HMS Gloucester was a Vengeur-class 74-gun third-rate ship of the line constructed for the Royal Navy in the early 1810s. Built at Thomas Pitcher’s Northfleet dockyard, she was laid down in March 1808, launched on 27 February 1812, and completed at Sheerness by June of the same year. The vessel measured approximately 176 feet 3.5 inches (53.7 meters) in length at the gundeck and 145 feet 2 inches (44.2 meters) along the keel. Her beam was 47 feet 10.5 inches (14.6 meters), with a deep load draught of 17 feet 5.5 inches (5.3 meters), and a hold depth of 21 feet (6.4 meters). The ship's tonnage was roughly 17,706/94 tons burthen. Armament comprised twenty-eight 32-pounder cannons on the main gundeck, twenty-eight 18-pounders on the upper gundeck, along with four 12-pounder cannons and ten 32-pounder carronades on the quarterdeck. Additional armament included two pairs of 12-pounder guns and 32-pounder carronades on the forecastle, and six 18-pounder carronades on the poop deck. Her complement was around 590 officers and ratings. Named after the port of Gloucester, she was the sixth vessel bearing this name in the Royal Navy. Commissioned in April 1813 under Captain Robert Williams, HMS Gloucester served primarily in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea during the waning years of the Napoleonic Wars, though her role was relatively minor. In 1831–32, she was cut down to a 50-gun fourth-rate frigate, reflecting her reduced role and size. Later, she was converted into a receiving ship before being sold for scrap in 1884. Her long service life and multiple conversions illustrate her adaptability and the shifting needs of the Royal Navy during 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.