Tag Archives: HMS Victory History

HMS Victory in the 20th Century

by johnk on 26. Apr, 2010 in Model Ship History

In 1906, after HMS Victory was retired from active duty in the 19th century and downgraded to a depot ship, she was moved to her permanent place at the Chatham Royal Naval Barracks. Due to several years of inactivity, HMS Victory began to deteriorate around her anchoring and moorings. It was not long before the once great HMS Victory was in terrible condition. Refusing to let a historic, heroic, ship of legends go with the wind, a 1921 campaign to again revitalize her was started with the Save the Victory Fund. This fund was under the control of the Society for Nautical Research, whose aims were: to support and encourage research in maritime history and underwater archaeology; publish the pre-eminent academic journal for maritime history – The Mariner’s Mirror; sponsor events and conferences; purchase art and artifacts for the National Maritime Museum, which the Society helped to found; fund special projects, such as the preservation of HMS Victory, one of the original aims of the society at its foundation. HMS Victory would once more undergo a project to refurnish and revitalize its legendary structure.

Restoring HMS Victory

Due to the Society of Nautical Research’s campaign to restore and preserve HMS Victory, the British Government agreed to help with the project. The government did so in order to commemorate Nelson, the Battle of Trafalgar, and the Royal Navy’s supremacy before, throughout, and after the Napoleonic period. Then, finally, on January 12, 1922, HMS Victory was moved to Portsmouth’s No. 2 dock, the oldest in the world, to be restored. HMS Victory’s restoration was completed in 1928, and King George V unveiled a tablet to celebrate the momentous occasion. However, even after the official commemoration date, restoration and maintenance continued by orders of the Society for Nautical Research. In spite of this, the HMS Victory suffered from further damages when a bomb was dropped into HMS Victory’s dry dock by the Luftwaffe (a German air force). Despite German propaganda radio’s claims of the destruction of HMS Victory, the ship only sustained damage to its hull, and the Admiralty issued a denial of the German’s claims. It would seem that HMS Victory would live to fight another day. The future of HMS Victory is that of a museum ship, far from her role as a commissioned ship of the line, but its beauty still remains intact, and attracts many visitors to soak in its historic bearings.

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HMS Victory in the 19th Century

by johnk on 23. Apr, 2010 in Model Ship History

After Horatio Nelson’s death during the Battle of Trafalgar, the HMS Victory took Nelson’s body to England where he would lay at Greenwich before being buried in St. Paul’s Cathedral on January 6, 1806. The Battle of Trafalgar was Britain’s, and HMS Victory’s, greatest naval victory. The late Admiral Horatio Nelson was seen as a leader who was able to bring out the best in his men, although often times his methods, brutality, and personal life would shroud his heroic image in controversy. His actions during the Neapolitan campaign brought accusations of unnecessary force, and he was known to be involved with married women up until his fatal shooting at Trafalgar. Even so, Horatio Nelson remains a hero of the British for his courageous victories and patriotism. His image is immortalized in Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square, and he continues to be an influential figure to this day.

After the Battle of Trafalgar, HMS Victory was passed from Admiral to Admiral, and sailed on many expeditions such as two Baltic campaigns under Admiral Sir James Saumarez. Commanding Officers in the 19th century included: Samuel Sutton, Thomas M. Hardy, John Searle, and Philip Dumaresq. Never finding a stable command under a permanent Admiral, the HMS Victory’s active career was halted on November 7, 1812, when she anchored in Portsmouth Harbour and was used as a depot ship. Rumor has it that when Thomas Hardy (a British naval officer who served as Flag Captain to Admiral Nelson, and commanded the HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar) was First Sea Lord (professional head of the Royal Navy and whole Naval Service) he told his wife that he had ordered the HMS Victory to be dismantled. His wife reportedly was distraught at the thought of the HMS Victory being no more, and demanded that Hardy rescind his order. No one is sure of the truthfulness of this story, however, as the duty log orders of that day is no where to be found.

The HMS Victory was turned into a Naval School of Telegraphy (long-distance transmission of written messages) in 1889. The HMS Victory eventually became a full fledged Signal School, and instead of the barracks, she received the signal ratings from other ships during a two month training course. In 1904, the school transferred temporarily to the HMS Hercules.

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HMS Victory Under Admiral Nelson

by johnk on 21. Apr, 2010 in Model Ship History

May 16, 1803 – Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, who was an English flag officer that gained fame during his service in the Royal Navy, raised his flag on the HMS Victory, and sailed with his flag captain Samuel Sutton to take control in the Mediterranean by May 20. Three days later Nelson assumed control of Amphion, a 32-gun fifth rate ship launched March 19, 1798.

Five more days later, Captain Sutton managed to take the 32-gun French ship, Embuscade, which was in route to Rochefort from San Domingo. After which the HMS Victory reunited with Nelson, where Captain Sutton then joined Nelson as captain of Amphion, changing places with Thomas Masterman Hardy.

On April 4, 1805, as the HMS Victory passed the island of Toro, the HMS Phoebe brought to the HMS Victory’s attention the presence of a French fleet commanded by Pierre-Charles Villenueve that had just escaped from Toulo (a city and large military harbor in Southern France). Nelson made route to Sicily to discover the French fleets intended destination. Nelson believed they were headed to Egypt, when in fact Villeneuve was entering Cádiz where a Spanish fleet awaited him. Nelson finally received wind of this on May 7 when he reached Gibraltar. By May 12, the British fleet had finished preparing their stores in Lagos Bay, Portugal, and with ten ships and three frigates, began to pursue the Franco-Spanish fleet of 17. Arriving in the West Indies they learned the enemy was in route to Boulogne to meet with Napoleon Bonaparte and his invasion forces.

The French and Spanish forces fought an indecisive battle on July 22 dubbed the Battle of Cape Finisterre, against Admiral Sir Robert Calder’s fleet. After, the French and Spanish hid out in Vigo and Ferrol where they could tend to their wounded personnel and damaged ships. On August 14 and 15 respectively, Calder and Nelson joined Admiral Cornwallis’s Channel Fleet off Ushant. Nelson made way to England in the HMS Victory while leaving his Mediterranean fleet under the watch of Cornwallis, who had ordered twenty of his thirty-three ships of the line to Calder to locate the Franco-Spanish fleet in refuge. When learning of the enemy’s change of location to Cádiz, Lord Nelson stealthily met with Lord Collingwood’s fleet at Cádiz to avoid detection.

The Battle of Trafalgar began on the morning of October 19, when Admiral Villeneuve sailed his ships toward the Mediterranean, but then changed direction north toward the British fleet. Nelson was already prepared for this battle, and planned to disable the enemy line two or three ships in front of their Commander in Chief, to keep their van from aiding them in time. This would ensure a quick victory for Nelson. However, the battle took place during strong winds that slowed the combat to a crawl. For some five hours after Nelson’s last order, the two columns of British ships slowly approached the French, when finally the British Royal Sovereign was able to open fire on the Fougueux. The HMS Victory then broke the line between Bucentaure and Redoutable twenty-five minutes later. The battle would prove tragic for Nelson, who was shot twenty-five minutes past one. The musket round went into his left shoulder and lodged into his spine. The courageous Admiral died half past four. In the end, the HMS Victory had lost fifty-seven persons, while one-hundred and two were wounded.

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HMS Victory – First Battle of Ushant

by johnk on 19. Apr, 2010 in Model Ship History

Admiral Keppel set out to sea from Spithead (an area of the Solent just off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England) on July 9th, 1778, with thirty other naval warships engaged in a tactic known as “line of battle”. Using this strategy, two columns of opposing warships would maneuver to position their greatest broadside weaponry against the enemy. The HMS Victory was among these ships of the line.

On July 23rd, Keppel spotted a French fleet of twenty-nine ships 100 miles west of Ushant. Louis Guillouet, comte d’Orvillers commanded the French fleet, and was under strict orders to avoid contact with the enemy. Despite attempts to do so, the French fleet was cut off from Brest (an important seaport and naval base located in north-western France), but still managed to attain an advantageous position against their attackers. Having such an advantage is also known as a “weather gage”, which refers to a ships position relative to another. Two of Louis Guillouet, come d’Orvillers’ ships managed to escape into port, bringing his fleets numbers down to twenty-seven.

The opposing fleets manoeuvred through cutting winds and pouring rain until a battle between the British and French took place, with the French fleet experiencing some sort of confusion. Despite their confusion the French cut through the British line with their state of the art vessels. The HMS Victory began firing on the Bretagne (a large 110 gun three decker First rate ship of the line), which was preceded by the Ville de Paris of 90 guns. Even with such heavy French fire power the British line took minor losses, though the rear division of Sir Hugh Palliser took considerable damage. Keppel ordered his hurt, but still standing fleet to pursue the French, but Palliser did not want to risk any more damage to his division, and the order did not follow through. The First Battle of Ushant therefore ended just as confused as it began. Consequently, Keppel was court-martialed and cleared of his charges, while Palliser faced heavy criticism which in turn became a long standing political argument.

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HMS Victory Reconstruction

by johnk on 16. Apr, 2010 in Model Ship History

In February 1798, the HMS Victory was retired to Chatham (an area within Midway, Kent, in South East England) under Lieutenant J. Rickman’s command. On December 8, the HMS Victory was deemed unfit for service as a warship, and was then converted into a hospital ship for wounded French and Spanish prisoners of war. Lieutenant J. Rickman’s command was short lived, however, as he was replaced by Lieutenant J. Busbridge in 1799. The HMS Victory would not be out of battle commission for long though, as the HMS Impregnable would soon help to bring about the reconstruction of the HMS Victory.

The HMS Impregnable was a 98-gun Second rate ship of the line, and served as Rear Admiral Cadwell’s flagship vessel at the Glorious First of June. On October 18, 1799, the HMS Impregnable was lost off Chichester when she was escorting a convoy of 12 from Lisbon. The anxiousness of her Captain to reach their destination forced the ship to sail more than a mile over the shoals. This overshooting of their destination caused the ship to be bilged beyond recovery. After the accident, the HMS Impregnable was stripped of all salvageable armaments and dismantled. In spite of this, the loss of this ship opened a need for a new first rate ship, and thus the Admiralty decided to reconstruct HMS Victory.

The reconstruction process started in 1800, and it proved to be more difficult to reconstruct than previously thought. A number of defects and faults were found that sky rocketed the repairs and costs, making the process an extremely extensive and expensive one. Originally, the estimate to fix HMS Victory was £23,500, but the final cost turned out to be £70,933. It was not without good reason though, as new gun ports were added, bringing the total from 100 to 104 guns. Furthermore, the magazines (where ammo is stored) were now lined with copper. Also, HMS Victory’s figurehead (carved wooden decoration often at the prow of the ship) was replaced, as were her masts and color scheme, which was changed to black and yellow. The gun ports of the Victory were later painted black, creating a pattern that became known as “Nelson chequer” (color scheme consisting of yellow and black bands). This color scheme was from then forth the standard color scheme used by all of the Royal Navy’s ships after the Battle of Trafalgar. HMS Victory reconstruction was completed on April 11, 1803. By May 14 the same year, she was back on the ocean under the helm of her new Captain, Samuel Sutton. Sutton briefly commanded the HMS Victory before he relinquished command to Thomas Hardy, commander of HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar.

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HMS Victory – Battle of Cape St. Vincent

by johnk on 14. Apr, 2010 in Model Ship History

By 1796, HMS Victory was at the control of Captain Robert Calder and Captain George Grey (First and Second Captain respectively), under the flag of Admiral Sir John Jervis’s flag. Captain Robert Calder was a veteran of the Seven Years’ War, and the American Revolutionary War by the time he became First Captain of HMS Victory. Admiral Sir John Jervis took part in the conquest of Quebec, commanded the HMS Alarm, and served as a Captain throughout the American Revolutionary War. On January 18, 1797, Sir John Jervis sailed from Tagus (the longest river of the Iberian peninsula) after receiving reinforcement from five ships of England on February 6, bringing his fleet up to fifteen ships of the line and six frigates.

The Spanish fleet of 27 ships of the line was to join a French fleet at Brest. Instead, they intended to sail from Cartagena to Cádiz to escort 57 merchant convoy. On February 1, the Spanish fleet left Cartagena and faced a fierce easterly wind that pushed the fleet out further into the Atlantic. Once the Levanter died down, the Spanish fleet began making its way again to Cádiz.

Horotio Nelson, commander of the British frigate Minerve, passed right through the Spanish fleet undetected thanks to a heavy blanket of fog. Nelson rendezvoused with the British fleet just outside of Spain on February 13, and gave the location of the Spanish fleet to Sir John Jervis. However, the thick fog prevented Nelson from being able to properly count how many ships the Spanish had. By February 14, a Portuguese frigate dubbed Carlotta and commanded by a Scotsman named Campbell discovered, and reported, about the Spanish fleet that was close by. With the intelligence attained by both Nelson and Campbell , Sir John Jervis maneuvered his fleet to intercept the Spanish fleet. The Battle of Cape St Vincent would soon be underway.

On a foggy dawn morning, Captain Thomas Troubridge of the Culloden warned of 5 enemy sail ships to the south east. Still unaware of the number of opponents they were up against, Jervis and his crew still trudged on. As they got closer the count of the enemy ships begun.
“There are eight sail of the line, Sir John”
Very Well, sir”
“There are twenty sail of the line, Sir John”
“Very well, sir”
“There are twenty-seven sail of the line, Sir John”
“Enough, sir, no more of that; the die is cast, and if there are fifty sail I will go through them.”
Principe de Asturias led the Spanish leeward division in an attempt to cut across the British line or just behind the HMS Victory. However, HMS Victory proved to be too much of a match for the Spanish division, as her incredible firepower tore apart the whole Spanish division. This victory was a tremendous one for the British morale, as 15 ships defeated 27 ships. However, the British fleet was manned by more experienced sailors and Captains, while the Spanish fleet was manned with inexperienced and confused seamen.

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HMS Victory – The Second Battle of Ushant

by johnk on 12. Apr, 2010 in Model Ship History

In March 1780 the HMS Victory’s hull was reinforced and sheathed by 3,923 sheets of copper underneath of the HMS Victory’s waterline in order to protect against “shipworm”. Shipworm is actually not a worm, but a type of unusual worm-like clam from the Teredo navalis genus. Protection from these “sea termites” was a necessity, as the Teredo Worm is capable of boring into wood structures underneath the water, and eventually destroying them.

On December 2nd, 1781, the ship fell under the command of Captain Henry Cromwell, and bore the flag of Rear Admiral Richard Kempenfelt. Kempenfelt was an established soldier who took part in the capture of Portobelo during the War of Jenkins’ Ear. HMS Victory sailed among eleven other ships of the line, including a 50-gun fourth-rate, and five frigates. These vessels were used to intercept a French convoy sailing from Brest since the tenth of December. However, Cromwell and Kempenfelt were unaware that the French convoy they were to intercept was protected by twenty-one ships of the line commanded by Luc Urbain de Bouexic, comte de Guichen. Kempenfelt ordered a chase against the protected convoy when they were sighted on December 12th, and unknowingly began the Second Battle of Ushant..

Even though Kempenfelt knew that the strengthened protective force surrounding the convoy would overpower his fleet, he used the North Atlantic’s strong gale to his advantage, as it made many of the French fleet return to port. Kempenfelt’s fleet then swept down to capture 15 ships before the French ships could even intervene.

The Second Battle of Ushant was an easy victory for Cromwell, Kempenfelt, and the HMS Victory. Unlike the first battle, there was no confusion or even direct line to line contact. The North Atlantic storms proved to be a risk that the French could not handle, and the winds secured much of the British fleets’ job of attacking the French for them. After the battle, the Opposition in Parliament questioned why such a small force was sent to do battle against the larger French convoy, and ordered an official inquiry into the administration of the Royal Navy. This was the start of the fall of the government of Lord North, which would in turn lead to the Peace of Paris era which ended the American Revolutionary War.

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HMS Victory Construction

by johnk on 09. Apr, 2010 in Model Ship History

The commissioner of Chatham Dockyard began construction on a new first rate ship in December 1758, of which only ten in the 18th century were made. This marked a departure from the Royal Navy’s smaller ships, and the first time two ships were commissioned at the same time.

The as of yet unnamed HMS Victory was based on the plans of the HMS Royal George, a ship three years HMS Victory’s senior at the time. Sir Thomas Slade (Surveyor of the Navy), became the official naval architect on the HMS Victory’s design. Slade conceptualized the HMS Victory to house 100 guns at the very least. The final result yielded a few more guns in total, from 104-106. However, in January 1808, she was reduced to a 98-gun Second rate ship, but then reinstated as a 104-gun First rate 9 years later.

Construction was officially underway on July 23, 1759 in the Old Single Dock, and a name was chosen in October the following year. The ship’s name stems from the Annus Mirabilis, which translates to “Year of Victories”, of 1759. As the name suggests, 1759 was a great year of the Seven Years’ War that saw land and naval battles won in Quebec, Minden, Lagos, and Quiberon Bay. However the name “Victory” was a controversial choice, as the previous HMS Victory was lost at sea in 1744. When the Seven Years’ War ended, the HMS Victory was able to ease in its production. After three years of being covered to “season”, work resumed during the fall of 1763 and was completed on May 7, 1765. HMS Victory used about 6000 trees, such as oak, elm, pine, fir, and Lignum Vitae. The overall cost would come in at £63,176 and 3 shillings, which translates into £7.06 million today. Still having no need for the ship after its construction, the HMS Victory was placed in reserve, with general maintenance, in the River Medway for thirteen years. This incubation of HMS Victory helped testify to the longevity that it would endure when it was finally put into action to join the American War of Independence.

The HMS Victory displayed its threatening demeanor with thirty 12-pounders on the upper deck, twenty-eight 24-pounders on the middle deck, thirty 42-pounders on the lower deck, and twelve 6 pounders on the quarterdeck and forecastle. In spite of this impressive array of weaponry, many of the arms were downgraded in May 1778. For instance, the 42-pounders became 32-pounders. By April 1779, the 42-pounders were again put into place, but subsequently replaced permanently by the 32-pounders in 1803. The 6-pounders were also replaced, but by 12-pounders, in 1782. Two carronade guns capable of firing a 68-pound round shot were implemented in the future. All the armaments of the HMS Victory were made of smooth bore and cast iron.

John Lindsay became the HMS Victory’s first, albeit short lived, captain in March of 1778, but was tasked to helm the HMS Prince George only two months later. Now helmed by Rear Admiral John Campbell (1st Captain) and Captain Jonathan Faulknor (2nd Captain), the HMS Victory was commissioned in May 1778 under the flag of Admiral Keppel.

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HMS Victory Overview / Introduction

by johnk on 08. Apr, 2010 in Model Ship History

HMS Victory Construction

The HMS Victory underwent construction in 1758, signalling a change from the Royal Navy’s previously smaller scale ships. The HMS Victory was designed to carry around 100 guns, and construction began in 1759. Named after “The Year of Victories”, the HMS Victory was commissioned in 1778 under Admiral Keppel’s flag.

HMS Victory Battles – First Battle of Ushant

The HMS Victory’s first major battle occurred at the Battle of Ushant on July 23, 1778 against an opposing French fleet. The French fleet did not intend to do battle, but the British force, including HMS Victory, cut them off from Brest and the begun. It was a confusing fight that ended with Admiral Keppel being court-martialed and Palliser being the brunt of unrelenting criticism.

HMS Victory Battles – Second Battle of Ushant

Now under the command of Captain Henry Cromwell, HMS Victory sailed with eleven other ships of the line in an attempt to intercept a French convoy. However, the convoy they were to intercept was protected by twenty-one ships of the line. Nevertheless, Admiral Kempenfelt still attacked, and used the North Atlantic’s strong winds to his advantage. The winds sent many of the French’s ships away, while Kempenfelt swooped in to capture the confused and fleeing ships.

HMS Victory Battles – Battle of Cape St. Vincent

In 1796, the HMS Victory was commanded by Captain Robert Calder and Captain George Grey, under the flag of Admiral Sir John Jervis. Horatio Nelson managed to pass undetected through thick fog to discover an enemy fleet. He passed the news on to the commanders of HMS Victory, who then sailed to intercept the fleet of unknown numbers. When the battle begun, John Jervis stood tall with his force of fifteen in the face of twenty-seven ships of the line. The British proved victorious, and the win was a huge boost to British morale.

HMS Victory Reconstruction

In February 1798 the HMS Victory was retired to Chatham and deemed unfit for warship service. However, once the HMS Impregnable was taken out of commission, the need for a new first rate warship opened up, and all eyes turned once again to the HMS Victory. Reconstruction started in 1800 and was completed three years late on April 11, 1803. A month later, HMS Victory was once again sailing, this time with Captain Samuel Sutton at the helm.

HMS Victory Under Admiral Nelson

Vice-Admiral Nelson hoisted his flag over the HMS Victory on May 16, 1803. Sutton commanded the HMS Victory during the Battle of Trafalgar, in which Nelson would lose his life to a sharpshooter. Despite this, Captain Sutton and the HMS Victory still managed to secure a huge victory over the French.

HMS Victory in the 19th Century

In the 19th century, the HMS Victory was passed from admiral to admiral, never finding a permanent home, until it was retired on November 7, 1812 to be used as a depot ship. In 1889, HMS Victory was turned into a Signal School, which it would remain to be until the 20th century.

HMS Victory in the 20th Century

After several years of inactivity, the HMS Victory began to deteriorate. In 1921, a Save the Victory fund was started to revitalize the HMS Victory. The British Government eventually got involved in the restoration process in order to honor Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar. The restoration was completed in 1928, and the occasion was commemorated by King George V.

Future Plans for the HMS Victory

Today the HMS Victory is the oldest commissioned warship left in existence. She is used as a museum ship, and brings in over a quarter million visitors per year. The future planned works on the HMS Victory will take place between April 2010 and April 2019, and is paid for by the UK Defense budget.

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