English ship Phoenix (1647)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Phoenix.

Phoenix (bottom left) at the Battle of Elba between the Staatse fleet under Van Galen and the English fleet, under the command of Richard Badiley in 1652
History
Commonwealth of England
Name	Phoenix
Builder	Peter Pett II, Woolwich
Launched	1647
Commissioned	1647
Honours and awards	Scheveningen 1653
History
England
Name	Phoenix
Acquired	May 1660
Fate	Wrecked at Gibraltar on 3 December 1664
General characteristics
Class and type	38-gun fourth rate
Tons burthen	414+72⁄94 bm
Length	96 ft 0 in (29.3 m) keel for tonnage
Beam	28 ft 6 in (8.7 m)
Depth of hold	14 ft 3 in (4.3 m)
Sail plan	ship-rigged
Complement	150 – 1652 160 – 1653 130 – 1660 150/130/100 - 1664
Armament	38/32 guns 1652 40/32 1664

Phoenix was a fourth rate of the Kingdom of England. Her initial commission was in the Parliamentary Naval Force during the English Civil War. During the Anglo-Dutch War she was taken by the Dutch at the Battle of Montecristo. She was recaptured during the Battle of Leghorn by a boat attack. Recommissioned she participated in the Battle of Sheveningen. She went to the Mediterranean in 1658 and remained there until wrecked in December 1664.

Phoenix was the third named vessel since it was used for a 20-gun ship, purchased in 1545, rebuilt in 1558 and sold in 1573.

Construction and specifications

She was built at Woolwich Dockyard on the River Thames under the guidance of Master Shipwright Peter Pett II. She was launched in 1647. Her dimensions were 96 feet 6 inches (29.4 metres)for keel with a breadth of 28 feet 6 inches (8.7 metres) and a depth of hold of 14 feet 3 inches (4.3 metres). Her builder's measure tonnage was calculated as 414+72⁄94 tons. Initially she was equipped with 38 guns in wartime and 32 guns in peacetime. In 1664 she carried 40 guns in wartime and 32 in peacetime. Her manning was 150 personnel in 1652 and rose to 160 a year later. By 1660 her manning had dropped to 130 personnel.

Commissioned service

Service in the English Civil War and Commonwealth Navy

She was commissioned into the Parliamentary Naval Force under the command of Captain Owen Cox. She was with Warwick's Fleet in the Downs in September 1648. In 1649 she was under Captain Thomas Harrison for service in the Irish Sea.In 1650 she was under Captain William Brandley sailing with Popham's squadron off the Tagus she later joined Robert Blake's Squadron. Later in 1650 she was under Captain John Wadsworth as Flagship for Robert Blake in the Irish Sea followed by the Isle of Scilly in June 1651 followed by the Channel Islands in October. She sailed with Badiley's Squadron to the Mediterranean. Phoenix was captured by the 40-gun Dutch ship Eendracht off Elba in the Mediterranean during the Battle of Montecristo, 28-8-1652 (O.S.)/6-9-1652 (N.S.), an action between the English squadron commanded by Richard Badiley and a Dutch squadron under Jan van Galen. She was retaken on 26 November 1652 by an attack by English small boats at Leghorn. She recommissioned under Captain Owen Cox again. She was in the Battle off Leghorne on 4 March 1653. She followed this with the Battle of Sceveningen on 31 July 1652. Later in 1653 Captain Nicholas Foster took command and spent the winter of 1653/54 in the sound. During 1656 to 1658 she was under the command of Captain Thomas Whetstone with Blake's Fleet. She returned home between July and November 1656. In 1658/59 she was under Captain Thomas Bunn sailing with Stoake's squadron in the Mediterranean.

Service after the Restoration May 1660

In 1660 Captain Edward Nixon was in command. On 30 April 1663 she was under Captain Richard Utbar. On 16 September 1664 she was under the command of John Chicheley with Allin's squadron in the Mediterranean.

Loss

She was wrecked on 3 December 1664 during a storm in Gibraltar Bay while attempting to pass through the Straits of Gibraltar.

References

• British Warships in the Age of Sail (1603 – 1714), by Rif Winfield, published by Seaforth Publishing, England © Rif Winfield 2009, EPUB ISBN 978-1-78346-924-6, Chapter 4 Fourth Rates - 'Small Ships', Vessels acquired from 25 March 1603, 1647 Programme Group, Phoenix
• Colledge, Ships of the Royal Navy, by J.J. Colledge, revised and updated by Lt-Cdr Ben Warlow and Steve Bush, published by Seaforth Publishing, Barnsley, Great Britain, © the estate of J.J. Colledge, Ben Warlow and Steve Bush 2020, EPUB ISBN 978-1-5267-9328-7, Section P (Phoenix)