HMS Newcastle (1813)
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom
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| Name: | HMS Newcastle |
| Ordered: | 6 May 1813 |
| Builder: | Wigram, Wells & Green, Blackwall |
| Laid down: | June 1813 |
| Launched: | 10 November 1813 |
| Completed: | By 23 March 1814 |
| Fate: | Broken up in June 1850 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | 50-gun fourth rate |
| Tons burthen: | 1,556 bm |
| Length: |
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| Beam: | 44 ft 8 in (13.61 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 15 ft 1 1⁄2 in (4.610 m) |
| Sail plan: | Full rigged ship |
| Crew: | 450 |
| Armament: |
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HMS Newcastle was a 50-gun fourth rate of the Royal Navy which saw service in the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812.
A new type of warship, a large spar-decked frigate, Newcastle and her near sister HMS Leander were a response to the threat the heavy American spar-decked frigates posed during the War of 1812. Newcastle proved a successful ship and operated in squadrons that chased the American frigates, but ultimately failed to catch them before the war ended. She spent some time as the flagship on the North American Station before returning to Britain in 1822 and being laid up. She was later converted to a lazarette. She spent the rest of her career in this role, until she was sold in 1850 for breaking up.
HMS Newcastle 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 émigré designer Jean-Louis Barrallier. 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 23 March 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 President. Ordered alongside Newcastle was the similar 50-gun HMS Leander.
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