The History of Enterprise

18th Century Enterprises...

The first recorded Enterprise was a frigate L'Entreprise. She was captured by the Royal Navy in 1705 and became the first British ship to be known as Enterprise. On a side note, the French Navy held, between 1671 and 1846, at least 23 sailing vessels christened with the name Entreprenant, French for Enterprising.

The Royal Navy had eight ships during the 18th century named Enterprise (Enterprize).

HMS Enterprise was a 24-gun sixth-rate, previously the French frigate L'Entreprise, captured in May 1705. She was wrecked in October 1707.

HMS Enterprize was a 44-gun fifth-rate launched in 1709. She underwent a Great Repair in 1718-19, was hulked in 1740 and fitted as a hospital ship in 1745 before being sold in 1749.

HMS Enterprise was to have been a 44-gun fifth-rate. She was renamed HMS Liverpool five months before her launch in 1741.

HMS Enterprize was an 8 gun sloop captured from the Spanish in 1743. She was employed solely in the Mediterranean as a despatch vessel and tender, and was sold in 1748 at Minorca.

HMS Enterprise was a 48-gun fifth-rate launched in 1693 as HMS Norwich. She was renamed HMS Enterprise in 1744 as a 44-gun fifth-rate and was broken up in 1771.

HMS Enterprize was a 28-gun Enterprise class Sixth-rate frigate launched in August 1774, on harbour service from 1790 and broken up in 1807.

HMS Enterprize was a 10-gun tender captured by the Americans in 1775.

HMS Enterprize was a ship used for harbour service, launched in 1778 as HMS Resource. Resource was rebuilt as a 22-gun floating battery in 1804, renamed HMS Enterprize in 1806 and sold in 1816.

When the Colonies began their war against England they too adopted the name Enterprise for some of their first ships. Two separate ships were named Enterprise in the Continental Navy.

USS Enterprise (1775) armed sloop (18 May 1775 – 7 July 1777), the first American ship to bear the name served on Lake Champlain.

Enterprise (1776) schooner (20 December 1776 – February 1777), the second American ship to bear this name served on Chesapeake Bay during the Revolutionary War.

USS Enterprise(1799) was the the first "Official" US Navy ship to bear the name Enterprise. She was a small 12-gun schooner and later rigged as a 14 gun brig. She took part in the Quasi-War with France and fired the opening salvo in America’s battle with the Barbary Pirates. She served her country off and on until she ran aground in 1823.