HMS Falcon (1694)

History
England
Name	HMS Falcon
Ordered	28 March 1694
Builder	Nicholas Barret (of Wapping), Shoreham
Launched	28 September 1694
Commissioned	13 October 1694
Captured	10 June 1695
Fate	Taken by French, then retaken 1703 and broken
General characteristics
Type	20-gun Sixth Rate
Tons burthen	248+27⁄94 bm
Length	91 ft 6 in (27.9 m) gundeck 77 ft 6 in (23.6 m) keel for tonnage
Beam	24 ft 6.5 in (7.5 m) for tonnage
Depth of hold	10 ft 8 in (3.3 m)
Armament	initially as ordered 20 × sakers on wooden trucks (UD) 4 × 3-pdr on wooden trucks (QD) 1703 Establishment 20 × 6-pdrs on wooden trucks (UD) 4 × 4-pdr on wooden trucks (QD)

HMS Falcon was a member of the standardized 20-gun sixth rates built at the end of the 17th century. She had a very brief career in the Royal Navy as she was captured shortly after commissioning by two French ships. She was recaptured in 1703 then broken.^[1]

Falcon was the twelfth named vessel since it was used for a ballinger dating from 1343 and sold in 1352.^[2]

She was ordered in the Second Batch of eight ships to be built under contract by Nicholas Barret of Shoreham. She was launched on 28 September 1694.^[3]

She was commissioned on 13 October 1694 under the command of Captain Henry Middleton, RN.^[4]

HMS Falcon was taken on 10 June 1695 by the French 40-gun Le Sainte-Antoine and the 24-gun Le Tigre off Dodman Point. She was retaken by the British in 1703 and broken.^[5]

• Winfield, British Warships in the Age of Sail (1603 – 1714), by Rif Winfield, published by Seaforth Publishing, England © 2009, EPUB ISBN 9781783469246, Chapter 6, The Sixth Rates, Vessels acquired from 18 December 1688, Sixth Rates of 20 guns and up to 26 guns, Maidstone Group, Falcon
• Colledge, Ships of the Royal Navy, by J.J. Colledge, revised and updated by Lt Cdr Ben Warlow and Steve Bush, published by Seaforth Publishing, Barnsley, Great Britain, © 2020, e ISBN 978-1-5267-9328-7 (EPUB), Section F (Falcon)