Early Career Before Dampier
Though there are many discrepancies in the literature, it is now generally agreed that Roebuck (the term HMS did not come into use until late in the 18th century) was built by Snellgrove at Wapping and was launched on 17 April 1690 during the co-regency of William and Mary as one of 12 purpose-built fireships. It carried 8 guns, was 292 ton (builder's measure), 96 feet long, 25.5 feet wide. In June 1690 Roebuck was present at the Battle of Beachy Head and while it appears in illustrations of the scenes, the images of the many ships involved are too small to provide useful detail. Around 1695 it was upgraded and appears listed as a 26-gun Fifth Rate. Though plans and models of similar ships do survive, being a relatively lowly vessel at its time of construction, neither plans, nor a contemporary model of Roebuck itself have been found. This lack of detail has resulted in considerable disagreement until recently about the configuration and appearance of the vessel. As a result, until recently, only notional images have been available and these have appeared in artwork (see opposite) and on postage stamps such as those issued on the tricentennial of the ship’s loss. These were produced by Ascension island where the vessel was wrecked in February 1701.
Read more about this topic: HMS Roebuck (1690)
Famous quotes containing the words early and/or career:
“Long before I wrote stories, I listened for stories. Listening for them is something more acute than listening to them. I suppose it’s an early form of participation in what goes on. Listening children know stories are there. When their elders sit and begin, children are just waiting and hoping for one to come out, like a mouse from its hole.”
—Eudora Welty (b. 1909)
“Like the old soldier of the ballad, I now close my military career and just fade away, an old soldier who tried to do his duty as God gave him the light to see that duty. Goodbye.”
—Douglas MacArthur (1880–1964)