HMS President (1829)

HMS "President", launched in 1819, was ordered in May 1818 to be built as a 58-gun frigate to the exact lines of the previous "President" captured from the Americans in 1815, but this weapon 'fit' was later amended to complete her as a 52-gun frigate with an unarmed spar deck. She was later re-armed with thirty-two 32-pounder guns on the upper deck, and twenty 32-pounder carronades on the quarterdeck and forecastle.

She was laid down at Portsmouth Dockyard in June 1824 and launched on 20 April 1829; she was completed in 1830 not commissioned until February 1832, and after her first two years' commission on the North America/West Indies station, she was refitted between February and May 1834. The years 1835–1838 were spent on the South American station, and thereafter she was at Portsmouth for several years before being fitted out as a flagship in 1845 and sent to the Cape of Good Hope for the next two year commission. Returning from South Africa in 1847 to Chatham, she was refitted there in 1853 and sent to the Pacific, where she served as flagship until 1857, after which she was laid up in reserve as Chatham for another 3 years before being converted to a training ship, and spent the rest of her life in the London Docks before she was finally sold for breaking up on 7 July 1903.

References

* David Lyon, "The Sailing Navy List", Conway Maritime Press, London 1993. ISBN 0-85177-617-5.

* David Lyon and Rif Winfield, "The Sail and Steam Navy List", Chatham Publishing, London 2004. ISBN 1-86176-032-9.