Dates: 1759 - 1812
HMS Victory is a first rate ship of the Royal Navy, built between 1759 and 1765. She is the oldest naval ship still in commission as she sits in dry dock in Portsmouth as a museum.
The plans for her comission arrived in June 1759 and were based on HMS Royal George which had been launched at Woolwich in 1756. The Architect to design the ship was Sir Thomas Slade who, at the time was the appointed Surveyor of the Navy. She was designed to carry at least 100 guns, but in practice her armament varied from 104 to 106 guns and carronades.
The keel was laid on 23 July 1759 and the name was finally chosen in October 1760. It was to commemorate the Annus Mirabilis or Year of Victories, of 1759. In that year of the Seven Years’ War, land victories had been won at Quebec, Minden and naval battles had been won at Lagos and Quiberon Bay. There were some doubts whether this was a suitable name since the previous first-rate Victory had been lost with all on board in 1744.
Once the frame had been constructed it was normal to cover the ship up and leave it for several months to season. However, the end of the Seven Years’ War meant that she remained in this condition for nearly three years, which helped her subsequent longevity. Work restarted in autumn 1763 and she was finally launched on 7 May 1765 having cost ?63,176 and 3 shillings (present day ?50 million) and used around 6000 trees, 90% of which were oak and the remainder elm, pine and fir.
Because there was no immediate use for her she was placed in ordinary—in reserve having been roofed over, demasted and placed under general maintenance—moored in the River Medway for 13 years until France joined the American War of Independence.
In March 1778 John Lindsay was appointed her first captain, but he was transferred to captain HMS Prince George in May 1778 when Admiral the Honorable Augustus Keppel decided to raise his flag in Victory. She was commissioned in May 1778 under the command of Rear Admiral John Campbell (1st Captain) and Captain Jonathan Faulknor (2nd Captain), with the flag of Admiral Keppel. She was armed with smooth bore, cast iron cannon 30 ? 32 and 42 pounders (15 and 19 kg), 30 ? 24 pounders (11 kg), and 40 ? 12 pounders (5 kg). Later she also carried two carronade guns, firing 68 lb (31 kg) round shot.
In service
First Battle of Ushant
Keppel put to sea from Spithead on July 9, 1778, with a force of thirty ships of the line and, on July 23, sighted a French fleet of twenty-nine ships 100 miles (160 km) west of Ushant. The French Admiral, Louis Guillouet, comte d’Orvilliers, who had orders to avoid battle, was cut off from Brest but retained the weather gage. Two of his ships escaped into port leaving him with twenty-seven. The two fleets manoeuvred during shifting winds and a heavy rain squall until a battle became inevitable with the British more or less in column and the French in some confusion. However, the French managed to pass along the British line with their most advanced ships. At about a quarter to twelve Victory opened fire on the Bretagne of 110 guns, which was being followed by the Ville de Paris of 90 guns. The British van escaped with little loss but Sir Hugh Palliser’s rear division suffered considerably. Keppel made the signal to follow the French but Palliser did not conform and the action was not resumed. Keppel was court martialled and cleared and Palliser criticised by an inquiry before the affair turned into a party political squabble.
In March 1780 the hull below the waterline was sheathed with 3,923 sheets of copper to protect it against shipworm.
Second Battle of Ushant
On December 2, 1781, Victory, now commanded by Captain Henry Cromwell and bearing the flag of Rear Admiral Richard Kempenfelt, sailed with eleven other ships of the line, a 50-gun fourth-rate, and five frigates, to intercept a French convoy that sailed from Brest on December 10. Ignorant of the fact that the convoy was protected by twenty-one ships of th
Forces Reunited Forum Posts involving HMS Victory
" I AM TRYING TO CONTACT ANYONE WHO TRAINNED ON THE HMS GLENDOWER OR WAS ON THE HMS SUFFOLK,HMS VICTORY or the NANCY MOLER BETWEEN 1941-1946 AND KNEW WILLIAM(SPANNER) SPENCE FROM TEESIDE HE WAS BASED AT PORTSMOUTH WE WOULD BE VERY HAPPY TO HEAR FROM ANYONE WHO SERVED OR KNEW MY FATHER.(HE IS STILL ALIVE) Last edited by William Spence"
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" Quoting: Ray McWilliams The vessel in foreground is HMS Warrior [Spin2 04-06 012.jpg] Nice pics Ray.Did you miss this one? HMS Victory Regards Ian [HMS Victory.jpg]"
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" Quoting: ian codling Nice pics Ray.Did you miss this one? HMS Victory Regards Ian [HMS Victory.jpg] Nice one Peter! Google Earth is a brilliant programme. Bob ...some residential building that. Read the write-up on the url you gave. Ray. "
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" G’day Gordon. Well thank you mate, that sounded like a clip out of "Hansards", but I really enjoyed reading the true story about N/S. and I hope that all interested will remember the guys who did their bit. As you mentioned some of us were asked to take a commision. I was asked ..."
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" G’day "guys", and "Sheila". At last I have found the new thread, I think that "Arthur" must have put a block on the news coming down as far as "Brisbane", whil’st I’m at it "Arthur" I hope that you are supporting the "Broncos", on sunday avo’, !!!!. Up ..."
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