When was hms victory commissioned as a naval ship

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Sign up for email alerts:. Facebook Twitter YouTube. For the more complex activities on board, such as mooring, raising anchor or tacking ship, each man was given a station — a specific place to work.

He was also allocated a quarter for fighting the ship, which might be in a gun crew or in one of the magazines or involve working aloft. Overall the crew were relatively lightly disciplined in military terms. Although they dressed in standard loose trousers and short blue jackets they did not have an official uniform. With so few commissioned officers on board their life on the mess deck was lightly policed. When things went wrong the Captain had a range of punishments at his disposal.

Most commonly he awarded anything from 12 to 36 lashes for offences like drunkenness, insolence or neglect of duty. A seaman caught thieving was made to run the gauntlet past fellow crewmen who beat him with knotted rope ends. Others would be locked in leg irons on the gun deck, eating only bread and water.

The most severe punishments for offences like mutiny or desertion were awarded by courts martial. Capture of French convoy off Ushant. Present at sinking of the Royal George at Spithead; boats from Victory used to save survivors. Relief of Gibraltar. Blockade of Cadiz.

Paid off and struck from Navy List. Another, of 80 guns, had been launched in and the fifth, launched in , had sunk with all hands in Once her frame had been constructed, the ship would normally have been left for a few months for the wood to season.

Work began again in the autumn of and she was launched at last on May 7th, Victory was launched on 7 May , but was only commissioned for active service in March to take part in the War of American Independence — The ship had guns, 27 miles of rigging and four acres of sail.

Quickly proving successful, Victory could sail faster than many of its smaller consorts, thanks to the excellent design of the underwater hull. Following a refit and a period of peace, Victory was recommissioned in as the flagship of Vice-Admiral Lord Hood in the Mediterranean. It also took part in the siege of Calvi in , as part of the British fleet that ousted the French from Corsica. After another refit during the winter of —95 Victory returned to the Mediterranean and became the flagship of the new commander-in-chief, Sir John Jervis.

Under him, the ship was present at the Battle of Cape St Vincent, 14 February , and played a key role in the opening stages of the battle.