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The memory of England´s greatest sea battle after Drake´s defeat of the Spanish Armada is kept fresh in all our minds by the continued existence of HMS Victory, which is preserved in a dry dock at Portsmouth. Launched in 1765, she was already an old ship by the time of Trafalgar, which makes her survival to this day even more remarkable. Walking her immaculate gun decks, shown in the picture below, it is difficult to imagine now just how terrible the conditions must have been for her crew, sweating over their belching guns, with the decks slippery with the blood of their dead or wounded comrades. A 100-gun First Rate ship designed by Sir Thomas Slade, the Surveyor of the Navy (1755-1771), according to the Establishment of 1745 as the only ship of its class and built in 1759-1765 at the Chatham Dockyard for the Royal Navy. Dimensions: 151'3"5/8 × 51'10" × 21'6". Tonnage: 2162 22/94.

Armament as designed: Lower deck: 30 × 42 pound guns Middle deck: 28 × 24 pound guns Upper deck: 30 × 12 pound guns Quarter deck: 10 × 6 pound guns Forecastle: 2 × 6 pound guns	Various examples of the type of shot huried at enemy ships.
The Victory´s main guns were 12 pounders (top), 24 pounders (middle) or 32 pounders. The big gun (left) was called a carronade, named The Smasher. Once the powder hole had been filled, it was fired by a slow match or flintlock. The cartridge and shot were laid by a rammer after the „worm" had removed cartridge fragments, and the damp sponge had put out any sparks there might be in the barrel.

Career: 1758 December 13 Ordered to be built. 1759 July 23 The keel was laid at Chatham Dockyard in the Old Single Dock from 1623. 1765 May 7 Launched by floating her out of the dock. It was found that she had a permanent list to starboard and 38 tons extra ballast on the port side was required to right her. The cost for building was £ 63.176. 1769 Masted and rigged for conducting seatrials. 1778 March 12 Commissioned. Armament: Lower deck: 30 × 32 pound guns Middel deck: 28 × 24 pound guns Upper deck: 30 × 12 pound guns Quarter deck: 10 × 6 pound guns Forecastle: 2 × 6 pound guns 1778 July 23 Took part in the Battle at Ushant under Admiral Keppel against the French fleet. 1779 April Maintenance and re-fitting after a year at sea and. Armament: Lower deck: 30 × 42 pound guns Middel deck: 28 × 24 pound guns Upper deck: 30 × 12 pound guns Quarter deck: 10 × 6 pound guns Forecastle: 2 × 6 pound guns 1780 March Maintenance and re-fitting after a year at sea. Armament: Lower deck: 30 × 42 pound guns Middel deck: 28 × 24 pound guns Upper deck: 30 × 12 pound guns Quarter deck: 10 × 6 pound guns Poop deck: 6 × 18 pound carronades Forecastle: 2 × 6 pound guns 2 × 24 pound carronades 1782 November - March Paid off at Portsmouth and subject to a Middling Repair. Armament: Lower deck: 30 × 42 pound guns Middel deck: 28 × 24 pound guns Upper deck: 30 × 12 pound guns Quarter deck: 10 × 12 pound guns Poop deck: 6 × 18 pound carronades Forecastle: 2 × 12 pound guns 2 × 24 pound carronades 1783 March - 1787 November Put in reserv at Portsmouth. 1787 December -- 1788 April Large repair. 1789 April -- 1789 Put in reserv at Portsmouth. 1789 -- 1791 August Channel service. 1797 February 14 Participated in the Battle of St Vincent under Admiral John Jervis against the Spanish fleet. 1797 October Paid off at Chatham and was struck from the Navy List after having been found defective. 1797 December 8 -- 1799 January Fitted as Hospital Ship at Chatham Dockyard and served in the Medway. 1800 February -- 1803 April Large reconstruction at Chatham, involving among many things closing in of the stern galleries. The cost for the Large Repair was £ 70.993. 1803 Refitted. Armament: Lower deck: 30 x 32 pound guns Middel deck: 28 x 24 pound guns Upper deck: 30 x 12 pound guns Quarter deck: 12 x 12 pound guns Forecastle: 2 x 24 pound carronades 1803 May -- 1805 April Mediterrean service under Admiral Horatio Nelson. 1805 August General maintenance after 18 months at sea and re-armament: Lower deck: 30 x 32 pound guns Middel deck: 28 x 24 pound guns Upper deck: 30 x 12 pound guns Quarter deck: 12 x 12 pound guns Quarter deck: 6 x 18 pound carronades Forecastle: 2 x 12 pound guns 2 x 68 pound carronades 1805 October 21 Participated in the Battle of Trafalgar under Admiral Horatio Nelson against the joint French and Spanish fleets. Four days before the battle the muster book listed 441 English, 64 Scots, 63 Irish, 18 Welsh, 3 Shetlanders, 2 Channel Islanders, and 1 Manxman. The 71 foreigners comprised 22 Americans, 7 Dutch, 6 Swedes, 4 Italians, 4 Maltese, 3 Frenchmen volunteers, 3 Norwegians, 3 Germans, 2 Swiss, 2 Portuguese, 2 Danes, 2 Indians, 1 Russian, 1 from Africa and 9 from the West Indian islands. 1806 January 15 Paid off at Chatham. 1806 March -- May Repairs and recoppering at Chatham. Refitted. Armament: Lower deck: 30 x 32 pound guns Middel deck: 28 x 24 pound guns Upper deck: 30 x 12 pound guns Quarter deck: 4 x 12 pound guns Quarter deck: 8 x 32 pound carronades Forecastle: 2 x 32 pound carronades 1806 May -- 1808 March Put in ordinary in the Medway. 1807 November 11 Re-rated as a 2nd Rate ship. 1807 November Refitted. Armament: Lower deck: 30 x 32 pound guns Middel deck: 28 x 18 pound guns Upper deck: 30 x 12 pound guns Quarter deck: 8 x 32 pound carronades Forecastle: 2 x 32 pound carronades Forecastle: 2 x 12 pound guns 1808 April - November Baltic service under Rear-Admiral Sir James Saumarez. 1809 February - December Baltic service under Rear-Admiral Sir James Saumarez. 1810 March - December Baltic service under Rear-Admiral Sir James Saumarez. 1811 May - December Baltic service under Rear-Admiral Sir James Saumarez. 1812 April - November Baltic service under Rear-Admiral Sir James Saumarez. 1812 November 28 Paid off at Portsmouth. 1813 -- 1823 Put in ordinary. 1814 March -- 1816 January 15 Large reconstruction. 1817 February Re-rated as a 1st Rate ship. 1823 June -- 1824 January Re-fitted as a 21-gun Guard ship at Portsmouth. 1863 Harbour service. 1869 Paid off as Flagship in Portsmouth. 1869 -- 1891 August Served as tender to the screw First Rate Duke of Wellington. 1903 October 23 Was rammed by the ex. battleship Neptune and was docked for repairs. 1922 January 12 Placed in the No. 2 Dock at the Portsmouth Dockyard. 1922 March 20 Beginning of restoration to Trafalgar condition under the auspicies of the Society for Nautical Research.