HMS Victory (1620)
Portrait of Victory by Willem van de Velde the Elder, 1655
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History | |
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England | |
Name | Victory |
Ordered | 10 March 1620 |
Builder | William Burrell, Deptford Dockyard |
Launched | 1620 |
Commissioned | 1627 |
Fate | Broken up, 1691 |
Notes |
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General characteristics as built[1] | |
Class and type | 42-gun great ship |
Tons burthen | 87079⁄94 bm |
Length | 108 ft 0 in (32.92 m) (keel) |
Beam | 35 ft 9 in (10.90 m) , later raised (probably through girdling) to 37 ft 6 in (11.43 m) |
Depth of hold | 17 ft 0 in (5.18 m) |
Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
Complement | 260–300 |
Armament | 42 guns |
General characteristics after 1666 rebuild[2] | |
Class and type | 82-gun second-rate ship of the line |
Tons burthen | 1029 74⁄94 bm |
Length | 121 ft (37 m) (keel) |
Beam | 40 ft (12 m) |
Depth of hold | 17 ft 6 in (5.33 m) |
Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
Armament | 82 guns of various weights of shot |
Victory was a
Victory was designed by naval architect Phineas Pett and built by shipwright Andrew Burrell at Deptford Dockyard. She was launched as a 42-gun vessel with 270 crew, on 10 October 1620.[1][3]
The ship was first commissioned in 1621 to join a fleet under Admiral Robert Mansell, which was cruising the Mediterranean to hunt for Algerian pirates. The fleet returned to English waters in the autumn of 1621, and Victory was assigned to patrol the English Channel throughout the winter, in order to protect merchant shipping making the crossing from the continent.[3]
In May 1622 she was named as flagship to the Earl of Oxford, who had committed to clear pirates from the seas around Dunkirk. The mission ended in failure, no pirates being encountered in the entire cruise along the Dunkirk shores.[3]
Victory was recommissioned under Captain Thomas Kettleby for the abortive attack on La Rochelle in 1627. During the First Anglo-Dutch War, under the command of Lionel Lane, she took part in the Battles of Dover (19 May 1652), Dungeness (29 November 1652), Portland (18 February), the Gabbard (2 June 1653 – 3 June 1653) and Texel (31 July 1653). By 1660 she was armed with 56 guns.[1]
Second Dutch War
By 1665, Victory had been reduced to
Spragge was assigned to command the Blue Squadron in the English rear. Victory was therefore too far to the south to take part in the early stages of the battle, and was one of the vessels cut off from the centre by the arrival of the Dutch rear commanded by
The Dutch blockade being broken, Victory returned to the Thames for repair.[4] In June the Dutch fleet returned, taking the English by surprise in the Raid on the Medway; the defenceless and half-repaired Victory was hastily towed close to shore and sunk in mud to prevent the Dutch from seizing or burning her. The scuttling worsened her condition, and despite refloating and extensive refitting, was not declared seaworthy until 1668.[4]
Third Dutch War
During the
She was broken up in 1691 at Woolwich Dockyard.[2]
References
Bibliography
- Ballantyne, Iain; Eastland, Jonathan (2005). Warships of the Royal Navy: HMS Victory. Barnsley, Yorkshire: Pen and Sword Maritime. ISBN 1844152936.
- Lavery, Brian (2003) The Ship of the Line – Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650–1850. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-252-8.