HMS Looe (1696)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Looe.

HMS Looe was a 32-gun fifth rate built at Plymouth Dockyard in 1695/96. Shortly after commissioning she was wrecked in Baltimore Bay, Ireland on 30 April 1697.

History
England
Name	HMS Looe
Ordered	1 April 1695
Builder	Plymouth Dockyard
Launched	5 August 1696
Commissioned	1697
Fate	Wrecked in Baltimore Bay, Ireland 30 April 1697
General characteristics as built
Class & type	32-gun fifth rate
Tons burthen	38480⁄94 tons (bm)
Length	110 ft 0 in (33.53 m) gundeck 93 ft 0 in (28.35 m) keel for tonnage
Beam	28 ft 0 in (8.53 m)
Depth of hold	11 ft 0 in (3.35 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Complement	145/110
Armament	as built 32 guns 4/4 × demi-culverins (LD) 22/20 × 6-pdr guns (UD) 6/4 × 4-pdr guns (QD)

She was the first vessel to bear the name Looe in the English and Royal Navy.^[1]

Construction and specifications

She was ordered on 1 April 1695 to be built at Plymouth Dockyard under the guidance of Master Shipwright Elias Waffe. She was launched on 5 August 1696. Her dimensions were a gundeck of 110 feet 0 inches (33.53 metres) with a keel of 93 feet 0 inches (28.35 metres) for tonnage calculation with a breadth of 28 feet 0 inches (8.53 metres) and a depth of hold of 11 feet 0 inches (3.35 metres). Her builder’s measure tonnage was calculated as 38480⁄94 tons (burthen).^[2]

The gun armament initially was four demi-culverins^{[3][Note 1]} on the lower deck (LD) with two pairs of guns per side. The upper deck (UD) battery would consist of between twenty and twenty-two 6-pounder guns^{[4][Note 2]} with ten or eleven guns per side. The gun battery would be completed by four 4-pounder guns^{[5][Note 3]} on the quarterdeck (QD) with two to three guns per side.^[6]

Commissioned service 1697

She was commissioned in 1697 under the command of Captain Richard Paul for service in the English Channel.^[2]

Loss

She was wrecked in Baltimore Bay, Ireland on 30 April 1697.^[2]

Notes

1. A demi-culverin was a gun of 3,400 pounds with a four-inch bore firing a 9.5-pound shot with an eight-pound powder charge
2. A 6-pounder was a Dutch gun used to replace the saker
3. A minion renamed the 4-pounder was a gun of 1,000 pounds with a 3.5-inch bore firing a 4-pound shot with a 4-pound powder charge.