HMS Raisonnable (1768)
| History | |
|---|---|
 UK
|
|
| Name: | HMS Raisonnable |
| Ordered: | 11 January 1763 |
| Builder: | Chatham Dockyard |
| Laid down: | 25 November 1765 |
| Launched: | 10 December 1768 |
| Honours and awards: |
|
| Fate: | Broken up, 1815 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Ardent class ship of the line |
| Tons burthen: | 1386 |
| Length: | 160 ft (49 m) (gundeck) |
| Beam: | 44 ft 4 in (13.51 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 19 ft (5.8 m) |
| Propulsion: | Sails |
| Sail plan: | Full rigged ship |
| Complement: | 500 officers and men |
| Armament: |
|
HMS Raisonnable (sometimes spelt Raisonable) was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, named after the ship of the same name captured from the French in 1758. She was built at Chatham Dockyard, launched on 10 December 1768 and commissioned on 17 November 1770 under the command of Captain Maurice Suckling, Horatio Nelson's uncle. Raisonnable was built to the same lines as HMS Ardent, and was one of the seven ships forming the Ardent-class of 1761. Raisonnable was the first ship in which Nelson served.
At the request of Nelson's father, Suckling entered the young Horatio Nelson as midshipman into the ship's books, though Nelson did not embark until a couple of months after this (it was not uncommon practise to rate sons of relatives or friends several months before they entered the ship, though Admiralty orders expressly forbade this), on 15 March 1771. Raisonnable had been in the process of commissioning at this time, in response to an expected conflict with Spain. However, the war never developed, and Raisonnable remained in the Medway as a guard ship. At this time, Suckling took command of the 74-gun HMS Triumph, and took Nelson with him.
The ship re-commissioned on 25 May 1771 under Captain Henry St. John, a mere 10 days since paying off as a guard ship, and joined the Channel Fleet. St John was succeeded by Captain Thomas Greaves on 23 January 1773, and Raisonnable paid off at Plymouth on 23 September 1775.
...
Wikipedia