HMS Southsea Castle was a 32-gun fifth-rate warship constructed under contract by John Knowler of Redbridge (Southampton) in 1695/96. Launched on 1 August 1696, she was the first vessel to carry the name Southsea Castle in the English and Royal Navy. The ship measured approximately 106 feet 6 inches (32.46 meters) on her gundeck, with a keel length of 88 feet 8 inches (27.03 meters) used for tonnage calculations. Her breadth was 28 feet 1.5 inches (8.57 meters), and her depth of hold was 10 feet 8.5 inches (3.26 meters). Her builder’s measure tonnage was calculated at roughly 37¾ tons (burthen). Her armament at commissioning included four demi-culverins on the lower deck, with two per side, and an upper deck battery comprising between twenty and twenty-two 6-pounder guns, evenly distributed with ten or eleven guns per side. Additionally, she was armed with four 4-pounder guns on the quarterdeck, with two or three per side, providing a versatile firepower suitable for her role as a fifth-rate ship. Commissioned in 1696 under Captain Samuel Whitaker, HMS Southsea Castle served briefly in the Royal Navy. In 1697, she was under Commander Thomas Legge and was tasked with sailing alongside a convoy bound for Virginia. Her service was short-lived, as she was wrecked on the Dove Sands off Hoylake (Wirral) on 15 September 1697. Despite her brief operational period, HMS Southsea Castle represents an example of late 17th-century naval design and armament, contributing to the maritime history of the period as a vessel part of the Royal Navy’s evolving fleet tactics and shipbuilding practices.

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