Description
Lady Nelson was built in 1798 for mercantile service, and to the design of the cutter Trial. Like Trial, she was fitted with three Shank sliding or drop keels (actually removable centreboards). (The Shank keels were the invention of naval architect Captain John Schank.) The fore and aft centreboards were 3 feet long, and the centre one was 6 feet long. With them up the vessel drew only 6–7 feet instead of the 13 feet that would be more usual for vessels her size. The crew could drop the centreboards 7 feet through a relatively flat hull for stability in deeper waters.
The Lady Nelson was launched on Tuesday 13 November 1798 at Deadman's Dock Deptford. She was named in honour of the wife of Horatio Nelson, England's naval hero. On 21 December 1799, while she was on hire to the Royal Navy, French privateers captured her off Cabritta Point in the Bay of Gibraltar; a party led by Lieutenant William Bainbridge of HMS Queen Charlotte recaptured her and escorted her back to England. The Royal Navy purchased her and in 1800 converted her to brig rig and established her as a gun-brig. After the conversion, she left Deptford Dockyard on 13 January 1800, bound for Australian waters under the command of Lieutenant James Grant.
She was armed originally with two brass carriage guns and was given a further four guns and a crew of fifteen men: the commander, two mates and twelve seamen.
Read more about this topic: HMS Lady Nelson (1798)
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