The Trafalgar Chronicle by Peter Hore

Author:Peter Hore [Hore, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, Military, Naval, General
ISBN: 9781473899797
Google: 4xZhDwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Limited
Published: 2017-11-30T22:11:11+00:00

What Did HMS Victory Actually Look Like at the Battle of Trafalgar?

John Conover

The question of what HMS Victory looked like at the Battle of Trafalgar has challenged artists, ship-modellers and historians who have pored over old plans, official records, and history books in an effort to develop their representations of HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar accurately. However, few of these efforts include study of some of the most useful sources of data, such as models of the ship at the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich, and drawings and sketches made by artists shortly after the battle, nor take into account that the great ship, launched in 1765, had been extensively modified in 1800–1803. This modification and modernisation substantially revised the external configuration of the ship, but with the exception of brief Admiralty orders and two partially conflicting dockyard models, no drawings or details of the refit are available.

The victory of the British fleet over the combined French and Spanish fleet on 21 October 1805, and the aftermath of the battle, is documented in hundreds of major publications and first-hand accounts by eyewitnesses of both sides. The battle itself is a fascinating event, but has value in this analysis as a source of information on the damage to Victory that was recorded by artists after the battle. What post-battle artists recorded in their drawings and sketches is essential to understanding the pre-battle configuration of the ship that is the subject of this analysis. The damage itself will be the topic of a future analysis that will define what Victory looked like after the battle.

Contemporary Models of HMS Victory

Three models of HMS Victory exist at the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich, England. The earliest, an Admiralty model of the ship as launched in 1765, is of no real significance for this analysis, and the second, a half-hull model of Victory made circa 1800–1803, which is of little value to this analysis because it lacks sufficient bow and stern detail. The third model, a block model, which was created in 1805, after the 1803 refit and before Trafalgar, exhibits less detail and precision than the older Admiralty model, yet has great significance and excellent detail as regards the 1803 refit and is a primary element in this analysis. The museum catalogue documents it as ‘created circa 1805, source unknown’. The catalogue notes read: ‘depicted after extensive refit (her so-called ‘large repair’) completed in 1803, prior to the Battle of Trafalgar. Model also shows further modifications which were proposed after Trafalgar which were not carried out.’

This large repair was conducted from February 1800 through April 1803 and incorporated many modifications and updates to the ship. An Admiralty directive of 27 October 1798 abolished open stern galleries that were subject to structural failure. This modification and the replacement of the ornate figurehead of 1765 were substantial changes to the outward appearance of the ship at Trafalgar. Other changes to external configuration were also directed, including the raising of the channels serving the fore

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