HMS Victory: Nelson's Flagship & Oldest Ship of the Royal Navy
Smasher of Napoleon's invasion dream, veteran of three major wars, and scene of the death of the Royal Navy's greatest hero, HMS Victory is one of Britain's most famous warships. Curiously, and despite being on permanent display as a tourist attraction, Victory remains to this day a fully commissioned naval vessel. This is her story.
A First-Rate Warship
HMS Victory was constructed from 1759 at Chatham Dockyards in Kent to a design by Sir Thomas Slade. Built of solid oak and elm, the ship required the sacrifice of an incredible 2,500 mature trees. Completed in May 1765, the three-masted ship was over 227 ft (69 m) long and displaced 3,500 long tons. It was the largest ship yet built for the navy, and she was fast. In the right conditions, Victory could cut through the water with remarkable speed for her size thanks to 36 sails and an innovative hull design.
Victory was far from being a positive name for most of the sailors first assigned to her. This was because the last naval ship named Victory had sunk in 1744, with all hands drowned. This new Victory, actually the seventh British naval ship to carry that name, had a long wait to see active duty: 13 years, in fact. The first-rate warship carried a crew of over 800 and positively bristled with more than 100 guns set along three cramped decks. Victory was a major weapon for the British in the 1770s during the American Revolutionary War. The ship was then refitted and made the flagship of Vice-Admiral Lord Hood, who sailed her around the Mediterranean in the early 1790s during the French Revolutionary Wars.
Victory's fortunes then went into decline as her condition deteriorated. Serving as a hospital ship in 1797, Victory was slated to see out her days as a prison hulk, the ultimate fall from grace. The venerable old warship then received a last-minute reprieve. After the loss of HMS Impregnable in 1799, and with war looming against the old enemy, France, the Admiralty was obliged to bring Victory back into service.
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⇒ HMS Victory: Nelson's Flagship & Oldest Ship of the Royal Navy
