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| HMS Victory Portsmouth |
HMS Victory, preserved at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, is known for her part in the Battle of Trafalgar as Nelson's Flagship.
HMS Victory was built at Chatham Naval Dockyard where the keel was laid down on 27th July 1759. Around 6,000 trees, 90% of which were oak, were used in the construction, and the vessel was launched on 17th May 1765. Following the end of the Seven Years War (1756-1763), there was no active requirement for the ship. She was moored in the Medway, and fitted out gradually over a period of four years. Sea trials being conducted in 1769, after which she returned to anchor in the Medway.
HMS Victory was a 104 gun first rate ship of the line, with three gun decks.
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| HMS Victory Deck |
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| HMS Victory Ships Bell |
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| HMS Victory Ships Wheel |
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| HMS Victory |
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HMS Victory Deck Gun
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| HMS Victory Upper Gun Deck |
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| HMS Victory Middle Gun Deck |
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| HMS Victory Lower Gun Deck |
It was not until 1778 that HMS Victory was commissioned after France joined the American War of Independence.
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| HMS Victory under sail |
HMS Victory's first action during the American War of Independence was against the French at the First Battle of Ushant (Bay of Biscay) on 27th July 1778. The battle ended with an indecisive outcome. British victory was however secured on 12th December 1781.
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| First Battle of Ushant |
On 16th June 1779 Spain had entered the American War of Independence on the side of France. The Spanish used the opportunity to lay siege to Gibraltar. In October 1782. HMS Victory was part of a convoy protecting ships resupplying besieged Gibraltar. An indecisive battle took place of Cape Spartel against French and Spanish ships which allowed the supply ships to successfully reach Gibraltar and return to England. The Great Siege of Gibraltar ended in 1783 when peace talks began.
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| Relief of Gibraltar 1782 |
Britain and Spain were once again at war in 1797, and HMS Victory was back in action. The Royal Navy blockaded Spanish ports. At the beginning of the conflict, British were victorious over the Spanish Navy at the Battle of Cape St Vincent on 14th February 1797.
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| Battle of St Vincent 1797 |
On her return to England, HMS Victory was found to be unseaworthy and was declared unfit for active service in 1798. Destined to be converted for non-combatant use, her future as a ship of line line was saved with the loss of HMS Impregnable a year later. It was decided to re-condition HMS Victory, work commencing in 1800, and completed three years later.
On the 18th May 1803, Vice-Admirable Lord Nelson hoisted his flag on HMS Victory from where he would command a British Fleet as Britain went to war against Napoleonic France.
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| Nelson and HMS Victory |
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| HMS Victory Day Cabin |
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| HMS Victory Nelsons Day Cabin |
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| HMS Victory writing desk |
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| HMS Victory Nelsons day room |
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| HMS Victory Nelsons Sleeping Quarters |
The decisive naval engagement against the French took place on the 21st October 1805 off Cape Trafalgar. It was Nelson's innovative tactics that defeated the French Navy.
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| Battle of Trafalgar |
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| Battle of Trafalgar |
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| Battle of Trafalgar HMS Victory in action |
Vice-Admirable Lord Nelson would not see the victory his tactics brought about.
Dr. William Beatty Victory's physician recounted..
About fifteen minutes past one o'clock, which was in the heat of the engagement, he was walking the middle of the quarter-deck with Captain Hardy, and in the act of turning near the hatchway with his face towards the stern of the Victory, when the fatal ball was fired from the enemy's mizzen-top.
The ball struck the epaulette on his left shoulder, and penetrated his chest. He fell with his face on the deck. Captain Hardy, who was on his right (the side furthest from the enemy) and advanced some steps before his lordship, on turning round, saw the Sergeant Major of Marines with two seamen raising him from the deck; where he had fallen on the same spot on which, a little before, his secretary had breathed his last, with whose blood his lordship's clothes were much soiled.
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| Battle of Trafalgar Nelson lies wounded |
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| HMS Victory - spot where Nelson fell |
Captain Hardy expressed a hope that he was not severely wounded; to which the gallant Chief replied: 'They have done for me at last, Hardy.' - 'I hope not,' answered Captain Hardy. 'Yes,' replied his lordship; 'my backbone is shot through.'
Captain Hardy ordered the seamen to carry the Admiral to the cockpit.
It was there that Admiral Lord Nelson died.
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| Battle of Trafalgar Nelson's death |
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| HMS Victory Nelson's resting place |
