Lowestoffe (28)
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Origin and History
The frigate was built by John Greaves at Limehouse and launched on May 17 1756.
During the Seven Years' War, the frigate was under the command of:
- in 1759: captain Joseph Deane
The frigate was sunk in action on May 19 1760.
Service during the War
In February 1759, the frigate sailed from Spithead in Great Britain as part of the fleet destined for the expedition against Québec. The voyage was long and tedious. On April 21, when the fleet finally reached Louisbourg, it was to find the harbour blocked with ice, so that the fleet made for Halifax instead. The fleet finally sailed for Louisbourg in May. Between June 1 and 6, the fleet gradually left the harbour of Louisbourg and sailed for Québec. On June 23, Saunders' fleet made a junction with Durell's squadron at Isles-aux-Coudres. On June 26, the whole British fleet of vice-admiral Saunders was anchored safely off the southern shore of Isle-d'Orléans, a few km below Québec without loosing a single ship. On July 23 at 3:30 AM, the frigate Lowestoffe (28) and the sloop Hunter (10) made an attempt to sail above Québec to join the British vessels already stationed there. However, the fire of the French batteries obliged them to abandon their project. On August 11, vice-admiral Charles Saunders resolved to make some efforts to destroy the French ships above the town and to open communication with general Amherst who was supposed to be advancing from Fort Saint-Frédéric and Lake Champlain. Accordingly, at 10:00 PM, the frigate Lowestoffe (28), the sloop Hunter (10), the bomb Pelican (8), another sloop, 2 storeships and a schooner tried to pass above Québec but could not do so. Finally, on August 27 at 9:00 PM, the frigate Lowestoffe (28), the sloop Hunter (10), 2 storeships and an armed schooner successfully passed above Québec. The town finally surrendered on September 18. At the end of October, vice-admiral Saunders fired his farewell salute and dropped down the Saint-Laurent river with his fleet on his way to Great Britain. However, he also left captain lord Colville in command of a small squadron, including this frigate), in North America.
To do: more details on the campaign of 1760
Characteristics
| Guns | 28 (plus 12 swivels)
| ||||||
| Crew | approx. 200 men | ||||||
| Length at gundeck | 117 ft 10 in (35.92 m.) | ||||||
| Width | 33 ft 8 in (10.26 m.) | ||||||
| Depth | 10 ft 2 in (3.10 m.) | ||||||
| Displacement | 583 long tons |
References
Blasco, Manuel, British 6th Rates, 3 Decks Wiki
Phillips, M., Michael Phillip's Ships of the Old Navy
N.B.: the section Service during the War is derived from our articles depicting the various campaigns, battles and sieges.
