HMS Arethusa was a 46-gun Leda-class fifth-rate frigate constructed for the Royal Navy in the 1810s. She was laid down at Pembroke Dockyard in February 1815 and launched on 29 July 1817. The vessel measured 150 feet 11 inches (46.0 meters) at the gundeck and 126 feet 11 inches (38.7 meters) along the keel, with a beam of 40 feet 1 inch (12.2 meters). Her draught was 14 feet 7 inches (4.4 meters), and she had a depth of hold of 12 feet 9 inches (3.9 meters). The ship's tonnage was approximately 1,084 tons burthen. Arethusa was armed with a typical Leda-class armament: twenty-eight 18-pounder cannons on the gundeck, fourteen 32-pounder carronades on her quarterdeck, and additional armament including a pair of 9-pounder cannons and two more 32-pounder carronades in the forecastle. Her crew consisted of around 315 officers and ratings. Although completed in 1817, HMS Arethusa was never commissioned into active service. Instead, she was placed in ordinary and remained inactive for many years. In 1836, she was repurposed as a lazarette (quarantine ship) for Liverpool, reflecting her transition from a warship to a support vessel. She was renamed HMS Bacchus on 12 March 1844 to free her original name for a new, larger frigate under construction. Later, in 1851–52, she was further converted into a coal hulk, serving as a stationary storage vessel. After decades of service in various auxiliary roles, HMS Bacchus was sold for scrap in 1883 for £1,450. Overall, HMS Arethusa's significance lies in her status as a representative example of the Leda-class frigates, and her long service life, despite never engaging in combat, illustrates the evolving uses of naval vessels in the 19th century.

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