HMS Anson (1781)

HMS Anson, a detail from a painting by Thomas Luny
History
Great Britain
Name	HMS Anson
Ordered	24 April 1773
Builder	Plymouth Dockyard
Laid down	January 1774
Launched	4 September 1781
Honours and awards	Participated in: Battle of the Saintes
Fate	Wrecked, 29 December 1807
General characteristics [1]
Class and type	Intrepid-class ship of the line
Tons burthen	1369 bm
Length	159 ft 6 in (48.62 m) (gundeck)
Beam	44 ft 4 in (13.51 m)
Depth of hold	19 ft (5.8 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Armament	64 guns: Gundeck: 26 × 24-pounder guns Upper gundeck: 26 × 18-pounder guns QD: 10 × 4-pounder guns Fc: 2 × 9-pounder guns 44 guns: Gundeck: 26 × 24-pounder guns QD: 8 × 12-pounder guns 4 × 42-pounder carronades Fc: 2 × 12-pounder guns 2 × 42-pounder carronades

HMS Anson was a ship of the Royal Navy, launched at Plymouth on 4 September 1781.^[1] Originally a 64-gun third rate ship of the line, she fought at the Battle of the Saintes.

The ship proved too weak to stand in the line of battle, so in 1784 she was razeed to produce a frigate of 44 guns (fifth rate). Stronger than the average frigate of the time, the razee frigate Anson subsequently had a successful career during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars, mostly operating against privateers, but also in small actions against enemy frigates.

Anson was wrecked on 29 December 1807. Trapped by a lee shore off Loe Bar, Cornwall, England, she hit the rocks and between 60 and 190 men were killed. The subsequent treatment of the recovered bodies of drowned seamen caused controversy, and led to the Burial of Drowned Persons Act 1808.