HMS Lark (1703)

History
Great Britain
Name	HMS Lark
Ordered	4 July 1702
Builder	Richard Wells, Rotherhithe, London
Launched	6 March 1703
Decommissioned	April 1716
Fate	BU 1723 at Sheerness to Rebuild at Woolwich[1]
General characteristics [1]
Class & type	42-gun Fifth rate two-decker frigate
Tons burthen	4925⁄94 bm tons
Length	115 ft 2 in (35.1 m) (on the gundeck), 95 ft (29.0 m) (keel)
Beam	31 ft 2.5 in (9.5 m)
Depth of hold	12 ft 10 in (3.9 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Armament	42 guns of various weights of shot: 18 x 9-pounder guns (lower deck) 20 x 6-pounder guns (upper deck) 4 x 6-pounder guns (quarterdeck)

HMS Lark was a 42-gun fourth rate frigate of the Royal Navy, built at Rotherhithe and launched on 6 March 1703.^[1] The name was often spelt Larke. As built, she measured 115 ft 2 in gundeck length, 95 ft keel length, 31 ft 21⁄2 in breadth and 12 ft 10 in depth in hold (giving a burthen tonnage of 4925⁄94 bm).^[1] She had two complete gun decks, and was armed with 18 x 9-pounder guns on the lower deck, 20 x 6-pounder guns on the upper deck, and 4 more 6-pounder guns on the quarterdeck.

She was one of seven 42-gun Fifth Rate ships built from 1702 to 1706 to specified dimensions of 115 ft gundeck length, 95 ft keel length, 31 ft 3in breadth and 13 ft depth in hold (giving a burthen tonnage of 49345⁄94 bm). The Hector was one of three of these for which contracts were signed on 4 July 1702 (the others were the Greyhound and Hector, the latter also built in the Greenland Dock in Rotherhithe, albeit by a different contractor); the remaining four ships (Garland, Folkestone, Roebuck and Sorlings) to this specification were all built in the Royal Dockyards.^[1]

The Lark was first commissioned in early 1703 under Captain Bennet Allen, but he was dismissed by a court martial on 5 August, having been replaced as commander of the Lark by Captain Jonas Hanway on 29 July. She was present at the Battle of Velez-Malaga on 13 August 1704, under the command of Captain Charles Fotherby. The ship was paid off into 'Ordinary' (reserve) in April 1716, and was taken to pieces at Sheerness Dockyard in 1723; her usable timbers were taken to Woolwich Dockyard for rebuilding.^[1]