HMS Sapphire (1675)

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

History
England
Name	HMS 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	105 ft 8 in (32.2 m) (overall) 89 ft (27.1 m) (keel)
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	Under 1677 Establishment: 32/28 Lower deck: 18 x demi-culverins Upper deck: 10 x sakers Quarter deck: 4 x minions Under 1685 Establishment: 28 16 × 8pdr sakers 10 × minions 2 × 3pdrs

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.

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.

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