English ship Constant Warwick (1645)
The Constant Warwick, drawn by Willem van de Velde the Elder | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Commonwealth of England | |
| Name | Constant Warwick |
| Builder | Peter Pett I, Ratcliff |
| Launched | 1645 |
| Acquired | 20 January 1649 |
| Commissioned | 1650 |
| Honours & awards |
|
| Kingdom of England | |
| Name | Constant Warwick |
| Acquired | May 1660 |
| Honours & awards |
|
| Captured | 12 July 1691 |
| Fate | Captured by the French |
| General characteristics as built | |
| Class & type | 32-gun fourth-rate |
| Tons burthen | 315 48⁄94 bm tons |
| Length | 85 ft 0 in (25.91 m) (keel) |
| Beam | 26 ft 5 in (8.05 m) |
| Depth of hold | 13 ft 2 in (4.01 m) |
| Propulsion | Sails |
| Sail plan | ship-rigged |
| Complement |
|
| Armament |
|
| General characteristics by 1660 | |
| Class & type | 32-gun fourth-rate |
| Tons burthen | 341 22⁄94 bm tons |
| Length | 88 ft (27 m) (keel) |
| Beam | 27 ft 0 in (8.23 m) |
| Depth of hold | 12 ft 8 in (3.86 m) |
| Propulsion | Sails |
| Sail plan | ship-rigged |
| Armament | 34 guns |
| General characteristics after 1666 rebuild | |
| Class & type | 42-gun fourth-rate ship of the line |
| Tons burthen | 379 75⁄94 bm tons |
| Length | 90 ft (27 m) (keel) |
| Beam | 28 ft 2 in (8.59 m) |
| Depth of hold | 12 ft 8 in (3.86 m) |
| Propulsion | Sails |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
| Armament | 42 guns - comprising 20 demi-culverins, 18 sakers (6-pounder guns) and 4 light sakers (5-pounder guns) |
Constant Warwick was originally a 32-gun privateer, built in 1645 as a private venture between the Earl of Warwick and Sir William Batten and intended to operate as a privateer. Hired for service in the Parliamentarian navy during the First English Civil War, her captain William Batten defected to the Royalists during the 1648 Second English Civil War. After her crew mutinied in November 1648, she returned to England and was purchased by Parliament for the Commonwealth Navy on 20 January 1649.
Described as an "incomparable sailer", she was noted for her sharpness and fine lines, and was considered by some as the first true frigate of the Royal Navy (although the Expedition and Providence of 1637, which predated her by eight years and originally described as "pinnaces", were certainly categorised as frigates by the time of the English Civil War). Mainly used for patrolling, she was captured by the French in 1691.
Constant Warwick was the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear that name.