HMS Tyger taking the Dutch ship Shackerloo in Cadiz harbour in 1674
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History | |
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Great Britain | |
Name: | HMS Tyger |
Builder: | Peter Pett I, Woolwich |
Launched: | 1647 |
Fate: | Wrecked, 1742 |
Notes: |
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General characteristics as built | |
Class and type: | 38-gun fourth rate frigate |
Tons burthen: | 453 |
Length: | 99 ft (30.2 m) (keel) |
Beam: | 29 ft 4 in (8.9 m) |
Depth of hold: | 14 ft 8 in (4.5 m) |
Propulsion: | Sails |
Sail plan: | Full rigged ship |
Armament: | 38 guns (at launch); 40 guns (1677) |
General characteristics after 1681 rebuild | |
Class and type: | 44-gun fourth rate ship of the line |
Tons burthen: | 448 |
Length: | 123 ft 8 in (37.7 m) (gundeck) |
Beam: | 32 ft 10 in (10.0 m) |
Depth of hold: | 13 ft 6 in (4.1 m) |
Propulsion: | Sails |
Sail plan: | Full rigged ship |
Armament: | 44 guns of various weights of shot |
General characteristics after 1702 rebuild | |
Class and type: | 46-54-gun fourth rate ship of the line |
Tons burthen: | 613 |
Length: | 124 ft 8 in (38.0 m) (gundeck) |
Beam: | 33 ft 4.5 in (10.2 m) |
Depth of hold: | 13 ft 9 in (4.2 m) |
Propulsion: | Sails |
Sail plan: | Full rigged ship |
Armament: | 46-54 guns of various weights of shot |
General characteristics after 1722 rebuild | |
Class and type: | 1706 Establishment 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line |
Tons burthen: | 712 |
Length: | 130 ft (39.6 m) (gundeck) |
Beam: | 35 ft (10.7 m) |
Depth of hold: | 14 ft (4.3 m) |
Propulsion: | Sails |
Sail plan: | Full rigged ship |
Complement: | 281 officers and men (including 57 marines) |
Armament: |
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HMS Tyger, often spelled Tiger, was a 38-gun fourth rate frigate of the Royal Navy, built by Peter Pett II at Woolwich and launched in 1647. The term 'frigate' during the period of this ship referred to a method of construction, rather than a role which did not develop until the following century. She was the third ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name, and by undergoing successive rebuildings she served for almost a century until she was wrecked in the Dry Tortugas in 1742. The ship's crew was stranded on Garden Key for 56 days, fighting off Spanish attempts to capture them, and then spent another 56 days sailing in small boats 700 miles to Port Royal, Jamaica. Remarkably, only five crew members died during this period: three killed by the Spanish, and two others of natural causes. Six crewmen were captured and imprisoned by the Spanish. The captain and three of his lieutenants were court-martialed over the wreck and subsequent events.
Tyger served in many actions in a career of nearly 100 years, including the Siege of Colchester during the English Civil War, the pursuit of Prince Rupert to the West Indies, and the First and Second Anglo–Dutch Wars (including the Battle of Solebay). She served in the Mediterranean, in the defense of Gibraltar, in actions against Guadeloupe and Martinique and the blockade of Cartagena, Colombia in 1741.