HMS Indus (1812) facts for kids

HMS Indus was a very large sailing warship, known as a 74-gun third rate ship of the line, built for the Royal Navy in the early 1800s. She was launched on 19 December 1812 from a place called Deptford Wharf.

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Contents

• Meet HMS Indus

• Building a Giant
• A Powerful Warship
• The Life of the Indus

History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Indus
Ordered	31 July 1807
Builder	Dudman, Deptford Wharf
Laid down	April 1809
Launched	19 December 1812
Fate	Broken up, 1868
General characteristics
Class and type	Vengeur-class ship of the line
Tons burthen	1756 bm
Length	176 ft (54 m) (gundeck)
Beam	47 ft 6 in (14.48 m)
Depth of hold	21 ft (6.4 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Armament	74 guns: Gundeck: 28 × 32 pdrs Upper gundeck: 28 × 18 pdrs Quarterdeck: 4 × 12 pdrs, 10 × 32 pdr carronades Forecastle: 2 × 12 pdrs, 2 × 32 pdr carronades Poop deck: 6 × 18 pdr carronades

Meet HMS Indus

HMS Indus was a powerful warship from a time when ships were made of wood and powered by sails. She was part of the Royal Navy, which is the navy of the United Kingdom.

A "ship of the line" was a type of warship that was strong enough to stand in the main battle line during a naval fight. They were the biggest and most important ships of their time.

Building a Giant

The order to build HMS Indus was given on 31 July 1807. It took a few years to construct such a large vessel. Her construction began in April 1809.

She was finally launched on 19 December 1812. This means she was officially put into the water for the first time. The ship was built by a company called Dudman at Deptford Wharf.

A Powerful Warship

HMS Indus was known as a "74-gun" ship. This means she carried 74 cannons! These cannons were placed on different decks of the ship:

• The main deck, called the gundeck, had 28 large 32-pounder cannons.
• The deck above, the upper gundeck, had 28 slightly smaller 18-pounder cannons.
• Other decks, like the quarterdeck and forecastle, had a mix of 12-pounder cannons and powerful short-range guns called carronades.

The ship was very long, about 176 feet (53.6 meters) on its main gundeck. It was also quite wide, measuring about 47 feet (14.5 meters) across. This huge ship was powered entirely by its sails, as steam engines for ships were not common yet.

The Life of the Indus

After her launch, HMS Indus served the Royal Navy for many years. By 1840, she was no longer used for active fighting at sea. Instead, she was placed on "harbour service." This means she stayed in a port and was used for things like storage or as a base.

Eventually, after a long life, HMS Indus was "broken up" in 1868. This means the ship was taken apart, usually to salvage useful materials like wood and metal.