HMS Victory facts for kids
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Clockwise from top: HMS Victory at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, view of the ship's stern, Bird's-eye view of Victory in 2004, on harbour service circa 1900, view of the bow.
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 United Kingdom |
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| Name | HMS Victory |
| Ordered | 14 July 1758 |
| Builder | Chatham Dockyard |
| Laid down | 23 July 1759 |
| Launched | 7 May 1765 |
| Commissioned | 1778 |
| In service | 247 years |
| Homeport |
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| Honours and awards |
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| Status |
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| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | 104-gun first-rate ship of the line |
| Displacement | 3,500 Long ton (3,556 tonnes) |
| Tons burthen | 2,142 bm |
| Length |
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| Beam | 51 ft 10 in (15.80 m) |
| Draught | 28 ft 9 in (8.76 m) |
| Depth of hold | 21 ft 6 in (6.55 m) |
| Propulsion | Sails—6,510 sq yd (5,440 m2) |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
| Speed | up to 11 knots (20 km/h) |
| Complement | Approximately 850 |
| Armament |
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| Notes | Height from waterline to top of mainmast: 205 ft (62.5 m) |
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HMS Victory is a famous 104-gun sailing warship from the Royal Navy. She is known for being the flagship of Admiral Horatio Nelson during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. With 247 years of service, she is the world's oldest naval vessel still officially in use.
Victory was ordered in 1758 and launched in 1765. Her name was chosen after a year of big British victories in battles. She first joined the fleet in 1778 during the American Revolutionary War. She took part in several important battles, including two at Ushant and the relief of Gibraltar.
Later, during the French Revolutionary War, Victory served in the Mediterranean Sea. She helped in the Siege of Toulon and the Invasion of Corsica. She also fought in the Battle of the Hyères Islands and the Battle of Cape St Vincent. In 1803, Admiral Nelson made her his flagship. Two years later, she led the British fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar.
After her active fighting days, Victory became a harbour ship from 1824 until 1922. She was then moved into a dry dock in Portsmouth, England. Today, she is a popular museum ship and still serves as the flagship of the First Sea Lord.
Contents
Building a Mighty Warship
In 1758, the British Prime Minister, William Pitt the Elder, asked for 12 new warships. Orders were sent to Chatham Dockyard to build a "first-rate ship-of-the-line." These were the biggest and strongest warships of their time. They had three masts and carried 100 or more cannons on three decks.
Sir Thomas Slade, a famous naval architect, designed Victory. Her design was based on another ship, HMS Royal George. The ship's keel was laid down on 23 July 1759. The name Victory was chosen in October 1760.
The year 1759 was called the "Annus Mirabilis" or "Wonderful Year" because Britain won many battles. This might have influenced the choice of the name Victory. Some people worried about the name because a previous ship called Victory had been lost at sea in 1744.
About 6,000 trees were used to build the ship. Most of the wood (90%) was oak, with some elm, pine, and fir. It took 150 men to put her together. Large copper bolts and wooden pegs called treenails held the frame together.
Victory was left to dry out for almost three years after being built. This extra drying time made her wood stronger and helped her last longer. She was finally launched on 7 May 1765. Building her cost a lot of money, about £57,748.
When Victory was launched, workers found she was a bit too wide for the dock gates. They had to quickly cut away some wood from the gates to let her through. Once in the water, she leaned a little to one side. This was fixed by moving heavy ballast inside. Another problem was that her lowest gunports were very close to the water. This meant they had to stay closed in rough seas to prevent water from coming in.
Because the war had ended, Victory was not immediately needed. She was "laid up" in the River Medway for four years. During this time, she was fitted out and tested at sea. When fully rigged, she stood 62.5 meters (205 feet) tall from the waterline to the top of her mainmast. She could use up to 37 sails, covering a huge area of 5,468 square meters (6,510 square yards). She could sail at speeds of up to 11 knots (about 20 km/h or 12.5 mph). When fully ready for six months of service, she carried a crew of 850 men.
Ship's Weapons
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Victory was designed to carry 100 guns. Over time, her weapons changed. When she was first used in 1778, she had different sizes of cannons on her three decks. The largest guns were 42-pounders on the lower deck.
Admiral Augustus Keppel later decided to swap the heavy 42-pounders for lighter 32-pound guns. He thought this would make the ship easier to handle and fire faster. After Keppel, the 42-pounders were put back. But when Admiral Nelson took command in 1803, Victory went back to carrying 32-pounders.
By the Battle of Trafalgar, Victory carried 104 guns in total. This included 30 heavy 32-pounders on the lower deck, 28 24-pounders on the middle deck, and 30 12-pounders on the upper deck. She also had 12 12-pounders and two powerful 68-pounder carronades on her upper decks.
Early Adventures at Sea
First Battle of Ushant (1778)
Victory was first put into service in March 1778. Admiral Augustus Keppel made her his flagship. On 23 July 1778, Keppel's fleet met a French fleet near Ushant, an island off France. The battle was confusing due to changing winds and rain.
Victory fired on two large French ships. The battle ended without a clear winner. Both Admiral Keppel and another admiral, Sir Hugh Palliser, were later investigated but found innocent.
Second Battle of Ushant (1781)
In March 1780, Victory was refitted in Portsmouth. Her hull was covered with 3,923 sheets of copper. This protected her from shipworms and made her faster by reducing drag.
In December 1781, Victory was back at sea. She was part of a fleet led by Rear Admiral Richard Kempenfelt. They intercepted a French convoy carrying supplies. The British captured fifteen of the convoy's ships before a larger French fleet appeared. Kempenfelt then wisely retreated.
Helping Gibraltar (1782)
In October 1782, Victory was the flagship of Admiral Richard Howe. His mission was to deliver supplies to Gibraltar, which was under siege by Spanish and French forces. A storm made the journey difficult.
Howe's fleet managed to get the supplies into Gibraltar. After the mission, on 20 October, they met a larger enemy fleet off Cape Spartel. The enemy fired from a distance, but most of their shots missed. Howe's fleet, under orders to return home, did not fire back. Victory had no casualties in this battle. This was her last action in the American Revolutionary War.
French Revolutionary Wars
When the French Revolutionary War began in 1793, Victory became the flagship of Vice-Admiral Samuel Hood. She helped in the occupation of Toulon in France. When the British had to leave Toulon, they destroyed enemy ships and dockyards. Hood then planned a blockade of Corsica.
In 1794, Victory helped capture towns in Corsica, including San Fiorenzo and Bastia. These actions helped the British gain control of the island. After two years at sea, Hood returned home in Victory in December 1794 for much-needed repairs.
Battle of the Hyères Islands (1795)
By July 1795, Victory had rejoined the Mediterranean Fleet. She was damaged in a storm before a battle with a French force near the Hyères Islands. Victory was able to catch up with the French ships.
During the fight, Victory was badly damaged. Her rigging and masts were shot away. She helped sink one French boat that was trying to tow away a captured French ship. The British fleet eventually withdrew when the French took refuge in a bay.
Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1797)
In 1796, Victory was the flagship of Admiral John Jervis. Spain had joined France, making the enemy fleet much larger. Jervis moved his fleet to Portugal. In February 1797, Jervis learned that the Spanish fleet was at sea.
On 14 February, Jervis's 15 ships met a much larger Spanish fleet of 27 ships off Cape St Vincent. Jervis famously said, "A victory to England is very essential at the moment." Victory played a key role, firing on Spanish ships. Nelson, in another ship, made a bold move that helped win the battle. The Spanish lost four ships.
Victory suffered one death in the battle. A cannonball narrowly missed Jervis but sadly killed a sailor nearby. After the battle, Victory was found to be in poor condition. Her stern was shaking, and she needed major repairs. She was sent back to England in August 1797.
Major Repairs and Changes
When Victory arrived back in England, an inspection showed serious weaknesses in her stern. She was taken out of active service. In 1798, she was used as a hospital ship for wounded prisoners of war. There was a suggestion to turn her into a prison hulk, but this was decided against.
A major reconstruction began in 1800. It was supposed to be a small repair but became a huge project. Her gun capacity was increased from 100 to 104 guns by adding more gunports. The inside of her powder magazine was lined with copper to prevent sparks and protect against rodents.
Her stern galleries were enclosed to create more cabin space and offer better protection in bad weather. A new, simpler figurehead was also fitted. She was repainted from red to black and yellow. The gunports were later changed to black, creating the famous "Nelson Chequer" pattern seen on the ship today.
The work was finished in April 1803. Victory was ready for sea just before war was declared again with France.
Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar
Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson made Victory his flagship again on 18 May 1803. He sailed to the Mediterranean to find the French fleet. In April 1805, Nelson learned that the French fleet, led by Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, had left Toulon. Nelson chased them all the way to the West Indies and back to Europe.
The combined French and Spanish fleet eventually returned to Cádiz. Nelson joined the British fleet blockading Cádiz in September.
Battle of Trafalgar (1805)
On 19 October, Villeneuve's fleet left Cádiz. The British fleet, led by Nelson in Victory, moved to intercept them. On the morning of 21 October, Nelson ordered his fleet to attack in two columns. His plan was to break the enemy line and destroy their ships.
Due to light winds, it took six hours for the first British ship to open fire. Around 30 minutes later, Victory broke through the enemy line. She fired her guns at very close range, causing huge damage to the French flagship Bucentaure.
Sadly, at 1:15 PM, a musket ball hit Nelson in his left shoulder. It was a fatal wound, and he died at 4:30 PM. So many sailors were killed on Victory's quarterdeck that French sailors tried to board her. Another British ship, HMS Temeraire, arrived just in time to stop them.
Victory was badly damaged in the battle, with 57 killed and 102 wounded. She had to be towed to Gibraltar for repairs. Nelson's body was brought back to England on board Victory. She arrived in Portsmouth on 4 December. Nelson was later buried in St. Paul's Cathedral.
Service in the Baltic Sea
After Trafalgar, Victory was considered too old for front-line service. Her guns were changed to lighter ones, making her a "second-rate" ship. In 1808, she became the flagship of Vice-Admiral James Saumarez. He was sent to command British forces in the Baltic Sea.
Saumarez's fleet protected convoys and helped the Swedes against the Russians. In 1808, Victory helped evacuate 12,000 Spanish troops from Holstein who refused to fight for Napoleon.
Victory continued to serve in the Baltic, protecting trade routes. In 1811, she was used as a troopship to carry soldiers to Lisbon, Portugal. She returned to the Baltic and helped blockade the Swedish navy. Towards the end of 1812, Victory returned home to England.
Final Years Afloat
After 1812, Victory was moved to Portsmouth Harbour. She served as a floating depot and later as a prison ship from 1813 to 1817. In 1814, she underwent a major reconstruction. Metal braces were added to strengthen her frame, one of the earliest uses of iron for this purpose. Her bow was also rounded off.
In 1831, the Admiralty ordered Victory to be broken up. However, a public outcry saved her. She became home to the Captain of Ordinary, who looked after laid-up ships. In 1832, she became the flagship for the port admiral again.
The public became very interested in Victory. In 1833, Princess Victoria visited the ship and met Trafalgar veterans. This led to thousands of visitors each year. Despite her popularity, Victory continued to age. In 1854, she sprang a leak and sank, but was raised again.
By 1886, she was in very poor condition. An officer noted he could "literally run my walking stick through her sides." In 1887, she started leaking again. The Admiralty began to provide a small amount of money each year for her upkeep. Her rotten lower masts were replaced with hollow iron ones. In 1889, she also became home to a signal school.
In 1903, Victory was accidentally rammed by another warship, HMS Neptune. This caused significant damage. The Admiralty again suggested scrapping her, but Edward VII personally intervened to save her. She was quickly repaired for the 100-year celebration of the Battle of Trafalgar in 1905.
In Dry Dock and Restoration
Early Restoration (1921–1939)
By 1921, Victory was in very bad shape. A public campaign, supported by donations, helped save her. On 16 December, she was moved into a dry dock at Portsmouth. It was found that her hull had sagged badly. She needed a special steel frame to support her.
On 20 March 1922, Victory was moved to No. 2 dock, which became her permanent home. This dock is now the oldest dry dock in the world still in use. In 1922, Admiral Doveton Sturdee asked for more public donations, saying Victory must be preserved for future generations.
On 8 April 1925, Victory was temporarily refloated in the dry dock to adjust her supports. This was done so her waterline would be at the same level as the top of the dock. To protect her from the extra strain, steel rods were passed through her keel and fixed to the concrete below.
The first major restoration, from 1922 to 1929, aimed to repair rotten timbers and return the ship to how she looked at Trafalgar. Her rounded bow, added in 1814, was removed and replaced with a square "beakhead" and "bulkhead." Old fittings were replaced with age-appropriate ones. Many cabins and storage rooms were rebuilt.
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After World War II (1945–2005)
Work stopped during World War II. In 1941, a 500-pound bomb dropped by the German air force damaged her keel and foremast. The damage was not fully fixed until 1964.
Victory also suffered from a serious infestation of deathwatch beetle, which eats wood. She was fumigated several times in the 1950s. Much of the decayed oak was replaced with harder, oilier woods like teak and iroko, which resist fungus and pests better.
From 1964 to 1970, extensive repairs were made to the hull. In 1973, work focused on refurbishing the stern and the cockpit to ensure historical accuracy.
In the 1990s, civilian guides, often retired naval officers, began leading tours on Victory. A curator was also appointed in 1991. The restoration to her Trafalgar appearance was finally completed in 2005, just in time for Trafalgar 200. This was a four-month celebration of the battle.
Victory's foretopsail, damaged by over 90 cannonballs at Trafalgar, survived. It is now kept at the Royal Naval Museum and shown during special events.
The Big Repair (2005–Present)
In 2011, the upper masts and rigging were taken down to reduce stress on the hull. This was the first time since World War II. A major restoration project, worth £16 million, began in December 2011. It includes work on the masts, rigging, and hull planking.
Since March 2012, the HMS Victory Preservation Trust manages the ship. This allows for external fundraising. A large donation of £25 million was secured from Sir Donald Gosling, matched by the government.
In 2017, it was found that the hull had been moving by half a centimeter each year. To fix this, a new support system was installed from 2018 to 2021. It uses 134 adjustable steel props with monitoring equipment. A new walkway was also built, allowing visitors to see the ship below the waterline. It opened in August 2020.
In 2021, the lower mainmast was removed for conservation. A large scaffold is being built over the ship to allow for hull replanking over the next decade. This scaffold also has walkways for visitors to watch the shipwrights at work.
A new restoration phase started in 2022 and is planned to finish in 2032. It aims to complete the hull planking and continue fighting the deathwatch beetle. Scientists are studying the beetle to find better ways to control it. This ten-year project is expected to cost £42 million. The work is being carefully recorded with thousands of photos to create a 3D model of the ship.
Victory is the world's oldest commissioned warship and a key part of Britain's National Historic Fleet. She attracts about 350,000 visitors each year as a museum ship.
Culture and Legacy
Victory holds a special place in British history. She is a powerful symbol of the Royal Navy. King George V once said that the country had "no better stimulus to patriotic self-sacrifice than the flagship of Nelson."
Many important people have visited the ship, including Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1889. He was given a desk made from Victory's timber. Winston Churchill also visited the ship in 1941 after an air raid on Portsmouth.
Victory has inspired several films. The fictional HMS Dauntless in the 2003 Disney film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was based on her. Her Great Cabin was used in the 2023 film Napoleon. She also appeared in the 2012 film Les Misérables and the 1995 BBC drama Persuasion. The production team for Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World worked with Victory's curators to make their film accurate.
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See also
In Spanish: HMS Victory para niños
