HMS Victory
HMS Victory is a first rate ship of the line. She was launched in 1765 and is most famous as Lord Nelson's flagship during the Battle of Trafalgar. she is the oldest ship still in commission in the world. However she is not the oldest commissioned 'floating' ship in the world. Victory is a hundred gunned ship. Throughout her life she has been through many changes. She started life as a first rate ship, but after the Battle of Trafalgar she was down-graded to a ninety-eight gunned second rate ship in 1808.
Consisting of eight decks HMS victory was a vastly superior battleship, she was poweful fast and heavily gunned. Her two 64-pounders refered to by the sailiors as 'smashers' are situated on the Foc'sle (forecastle) all though being one of the most devistating weapons the ship had you would expect them to be heavy and hard to move however they were light and manouverable allowing them to be were they were. When HMS Victory came into close combat with the Bucentaure the captain of the Bucentaure was expecting to come into man-to-man conflict with Victory but instead was left to fight with the next three ships of the British weather column as HMS victory engaged with Redoubtable. As Victory was locked in close combat with Redoubtable French sharpshooters fired onto Victorys decks and shot Nelson in shoulder, he was taken below decks to be treated. Meanwhile on the quater deck Sharpshooters fired grenades onto the deck and the english were forced below. With the English forced below and the French preparing to bored another ship of the line HMS Temeraire Aproched Redoubtable on the starboard side and fired her Carronades (smashers) onto the exposed French crew killing many.
To look at HMS Victorys Decks go to - http://www.hms-victory.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=category§ionid=4&id=22&Itemid=48
Consisting of eight decks HMS victory was a vastly superior battleship, she was poweful fast and heavily gunned. Her two 64-pounders refered to by the sailiors as 'smashers' are situated on the Foc'sle (forecastle) all though being one of the most devistating weapons the ship had you would expect them to be heavy and hard to move however they were light and manouverable allowing them to be were they were. When HMS Victory came into close combat with the Bucentaure the captain of the Bucentaure was expecting to come into man-to-man conflict with Victory but instead was left to fight with the next three ships of the British weather column as HMS victory engaged with Redoubtable. As Victory was locked in close combat with Redoubtable French sharpshooters fired onto Victorys decks and shot Nelson in shoulder, he was taken below decks to be treated. Meanwhile on the quater deck Sharpshooters fired grenades onto the deck and the english were forced below. With the English forced below and the French preparing to bored another ship of the line HMS Temeraire Aproched Redoubtable on the starboard side and fired her Carronades (smashers) onto the exposed French crew killing many.
To look at HMS Victorys Decks go to - http://www.hms-victory.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=category§ionid=4&id=22&Itemid=48