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In his diary entry of 19 May 1666, Samuel Pepys of the Navy Board describes a conversation concerning the construction of the Rupert that he had with her designer, Anthony Deane: By 1677 the Rupert carried a complement of 400 men and 66 guns (comprising twenty-six 24-pounders, twenty-four 12-pounders, fourteen sakers [5-pounders] and two 3-pounders), but by 1685 she was carrying only 64 guns again (comprising twenty-four 24-pounders, two culverins, twenty-six 12-pounders and twelve demi-culverins). In 1697 she was taken into Plymouth Dockyard to be rebuilt by Rosewell, and she was relaunched in November 1703 as a 66-gun third rate once again. In 1716 she was reduced to a fourth rate, and on 16 August 1736 she was ordered to be taken to pieces and rebuilt at Sheerness Dockyard, although by this date the practice of rebuilding had become a legal fiction, and 'rebuilt' ships were in practice new vessels incorporating a small portion of their predecessor's timber into the construction. She was relaunched on 27 October 1740 as 60-gun fourth rate ship of the line built to the 1733 proposals of the 1719 Establishment. Rupert was broken up in 1769. |
