![]() HMS Victory at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
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History | |
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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 | 246 years |
Homeport | |
Honours and awards |
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Status |
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General characteristics [1] | |
Class and type | 104-gun first-rate ship of the line |
Displacement | 3,500 Long ton (3,556 tonnes)[2] |
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) |
HMS Victory is a 104-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She was ordered in 1758, laid down in 1759, and launched in 1765. With 246 years of service as of 2024, she is the world's oldest naval vessel still in commission.
Victory is best known for her role as Horatio, Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805. She had previously served as Keppel's flagship at Ushant, Howe's flagship at Cape Spartel and Jervis's flagship at Cape St Vincent. After 1824, she was relegated to the role of harbour ship. In 1922, she was moved to a dry dock at Portsmouth, England, and preserved as a museum ship. She has been the flagship of the First Sea Lord since October 2012.