HMS Bristol was a 50-gun fourth-rate ship of the line constructed for the Royal Navy in the early 18th century. Built at Plymouth Dockyard by Master Shipwright John Lock, she was launched on 8 May 1711, following the specifications of the 1706 Establishment. The vessel measured 130 feet (39.6 meters) in length at the gundeck and approximately 108 feet (32.9 meters) along the keel. Her beam was 35 feet (10.7 meters), with a depth of hold of 14 feet (4.3 meters). The ship's tonnage was recorded as 722 tons burthen. Armed with a total of twenty-two 18-pounder cannons on her main gundeck, twenty-two 9-pounder cannons on her upper gundeck, and four 6-pounder cannons on each the quarterdeck and forecastle, HMS Bristol was well-armed for her class. She operated with a crew of around 250 officers and ratings, suitable for her role as a fourth-rate ship of the line. Initially commissioned in 1711 under Captain J. Hemmington, Bristol was assigned to The Downs Squadron and undertook voyages to Gibraltar and Salé by 1713. She underwent a significant refit from August 1716 to April 1718 at Portsmouth, costing £6,825, and a smaller refit in 1738. During this period, her service included deployment in home waters under Captain William Chambers and later participation in convoy duties to the West Indies under Captain Benjamin Young in 1741. In 1742, HMS Bristol was ordered to be dismantled for rebuilding. Unlike many ships of her era, she was reconstructed outside the standard 1741 proposals of the 1719 Establishment, sharing her dimensions with the later-built HMS Rochester. She was relaunched on 9 July 1746 and continued service, notably participating in the unsuccessful attack on Martinique in January 1759. The vessel was eventually broken up in 1768, marking the end of her nearly six decades of service.

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