HMS Betty was a vessel purchased by the Royal Navy on 26 April 1695, originally serving as a privateer based in Bristol. She was formally established into the Royal Navy on 29 April 1695. The ship measured approximately 109 feet in gundeck length, with a keel length of 88 feet for tonnage calculation, a breadth of 28 feet 8 inches, and a depth of hold of 10 feet 6 inches. Her builder's measure tonnage was calculated at roughly 40.86 tons (burthen). Armed initially with a complement of four demi-culverins on her lower deck, she also carried between twenty and twenty-two 6-pounder guns on her upper deck, and four 4-pounder guns on the quarterdeck, making her a reasonably well-armed vessel for her size and period. Commissioned in 1695 under Captain James Powell, HMS Betty's first deployment was in the West Indies, where her primary role was trade protection. During her service in August 1695, she was captured by a French privateer while defending a convoy returning home, resulting in the death of Captain Powell and 18 crew members, with 14 wounded. She remained in French hands until February 1696, when HMS Phoenix recaptured her. Renamed Betty Prize during her time in captivity, she was returned to British control and recommissioned under Commander Thomas Lambert in March 1696. Betty participated in various patrols and engagements, including an encounter off Lisbon with a French squadron in August 1697, which they failed to intercept. She also served in the Mediterranean in 1698/99, where she was involved in counter-piracy efforts along the North African coast, visiting Tunis, Tripoli, and Algiers. In 1701, Captain Peregrine Bertie took command and led her to Guinea for her operations, followed by survey work off Ireland in 1702. HMS Betty was sold on 1 October 1702 for £147, marking the end of her relatively brief but active service. She holds the distinction of being the only vessel to bear the name in the English and Royal Navy, serving primarily in the Atlantic and Mediterranean during a tumultuous period of naval conflict.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.