H.M.S. Pallas: historical reconstruction of an 18th-century Royal Navy frigate

摘要

A 1998 joint survey undertaken by the Institute of Nautical Archaeology and Portugueseauthorities located and identified the sunken remains of the Royal Navy frigate HMS Pallas(1757-1783) off of the Azorean island of S??o Jorge. Physical remains are so limited as to suggestthat excavation would likely yield little new information. However, much documentary evidencehas been preserved in Admiralty archives.Contemporary treatises about 18th-century British ship construction focus on glossariesof terms, scantling lists and design theory, and include only short sections on frigates insofar asthey apply to those topics. They rarely address specific construction aspects. Most current worksaddress individual aspects of ship construction for the period, but provide little significant detailabout the frigate as a ship type. All of these works are useful and reliable, however none attemptto combine the ship with the crew, or pursue the complete history of one ship.As the flagship of a prototypical class, intended to address French superiority in cruiserdesign, it is reasonable to expect that a history of Pallas would exist with some analysis of howsuccessfully these new frigates fulfilled the Royal Navy??s perceived need. However, to datethere has been no attempt to consolidate the evidence of her 26-year career. This study providesa comprehensive history of a single ship from perceived need and conceived solution throughdesign and construction. The ship??s logbooks and additional primary sources made it possible to accurately document and analyze Pallas?? activities, maintenance, modifications, and ultimatelyto draw conclusions about the overall effectiveness of the frigate type.I began with basic background information to establish the perceived need for a newfrigate type, followed by an examination of the conceived design solution. A partial set ofadmiralty drafts served as a foundation from which to develop a more complete set ofconstruction plans, a spar plan, and rigging plans. Comprehensive research into life aboard RoyalNavy warships of the period provided a social context within which to examine the servicehistory of Pallas. Finally, a review of the maintenance record and the events leading up to hersinking enabled an informed assessment of how well HMS Pallas fulfilled the perceived needfor which she was developed.