Inflexible-class ship of the line

The Inflexible-class ships of the line were a class of four 64-gun third rates, designed for the Royal Navy by Sir Thomas Slade. The lines of this class were based heavily on Slade's earlier 74-gun Albion-class.

Class overview
Name	Inflexible
Operators	Royal Navy
Preceded by	Worcester class
Succeeded by	Crown class
In service	7 March 1780 – 1820
Completed	4
Lost	1
General characteristics
Type	Ship of the line
Length	159 ft (48 m) (gundeck) 130 ft 7+1⁄2 in (39.8 m) (keel)
Beam	44 ft 4 in (13.51 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Armament	64 guns: Gundeck: 26 × 24 pounders Upper gundeck: 26 × 18 pdrs Quarterdeck: 10 × 4 pdrs Forecastle: 2 × 9 pdrs
Notes	Ships in class include: Inflexible, Africa, Dictator, Sceptre

Danish gunboats attack the British ship of line HMS Africa in Drogden

Ships

• HMS Inflexible

Builder: Barnard, Harwich

Ordered: 26 February 1777

Launched: 7 March 1780

Fate: Broken up, 1820

• HMS Africa

Builder: Barnard, Deptford

Ordered: 11 February 1778

Launched: 11 April 1781

Fate: Broken up, 1814

• HMS Dictator

Builder: Batson, Limehouse

Ordered: 21 October 1778

Launched: 6 January 1783

Fate: Broken up, 1817

• HMS Sceptre

Builder: Randall, Rotherhithe

Ordered: 16 January 1779

Launched: 8 June 1781

Fate: Wrecked, 1799

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.