These 28-gun sailing frigates of the sixth rate were designed in 1756 by Sir Thomas Slade "to the draught of the Tartar with such alterations withinboard as may be judged necessary". A total of twelve ships were built in oak during the Seven Years' War, all ordered from private shipyards; eleven of them were built over the relatively short period of three years; the twelfth was completed following the close of that war in a royal dockyard as its original contractor became bankrupt, and one further ship to this design was also built postwar in a royal dockyard.
A variant was designed for building with fir hulls rather than oak; this variant design, to which five further vessels were built (see second batch below), all in the royal dockyards, differed in some respects, notably by having a square tuck stern. The use of this material meant that they could be built much more rapidly than their oak near-sisters, but the fir deteriorated quickly, so that they had a considerably shorter life.
More than a quarter-century after the design was produced, two further oak-built ships to this design were ordered to be built by contract in October 1782. One of these was cancelled a year later when the builder became bankrupt.
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