HMY Royal Caroline (1750)

Type

Royal Yacht

Period

18th Century

Nation

Great Britain

Overview: HMY Royal Caroline was a ship-rigged royal yacht built to replace HMY Carolina as Britain's principal royal yacht, serving the British monarchy through the reigns of George II and George III. She was renamed HMY Royal Charlotte in 1761 in honor of the arrival of Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, whom the yacht helped convey to England for her marriage to George III. Specifications: She measured 90 ft 1 in at the gundeck (72 ft 2.5 in at the keel), with a beam of 24 ft 7 in, a depth of hold of 11 ft, and a burthen of about 232 tons. She was full-rigged as a ship and carried a light armament of 8 four-pounder guns (some sources say 10 three-pounders) plus 8 half-pounder swivel guns, reflecting her ceremonial rather than combat role. Service History: Ordered in August 1749 and designed by Surveyor Joseph Allin, she was built at Deptford Dockyard under Master Shipwright John Holland and launched on 29 January 1750. She was first commissioned under Captain Sir Charles Molloy, later under Sir Piercy Brett, and in 1761 became flagship of Admiral of the Fleet Lord Anson for the voyage to fetch the future Queen Charlotte from Germany; after renaming to Royal Charlotte she continued in royal service for decades before being broken up in 1820. Notable Facts: The yacht was noted for lavish ornamentation, and of her build cost roughly 30% went toward appearance and comfort, including sums for sculpture and gilding. She is depicted in a well-known ship portrait by marine painter John Cleveley the Elder, held by Royal Museums Greenwich, and original Admiralty draughts of her survive in the National Maritime Museum collection at 1:48 scale — useful references for scale modelers. Several commercial kit manufacturers (including Mantua/Panart, Victory Models, and Krick) have produced model kits of this vessel at various scales.