Caledonia-class ship of the line facts for kids

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The Caledonia-class ships of the line were huge, powerful sailing warships. They were built for the Royal Navy (the British navy) a long time ago. These ships were designed by Sir William Rule. They were called "first-rate" ships because they were the biggest and strongest warships of their time. Each one carried 120 guns! Nine ships were built in this class. A tenth ship was planned, but it was built differently and became the Queen.

Contents

• Ship Weapons: Armament Changes

• Original Guns
• Later Upgrades

Class overview
Name:	Caledonia
Operators:	Royal Navy
Succeeded by:	Nelson class
In service:	25 June 1808 – 1918
Planned:	10
Completed:	9
General characteristics
Type	Ship of the line
Length	205 ft (62 m) (gundeck) 170 ft 11 in (52.10 m) (keel) Broadened: 205 ft 5+1⁄2 in (62.624 m) (gundeck) 170 ft 6 in (51.97 m) (keel)
Beam	53 ft 6 in (16.31 m) 54 ft 6 in (16.61 m) (broadened)
Depth of hold	23 ft 2 in (7.06 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Armament	120 guns (original): Gundeck: 32 × 32-pounders Middle gundeck: 34 × 24-pounders Upper gundeck: 34 × 18-pounders Quarterdeck: 6 × 12-pounders, 10 × 32-pounder carronades Forecastle: 2 × 12-pounders, 2 × 32-pounder carronades Poop deck: 2 × 18-pounder carronades In 1847: Lower deck: 4 x 8" 65 cwt 9', 28 x 32 pdr 56 cwt Middle deck: 2 x 8" 65 cwt 9', 32 x 32 pdr 50 cwt Main deck: 34 x 32 pdr 42 cwt QD FC: 6 x 32 pdr 45 cwt, 14 x 32 pdr 17 cwt
Notes	Ships in class include: Caledonia, Britannia, Prince Regent, Royal George, Neptune, Royal William, Waterloo, St George, Trafalgar

• Ship Design: Size and Changes

• Broadened Ships

• Ships of the Caledonia Class

• Standard Group Ships
• Broadened Group Ships

Ship Weapons: Armament Changes

The weapons on the Caledonia-class ships changed over time.

Original Guns

The first three ships in the class had similar weapons. They had 32-pounder guns on the lowest deck. The middle deck had 24-pounders, and the upper deck had 18-pounders. Smaller 12-pounder guns and 32-pounder carronades (a type of short cannon) were on the quarterdeck and forecastle. The poop deck had two 18-pounder carronades.

Later Upgrades

Starting with the fourth ship, the weapons were updated. Many guns were replaced with more powerful 32-pounders. This made the firepower more consistent across the ship. Some 24-pounders were swapped for 8-inch shell guns. Also, some 12-pounders were replaced with 32-pounder carronades. By 1847, most of the guns were standardized to the 32-pounder size.

Ship Design: Size and Changes

The last five ships of the Caledonia class were built a little wider than the first ones. This made them slightly different.

Broadened Ships

These wider ships had similar weapons to the later standard Caledonia ships. Interestingly, all the ships in this class, except for the very first one (HMS Caledonia), were later changed. In the 1850s, they were converted into steam-powered battleships. This meant they had engines and propellers, not just sails!

Ships of the Caledonia Class

Here are the names of the ships in the Caledonia class and some facts about them.

Standard Group Ships

These were the first ships built to the original design.

• HMS Caledonia

• Builder: Plymouth Dockyard
• Ordered: January 19, 1797
• Laid down: January 1, 1805
• Launched: June 25, 1808
• Fate: Taken apart in 1875

• HMS Britannia

• Builder: Plymouth Dockyard
• Ordered: June 11, 1812
• Laid down: December 1813
• Launched: October 20, 1820
• Fate: Taken apart in 1869

• HMS Prince Regent

• Builder: Chatham Dockyard
• Ordered: January 6, 1812
• Laid down: July 17, 1815
• Launched: April 12, 1823
• Fate: Taken apart in 1873

• HMS Royal George

• Builder: Chatham Dockyard
• Ordered: June 2, 1819
• Laid down: June 1823
• Launched: September 22, 1827
• Fate: Sold out of service in 1875

Broadened Group Ships

These ships were built a bit wider than the first ones.

• HMS Neptune

• Builder: Portsmouth Dockyard
• Ordered: February 12, 1823
• Laid down: January 1827
• Launched: September 22, 1832
• Fate: Sold out of service in 1875

• HMS Royal William

• Builder: Pembroke Dockyard
• Ordered: December 30, 1823
• Laid down: October 1825
• Launched: April 2, 1833
• Fate: Burned in 1899

• HMS Waterloo

• Builder: Chatham Dockyard
• Ordered: September 9, 1823
• Laid down: March 1827
• Launched: June 10, 1833
• Fate: Burned in 1918

• HMS St George

• Builder: Plymouth Dockyard
• Ordered: June 2, 1819
• Laid down: May 1827
• Launched: August 27, 1840
• Fate: Sold out of service in 1883

• HMS Trafalgar

• Builder: Woolwich Dockyard
• Ordered: February 22, 1825
• Laid down: November 1829
• Launched: June 21, 1841
• Fate: Sold out of service in 1906