FRIEDRICH WILHELM ZU PFERDE 1684

[aukepalmhof]

Built as a frigate by the master shipbuilder Gilles Cornelius Peckelhering on the new constructed yard at Pillau.
1680 Laid down.
25 April 1681 launched as FRIEDRICH WILHELM ZU PFERDE.
Displacement 900 tons, dim. 35.39 x 9.06m.
Armament 50 – 60 guns, 22 – 18pdrs, 20 – 9 pdrs. 30 – 3 pdrs. and 4 – 1.5 pdrs. guns.
Crew 250 and 50 soldiers.
Completed and fitted out at Köningsberg
October 1684 commissioned after she together with other ships was bought by the
Kurfurst (Elector) of Brandenburg. Bought for 70,000 Gulden.

1685 Homeport changed from Pillau to Emden.
September 1691 under command of Capt. Jean Le Saga as escort of the Afrikanische Handelskompanie ships DERFFLINGER and HOFFNUNG to the Shetland Islands, to avoid the Dunkirk pirates in the English Channel
25 June 1692 sailed from Emden as escort for a fleet of merchant ships around Scotland to Arguin and Guinea in West Africa. During the voyage two French ships were captured.
Spring 1693 at Guinea, and from there to embark 700 slaves.
23 May 1693 she left Isle do Sao Thome, arriving July 1693 at St Thomas, Virgin Islands.
29 August she left from there with a cargo of cacao beans bound for Cadiz, Spain, to sell the cacao for Spanish wine.
When in the vicinity of the Strait of Gibraltar some French ships were sighted, during the night of 30/31 October the FRIEDRICH WILHELM ZU PFERDE was attacked by the L’ENTENDU, L’ECUEIL, L’CAPABLE and DILIGENTE.
31 October 1693 the ship was entered and captured, where after it was set on fire.
The crew was captured and divided over the French ships as prisoners, and landed at Brest.

Sharjah 1969 5dh and 90dh. Sg?, scott459 and 478.

Source: Navicula and various web-sites.