HMS Gift (1652)

History
France
Name	Le Don de Dieu
Captured	4 September 1652
Fate	taken by Blake's Fleet off Dunkirk
History
Commonwealth of England
Name	Gift
Acquired	4 September 1652
Commissioned	1653
Renamed	Great Gift 1658
Honours and; awards	Portland 1653; Gabbard 1653; Scheveningen 1653;
Fate	expended as fireship 25 July 1666
History
Kingdom of England
Name	Great Gift
Honours and; awards	Orfordness 1666
Captured	May 1660
Fate	expended as Fireship 25 July 1666
General characteristics
Class and type	38-gun fourth rate
Tons burthen	490+22⁄94 bm
Length	98 ft 0 in (29.9 m) keel for tonnage
Beam	30 ft 8 in (9.3 m)
Draught	13 ft 6 in (4.1 m)
Depth of hold	12 ft 6 in (3.8 m)
Sail plan	ship-rigged
Complement	130
Armament	36 1653; 40/32 1666;

Gift was a 38-gun fourth rate vessel captured from the French by the Commonwealth of England, She was captured on 4 September 1652 as the 36-gun Le Don de Gieu. She was commissioned into the Parliamentary Naval Force as Gift. During the First Anglo-Dutch War she partook in the Battle of Portland, the Battle of the Gabbard and the Battle of Scheveningen. She spent time fishery patrols and escorting convoys. She was converted to a fireship in 1666 and expended at the St James Fight on 25 July 1666.^[1]

Gift was the first named vessel in the English or Royal Navy.^[2]

Specifications

She was built as the French ship Le Don de Dieu. She was captured by Robert Blake's Fleet off Dunkirk on 4 September 1652. Her dimensions were 98 feet 0 inches (29.9 metres)keel for tonnage with a breadth of 30 feet 8 inches (9.3 metres) and a depth of hold of 12 feet 6 inches (3.8 metres). Her builder's measure tonnage was calculated as 490+22⁄94 tons. Her draught was 13 feet 6 inches (4.1 metres). Her gun armament in 1653 was 36 guns and it was changed to 40 wartime and 32 peacetime. Her manning was 130 personnel.^[3]

Commissioned service

Service in the Commonwealth Navy

She was commissioned into the Commonwealth Navy in 1653 under the command of Captain Thomas Salmon.^[4]

First Anglo-Dutch War

During the First Anglo-Dutch War she partook in the Battle of Portland on 18 February 1653.^[5] As a member of Blue Squadron, Center Division she took part in the Battle of the Gabbard on 2–3 June 1653.^[6] With Captain Salmon being killed in battle Captain Edward Barnett took command. She then partook in the Battle of Scheveningen near Texel (as Gift Major) on the 31 of July 1653 as a member of the Blue Squadron, Van Division.^[7] In 1654 Captain Samuel Dickson took command.^[8]

In 1655 she came under Captain Mark Harrison in to 1657. In 1658 she was renamed Great Gift and sometimes referred to as Gift Major to differentiate her from a Spanish prize now named Little Gift. In 1660 she was under Captain Jeffrey Dare for the North Sea Fishery.^[9]

Service after the Restoration May 1660

On 24 June 1660 she was under command of Captain George Batts until relieved by Captain George Bernard on 4 May 1661. Captain Jacob Reynolds took command on 5 July 1664 and sailed to Guinea in 1665. On her return she was converted to a fireship in 1666 crewed by 50 personnel and four guns. She was recommissioned on 26 June 1666 under Captain John Kelsey. She participated in the St James Day Battle on 25 june to 6 July 1666 as a fireship of Blue Squadron.^[10]^[11]

Loss

Gift was expended as a fireship at the St James Day Fight on 25 July 1666.^[12]

Citations

^ Winfield 5
^ Colledge
^ Winfield 5
^ Winfield 5
^ Winfield 1
^ Winfield 2
^ Winfield 3
^ Winfield 5
^ Winfield 5
^ Winfield 4
^ Winfield 5
^ Winfield 5

References

British Warships in the Age of Sail (1603 – 1714), by Rif Winfield, published by Seaforth Publishing, England © Rif Winfield 2009, EPUB ISBN 978-1-78346-924-6:

Fleet Actions, 1.5 Battle of Portland
Fleet Actions, 1.7 Battle of the Gabbard (north Foreland)
Fleet Actions, 1.8 Battle of Scheveningen (near Texel)
Fleet Actions, 3.4 Battle of Orfordness (the St James Day Battle)
Chapter 4 Fourth Rates - 'Small Ships', Vessels acquired from 25 March 1603, Ex-French Prizes (1650-52), Gift

Ships of the Royal Navy, by J.J. Colledge, revised and updated by Lt-Cdr Ben Warlow and Steve Bush, published by Seaforth Publishing, Barnsley, Great Britain, © the estate of J.J. Colledge, Ben Warlow and Steve Bush 2020, EPUB ISBN 978-1-5267-9328-7, Section G (Gift)
The Arming and Fitting of English Ships of War 1600 – 1815, by Brian Lavery, published by US Naval Institute Press © Brian Lavery 1989, ISBN 978-0-87021-009-9, Part V Guns, Type of Guns