her designated complement was 200, comprising two commissioned officers – a captain and a lieutenant – overseeing 40 warrant and petty officers, 91 naval ratings, 38 Marines and 29 servants and other ranks. Among these other ranks were four positions reserved for widow's men – fictitious crew members whose pay was intended to be reallocated to the families of sailors who died at sea.
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