HMS Shannon (1757)

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

History
Great Britain
Name	HMS Shannon
Ordered	18 April 1757
Builder	Deptford Dockyard
Laid down	11 May 1757
Launched	17 August 1757
Completed	8 October 1757
Commissioned	August 1757
Fate	Taken to pieces at Portsmouth December 1765
General characteristics
Class and type	28-gun Coventry-class sixth-rate frigate
Tons burthen	587 53⁄94 bm
Length	118 ft 6 in (36.1 m) (gundeck) 97 ft 5.5 in (29.7 m) (keel)
Beam	33 ft 8 in (10.3 m)
Depth of hold	10 ft 6 in (3.20 m)
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Complement	200 officers and men
Armament	28 guns comprising: Upperdeck: 24 × 9-pounder guns Quarterdeck: 4 × 3-pounder guns 12 × ½-pdr swivel guns

HMS Shannon was a 28-gun Coventry-class sixth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy.

Construction

The Shannon was one of five frigates of the class built of fir rather than oak. Fir was cheaper and more abundant than oak and permitted noticeably faster construction, but at a cost of a reduced lifespan; the four fir-built Coventry-class vessels that did not get captured lasted an average of only nine years before being struck off.

References

• Robert Gardiner, The First Frigates, Conway Maritime Press, London 1992. ISBN 0-85177-601-9.
• David Lyon, The Sailing Navy List, Conway Maritime Press, London 1993. ISBN 0-85177-617-5.
• Rif Winfield, British Warships in the Age of Sail, 1714 to 1792, Seaforth Publishing, London 2007. ISBN 978-1-84415-700-6.