HMS Hastings was a 32-gun fifth-rate warship constructed by Isaac Betts of Woodbridge, with her keel laid in 1696 and launched on 17 May 1698. She measured approximately 108 feet 4 inches (33.02 meters) in length on her gundeck, with a keel length of 89 feet 10 inches (27.38 meters) used for tonnage calculations. Her breadth was 28 feet 3 inches (8.61 meters), and her depth of hold was 10 feet 6 inches (3.20 meters). Her builder’s measure tonnage was calculated at roughly 38 and one-third tons (burthen). HMS Hastings was armed initially with a notable complement of artillery: four demi-culverins on the lower deck, arranged with two guns per side; approximately twenty to twenty-two 6-pounder guns on the upper deck, with ten or eleven per side; and four 4-pounder guns on the quarterdeck, with two to three per side. These armaments made her a capable vessel for convoy, trade protection, and anti-piracy patrols. Her service record began in 1698 under Captain Richard White, and she was deployed in various theaters, including a voyage to the East Indies in early 1699. She subsequently returned to home waters under Captain Edward Rumsey later that year. Throughout 1702 and 1703, she was active in patrolling the Bristol Channel under different commanders, including Captain Richard Culliford and Captain Thomas Kenney. In 1704, command shifted to Captain Charles Parsons and later Captain Philip Stanhope, with deployments including a voyage to Guinea on the east coast of Africa in 1705. Later that year, Commander Francis Vaughan took command, and she was engaged in convoy duties in the North Sea. HMS Hastings’s career was cut short when she was wrecked off Greater Yarmouth during a storm on 9 February 1707. The wreck resulted in the loss of Captain Vaughan and all but 24 of her crew, marking a tragic end to her service. Her operational history underscores her role in maritime protection during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, representing the typical armament and dimensions of fifth-rate ships of her era.

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