The Unicorn class were a class of two 24-gun sixth-rate frigates of the Royal Navy. They served during the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War.
They were built to the draught of a French privateer named Le Tygre, which had been captured earlier in 1747. They were initially rated as 24-gun ships, in spite of having four 3-pdr guns mounted on the quarterdeck, as well as the twenty-four 9-pdr guns forming their primary battery on the upper deck. However, in 1756 they were re-classed as 28-gun ships. They are normally seen as the first true sailing frigates to be built for the Royal Navy.
Ships in class HMS Lyme Ordered: 29 April 1747 Builder: Deptford Royal Dockyard Laid Down: 24 September 1747 Launched: 10 December 1748 Completed: 8 February 1749 Fate: Wrecked off the Baltic coast of Sweden on 18 October 1760. HMS Unicorn Ordered: 29 April 1747 Builder: Plymouth Royal Dockyard Laid down: 3 July 1747 Launched: 7 December 1748 Completed: 17 July 1749 Fate: Broken up at Sheerness Dockyard in December 1771
References David Lyon, "The Sailing Navy List", Brasseys Publications, London 1993. Rif Winfield, "British Warships in the Age of Sail, 1714 to 1792", Seaforth Publishing, London 2007.