HMS Tartar (1756) facts for kids

Tartar (original plan)
Quick facts for kids History
Great Britain
Name	Tartar
Operator	Royal Navy
Ordered	12 June 1755
Builder	John Randall's yard, Nelson Dock, Rotherhithe
Laid down	4 July 1755
Launched	3 April 1756
Completed	2 May 1756 at Deptford Dockyard
Fate	Wrecked 1 April 1797
General characteristics
Class and type	Lowestoffe-class sixth-rate frigate
Tons burthen	587 19⁄94 (bm) (4 tons more than designed)
Length	117 ft 10 in (35.9 m) (gundeck) 96 ft 11 in (29.5 m) (keel)
Beam	33 ft 9 in (10.3 m)
Depth of hold	10 ft 3 in (3.1 m)
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Complement	200 officers and men
Armament	Upperdeck: 24 × 9-pounder guns QD: 4 × 3-pounder guns 12 × swivel guns

HMS Tartar was a fast sailing ship of the Royal Navy. It had 28 guns and was known as a "sixth-rate" frigate.

A Ship's Story: HMS Tartar

Building a Fast Frigate

Tartar was designed by a famous ship designer named Sir Thomas Slade. Her design was based on an earlier ship, Lyme. The goal was to make Tartar even better at holding sailors and carrying guns.

She was first ready for duty in March 1756. Her first captain was Captain John Lockhart. Tartar quickly became known for being very fast, especially when sailing in the English Channel.

Battles and Captures during the Seven Years' War

Tartar played a big role in the Seven Years' War. This was a major global conflict that involved many European powers. During this war, Tartar captured many French ships. For example, she captured four ships in 1756 and seven more in 1757. Many of these were "privateers," which were armed ships owned by private individuals but allowed by their government to attack enemy ships.

Some of the ships Tartar captured include:

• In August 1756, she captured Le Cerf, a French privateer with 24 guns and 200 crew members.
• Later in 1756, she captured Hero, another French privateer.
• In March 1757, Tartar captured La Victoire, a privateer from Le Havre, France.
• She also captured Le Duc d'Aguillon in April 1757 and La Penelope in May 1757.

Exploring the Seas: Finding Longitude

After the war, there was a time of peace. Tartar sailed to Barbados in the Caribbean. On this journey, she carried a special clock called a timekeeper. This timekeeper was built by John Harrison. It was part of important experiments to figure out longitude at sea. Longitude is a way to measure how far east or west a ship is, which was very hard to do accurately back then.

Service in the American Revolutionary War

Tartar also served during the American Revolutionary War. This war was when the American colonies fought for their independence from Great Britain.

• On April 1, 1777, Tartar destroyed an American ship off the coast of New Jersey.
• On November 11, 1779, she captured a Spanish ship called Santa Margarita. This ship had 28 guns and was captured near Cape Finisterre.

Tartar (far right) with other British ships passing forts on the Hudson River during the American Revolutionary War.

Later Years and Final Fate

Tartar continued her service during the French Revolutionary War. This was another conflict involving France and other European powers.

• In December, 1794, a French ship captured a British cargo ship called Hannibal.
• However, just eleven days later, Tartar recaptured Hannibal near Toulon and sent her to Corsica.

In August 1793, Tartar was part of a fleet led by Lord Hood. This fleet took control of Toulon, a port city in France. Tartar helped cover the landing of 1500 soldiers who were sent to take over the forts guarding the port. Once the forts were safe, the rest of the fleet sailed into the harbor.

Sadly, Tartar was wrecked off the coast of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) on April 1, 1797.

A plan of Tartar showing some changes made to her design, like the decks being raised.