Construction and Commissioning
Greenwich was ordered from Moody Janvrin on 3 October 1745, and was laid down at his yard at Lepe on the Beaulieu River in Hampshire in November that year. She was built to the draught specified in the 1745 Establishment, and launched on 19 March 1747. She was a development of designs from before the start of the War of the Austrian Succession, and her dimensions approached those of earlier 60-gun ships, though the 50-gun ships of the 1745 establishment sat deeper in the water. Despite this they had an improved freeboard, with a height of 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) amidships from the waterline to the lower gunports, and had increased headroom below decks. 50-gun ships like Greenwich were armed with twenty-two 24-pounder guns on the lower deck, twenty-two 12-pounders on the upper deck, and four 6-pounders on the quarterdeck. In addition they carried two 6-pounders on the forecastle as bow chasers.
As completed Greenwich was 1,053 15/94 bm and measured 144 ft 6.5 in (44.1 m) long overall, and 116 ft 1.5 in (35.4 m) on her keel, with a beam of 41 ft 3.5 in (12.6 m) and a hold depth of 17 ft 7 in (5.4 m). She had been named on 9 March 1747, ten days before being launched, and was completed by 26 March 1748, probably at Portsmouth. Her total cost to build came to £19,582.15s.2d, a sum that probably included the cost of fitting her out. She was commissioned in 1748 under Captain John Montagu.
Read more about this topic: HMS Greenwich (1747)
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