Pictured: a built model of this ship — not the historical vessel.

Diana (Spain)

Type

Frigate

Period

18th Century

Nation

Spain

Overview: Diana was a 34-gun Spanish frigate of the "Mahonesa" class, one of six sister frigates built at the Mahón shipyard in Menorca to a design credited to naval engineer Julián de Retamosa (also cited as Honorato Bouyon in some Museo Naval sources). She was considered one of the best and fastest frigates built by the Spanish Royal Navy in her era, and a contemporary arsenal (dockyard) scale model of her is preserved at the Museo Naval de Madrid. Specifications: According to Spanish naval archives, her hull measured roughly 156.6 Burgos feet (about 43.5 m) on the gundeck with 37.8 feet (about 12.2 m) of beam, displacing around 1,107 tons; she was pierced for 34 guns, typically a mix of 12-, 18-, and lesser-caliber pieces, with a complement in the range of 265–283 men. Her religious dedication name (advocación) was Santa Ana, and she carried a figurehead depicting the Roman goddess Diana, made of bone or ivory. Service History: She took part in the war against France along the Catalan coast, and as a member of the naval forces of Havana, she took part in battles against corsairs in the Antilles and made various trips across the Atlantic, before being broken up in 1833 at the Cartagena naval shipyard. She also served with the Mediterranean fleet in the 1790s alongside sister frigates such as Soledad, Perla, and Venganza, and later shuttled troops and treasure between Cádiz, Havana, Veracruz, Puerto Rico, and other American ports during the Napoleonic era. Notable Facts: Diana was built as part of a six-ship class of "Mahonesas" (Santa Mónica/Mahonesa, Esmeralda, Diana, Venganza, Ninfa, and Proserpina), the first frigates built at Mahón with square-rig (cruz) sail plans rather than the lateen rig previously used there. In 1792 she underwent formal sailing trials against the frigate Soledad, then reckoned the Navy's best design, and was judged to outperform her sister in most points of sail.