HMS Sapphire (1675)
| History | |
|---|---|
 England | |
| Name | Sapphire |
| Ordered | 30 September 1675 |
| Builder | Anthony Deane, Harwich |
| Launched | June 1675 |
| Fate | Sunk on 11 September 1696 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | 32-gun fifth rate |
| Tons burthen | 340 81⁄94 bm |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 26 ft 10 in (8.2 m) |
| Draught | 13 ft 2 in (4.0 m) |
| Depth of hold | 10 ft (3.05 m) |
| Propulsion | Sails |
| Sail plan | Full rigged ship |
| Complement | 135/115/90 |
| Armament |
|
HMS Sapphire was a 32-gun fifth rate of the Royal Navy. She was designed and built by Sir Anthony Deane at Harwich in 1675, at a cost of £4,175.
In 1677 Sapphire was the first command of Cloudesley Shovell, who later became Admiral of the Fleet and eventually died in the Scilly naval disaster of 1707.[1]
Sapphire was cornered in Bay Bulls Harbour by a French squadron in August–September 1696. Her master, Captain Thomas Cleasby, in fear that the French would capture the ship, scuttled her and escaped across land to the colony of Ferryland.
In popular culture
In the video game Assassin's Creed Rogue, Sapphire's wreck could be visited by the protagonist Shay Cormac at the North Atlantic. Once Shay collects all 24 Templar artifacts, he could claim an armor belonging from the original Knights Templar of the 11th century.
References
- Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
- Winfield, Rif (2009) British Warships in the Age of Sail 1603-1714: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-040-6.
- Lavery, Brian (1981) Deanes Doctrine of Naval Architecture Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-180-7.
- Barber, V.C. (1976) International Journal of Nautical Archaeology Vol. 5(4) pp. 353–356.
- Canadian Geographic Feb/Mar 1979 - An article that appeared in Canadian Geographic about the Sapphire.
- International Journal of Nautical Archaeology - 6.4, 1977 pp. 305–313
- Initial Report on the Underwater Survey and Excavation of the wreck of HMS Sapphire in Bay Bulls, 1977 (Newfoundland Marine Archaeological Society)
- Second Report on the Underwater Survey and Excavation of the wreck of HMS Sapphire in Bay Bulls, 1977 (Newfoundland Marine Archaeological Society)
- Third Report on the Underwater Survey and Excavation of the wreck of HMS Sapphire in Bay Bulls, 1977. Additional notes on wreck 1 are included. (Newfoundland Marine Archaeology Society)
- Final Report on the Underwater Survey and Excavation of the wreck of HMS Sapphire in Bay Bulls, 1977. (Newfoundland Marine Archaeological Society)
- Canadian Collector Vol 20(2), March 1985 - Artifacts of the Sapphire