Īn aerial shot of Portsmouth Historic Dockyard with HMS Victory in the centre during Trafalgar 200 celebrations.īecause there was no immediate use for her, she was placed in ordinary and moored in the River Medway. This had potential to limit Victory 's firepower, though in practice none of her subsequent actions would be fought in rough seas. Instead it was noted in Victory 's sailing instructions that these gunports would have to remain closed and unusable in rough weather. The second problem, regarding the siting of the lower gunports, could not be rectified. The first of these problems was rectified after launch by increasing the ship's ballast to settle her upright on the keel. However, the launch itself revealed significant problems in the ship's design, including a distinct list to starboard and a tendency to sit heavily in the water such that her lower deck gunports were only 4 ft 6 in (1.4 m) above the waterline. Larkin asked for the assistance of every available shipwright, and they hewed away enough wood from the gates with their adzes for the ship to pass safely through. He told the news to his superior, master shipwright John Allin, who considered abandoning the launch. Measurements at first light confirmed his fears: the gates were at least 9½ inches too narrow. On the day of the launch, shipwright Hartly Larkin, designated "foreman afloat" for the event, suddenly realised that the ship might not fit through the dock gates. Work restarted in autumn 1763 and she was floated on, having cost £63,176 and 3 shillings, the equivalent of £9.19 million today. The end of the Seven Years' War meant that Victory remained in this condition for nearly three years, which helped her subsequent longevity. Once the ship's frame had been built, it was normal to cover it up and leave it for several months to allow the wood to dry out or " season". The wood of the hull was held in place by six-foot copper bolts, supported by treenails for the smaller fittings. Around 6,000 trees were used in her construction, of which 90% were oak and the remainder elm, pine and fir, together with a small quantity of lignum vitae. Ī team of 150 workmen were assigned to construct Victory 's frame. There were some doubts whether this was a suitable name since the previous Victory had been lost with all hands in 1744. It was the Annus Mirabilis, or Wonderful Year, and the ship's name may have been chosen to commemorate the victories or it may have been chosen simply because out of the seven names shortlisted, Victory was the only one not in use. In 1759, the Seven Years' War was going well for Britain land victories had been won at Quebec and Minden and naval battles had been won at Lagos and Quiberon Bay. 2 Dock and now Victory Dock), and a name, Victory, was chosen in October 1760. The keel was laid on 23 July 1759 in the Old Single Dock (since renamed No. The Master Shipwright in charge of construction was Edward Allin, son of Sir Joseph Allin, former Surveyor of the Navy. The commissioner of Chatham Dockyard was instructed to prepare a dry dock for the construction. She was designed to carry at least 100 guns. The outline plans were based on HMS Royal George which had been launched at Woolwich Dockyard in 1756, and the naval architect chosen to design the ship was Sir Thomas Slade who, at the time, was the Surveyor of the Navy. During the 18th century, Victory was one of ten first-rate ships to be constructed. In December 1758, William Pitt the Elder, in his role as head of the British government, placed an order for the building of 12 ships, including a first-rate ship that would become Victory. She has been the flagship of the First Sea Lord since October 2012. In 1922, she was moved to a dry dock at Portsmouth, England, and preserved as a museum ship. After 1824, she was relegated to the role of harbour ship. She additionally served as Keppel's flagship at Ushant, Howe's flagship at Cape Spartel and Jervis's flagship at Cape St Vincent. Victory is best known for her role as Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805. With 245 years of service as of 2023, she is the world's oldest naval vessel still in commission. She was ordered in 1758, laid down in 1759, and launched in 1765. HMS Victory is a 104-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. Height from waterline to top of mainmast: 205 ft (62.5 m)
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