His Majesty's Dockyard Chatham
Design and Construction 1759-1765
Navy Office, 6 June 1759:
A draught was proposed for the construction of a first-rate ship of 100 guns in His Majesty's Dockyard at Chatham,
pursuant to an order from the Right Honourable the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty dated 13 December 1758.[1]
Signed:
Admiralty Office, 15 June 1759[2]
Named: The Victory
By order, November 1760.[3]
Her keel was laid on 23 July 1759[4]
Designed, engineered, and built by the most famous naval architect of his age - Sir Thomas Slade.[5]
Victory was his Masterpiece.
She was not only the pinnacle, but the best ship afloat in her era.
The Construction of HMS Victory (1759-1765)
HMS Victory, a First Rate ship of the line carrying 100 guns, was ordered by the Navy Board during the Seven Years' War. Designed by Sir Thomas Slade, Surveyor of the Navy, her keel was laid on 23 July 1759 in the Old Single Dock at Chatham Dockyard, one of the Royal Navy's principal shipbuilding establishments.
Contemporary records indicate that the project formed part of Britain's naval expansion programme during the war.
Construction required approximately 6,000 oak trees and the labour of numerous shipwrights, craftsmen, and dockyard workers. As was common practice for major warships, the hull was allowed to season for several years before completion, enabling the timber to dry and stabilise. Following Britain's victories
in 1759-the celebrated Annus Mirabilis-the urgency for immediate completion diminished, and work proceeded at a measured pace.
On 7 May 1765, HMS Victory was launched at Chatham Dockyard. Contemporary observers regarded her as one of the finest and most powerful warships yet built for the Royal Navy.
Although structurally complete, she was not immediately commissioned for active service and remained in ordinary until required for fleet duty.
Archival and Institutional Sources
The Historic Dockyard Chatham Trust, Building HMS Victory
- Records the laying of the keel on 23 July 1759 and the launch on 7 May 1765.
Draws upon original Chatham Dockyard archives.
The National Archives (Kew):
- Admiralty records relating to HMS Victory (ADM series), including construction and dockyard documentation.
National Museum of the Royal Navy:
- Historical documentation and research concerning the ship's design, construction, and preservation.
Royal Museums Greenwich – Caird Collection:
- Original draughts by Sir Thomas Slade and Admiralty design records
Refit and her first copper sheathing
Portsmouth March 1780
Around 3,923 copper plates were attached below the waterline to the hull.[6]
The purpose of the copper plating was:
- to protect against shipworms (Teredo navalis),
- to reduce fouling by algae and barnacles,
- thereby increasing speed and reducing maintenance requirements.
His Majesty Dockyard Chatham
The Great Repair (1800-1803)
Who Was Responsible?
Responsibility for the Great Repair rested with:
- The Navy Board (the administrative body of the Royal Navy),[7]
- Sir John Henslow, Surveyor of the Navy,
- The Master Shipwrights of Chatham Dockyard.
Why Was the Repair Ordered?
After the Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1797), the Victory was deemed severely worn. Initially, she was to be decommissioned and even considered for use as a hospital or prison ship. However, on 8 October 1799, the first-rate ship HMS Impregnable was lost. This left the Royal Navy without a large three-decker. As a result, the Admiralty and Navy Board decided to fully restore the Victory.
The Refit Order - The Great Repair
February 1800:
The ship was moved to Chatham and placed in dry dock. Preparatory inspections and timber work began.
11 April 1803:
The Great Repair was officially completed. The costs escalated from an estimated £23,500 to over £70,000.[8]
Who Was in Charge?
Technical Oversight: Sir John Henslow, as Surveyor of the Navy, was the senior technical authority.
On-Site Management:
The practical supervision at the dockyard was the responsibility of the Master Shipwright of Chatham. The most likely candidate for on-site leadership is Edward Sison[9], who held the position until his death or retirement in 1803.
Dry Dock No.2 at Portsmouth 1922
HMS Victory was towed into Dry Dock No. 2 in Portsmouth on 12 January 1922.[10]
She has remained there ever since. The reason for this was her very poor condition!
It was feared that the ship could no longer be safely preserved in the long term at her previous berth.
During the major restoration work that began in 1922, efforts were made to restore the Victory as closely as possible to her 1805 condition.[11]
Among other things, the following work was carried out:
- rotten frames, planks and other wooden parts were replaced.
- 25-50% of the interior fittings were renewed.
- the lost or destroyed steering mechanism was reconstructed.
- many later 19th-century additions were removed.
- the round bow Seppings Bow fitted in 1814 was dismantled and replaced with the original Trafalgar bow.
- the rigging, figurehead and numerous details were restored according to historical models.
The Big Repair
Portsmouth 2022 - 2032
The Big Repair of HMS Victory is planned as a long-term major project.[12]
The actual preparations and initial major works began in the early 2020s.
The major scaffolding and exposure phase started in 2022.
According to the National Museum of the Royal Navy, the project is set to run until 2032.
Timeline of HMS Victory from 1765 to Present
Construction, Repairs, Refits, and Restorations:
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1759 | Keel laid at Chatham Dockyard. |
| 1765 | Launched on 7 May. |
| 1765-1778 | In reserve; about one-third of the timbers replaced due to rot. |
| 1778 | Commissioned for the American Revolutionary War. |
| 1782 | Participated in the relief of Gibraltar and the Battle of Cape Spartel. |
| 1793-1797 | Mediterranean deployments: Toulon, Corsica, and Cape St. Vincent. |
| 1798-1800 | Used as a hospital ship. |
| 1801-1803 | Near-complete rebuild ("Great Repair"). Victory is thoroughly modernized for the Napoleonic Wars. |
| 1803 | Becomes the flagship of Horatio Nelson. |
| 1805 | Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October; Nelson dies aboard. |
| 1805-1806 | Major repairs of battle damage. |
| 1814-1816 | Extensive refit: round "Seppings Bow" installed, iron reinforcements added to the hull, and new external design. |
| 1822-1824 | Docked again for repairs; afterward, only harbor service. |
| 1830s | Scheduled for scrapping but saved by public protests. |
| 1833 | Regular public tours begin. |
| 1854 | Sinks at her mooring due to a leak; later raised. |
| 1857 | Further repairs and re-coppering of the underwater hull. |
| 1899 | Flagship of the Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth. By this time, she looks significantly different from Nelson's era. |
| 1921 | "Save the Victory" rescue campaign. |
| 12 January 1922 | Towed into Dry Dock No. 2 in Portsmouth. |
| 1922-1928 | Major restoration; removal of many Victorian-era modifications and return to her 1805 appearance. |
| 1928 | Reopened to visitors by King George V. |
| 1941 | Damaged by a German bomb hit in the dock, affecting the support structure. |
| 2005 | Trafalgar bicentennial; further restorations completed. |
| 2018-Present | New hull supports to prevent deformation; beginning of the current major conservation project. |
| 2022-2032/33 | "The Big Repair": Replacement of damaged timbers, treatment of shipworm damage, and structural stabilization for future generations. |