Arrogant-class ship of the line

Scene in Plymouth Sound in August 1815, oil on canvas: HMS Bellerophon anchored in Plymouth Sound, with Napoleon Bonaparte aboard.
Class overview
Name:	Arrogant
Operators:	Royal Navy
Preceded by:	Bellona-class
Succeeded by:	Ramillies-class
In service:	22 January 1761 – 1868
Completed:	12
Lost:	2 (burnt or scuttled as unserviceable)
General characteristics
Type:	Ship of the line
Length:	168 ft (51 m) (gundeck) 138 ft (42 m) (keel)
Beam:	46 ft 9 in (14.25 m)
Propulsion:	Sails
Armament:	74 guns: Gundeck: 28 × 32-pounders Upper gundeck: 28 × 18-pounders Quarterdeck: 14 × 9-pounders Forecastle: 4 × 9-pounders
Notes:	Ships in class include: Arrogant, Cornwall, Edgar, Goliath, Zealous, Audacious, Elephant, Bellerophon, Saturn, Vanguard, Excellent, Illustrious

The Arrogant-class ships of the line were a class of twelve 74-gun third rate ships designed by Sir Thomas Slade for the Royal Navy.

Design

The Arrogant class ships were designed as a development of Slade's previous Bellona class, sharing the same basic dimensions. During this period, the original armament was the same across all the ships of the common class, of which the Arrogant class ships were members. Two ships were ordered on 13 December 1758 to this design (as the same time as the fourth and fifth units of the Bellona class), and a further ten ships were built to a slightly modified version of the Arrogant design from 1773 onwards.

Ships

• HMS Arrogant

Builder: John Barnard, Harwich

Ordered: 13 December 1758

Laid down: March 1759

Launched: 22 January 1761

Completed: 28 April 1761

Fate: Sold at Bombay to be broken up, 1810

• HMS Cornwall

Builder: William Wells, Deptford

Ordered: 13 December 1758

Laid down: 19 February 1759

Launched: 19 May 1761

Completed: 16 September 1761

Fate: Burnt or scuttled as unserviceable at St Lucia, 30 June 1780

• HMS Edgar

Builder: Woolwich Dockyard

Ordered: 25 August 1774

Launched: 30 June 1779

Fate: Broken up, 1835

• HMS Goliath

Builder: Deptford Dockyard

Ordered: 21 February 1778

Launched: 19 October 1781

Fate: Broken up, 1815

• HMS Zealous

Builder: Barnard, Deptford

Ordered: 19 June 1782

Launched: 25 June 1785

Fate: Broken up, 1816

• HMS Audacious

Builder: Randall, Rotherhithe

Ordered:

Launched: 23 July 1785

Fate: Broken up, 1815

• HMS Elephant

Builder: Parsons, Bursledon

Ordered: 27 December 1781

Launched: 24 August 1786

Fate: Broken up, 1830

• HMS Bellerophon

Builder: Graves, Frindsbury

Ordered: 11 January 1782

Launched: 6 October 1786

Fate: Sold out of the service, 1836

• HMS Saturn

Builder: Raymond, Northam

Ordered: 22 December 1781

Launched: 22 November 1786

Fate: Broken up, 1868

• HMS Vanguard

Builder: Deptford Dockyard

Ordered: 9 December 1779

Launched: 6 March 1787

Fate: Broken up, 1821

• HMS Excellent

Builder: Graham, Harwich

Ordered: 9 August 1781

Launched: 27 November 1787

Fate: Broken up, 1835

• HMS Illustrious

Builder: Henry Adams, Bucklers Hard

Ordered: 31 December 1781

Launched: 7 July 1789

Fate: Grounded in gale near Livorno (Leghorn) and burnt, 28 March 1795.

References

• Lavery, Brian (2003) The Ship of the Line – Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650–1850. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-252-8.

• Winfield, Rif (2007) British Warships in the Age of Sail 1714–1792; Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84415-700-6.