HMS ''Caledonia'' was a 120-gun
first-rate ship of the line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two colu ...
of the
Royal Navy, launched on 25 June 1808 at
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
.
She was
Admiral Pellew's flagship in the
Mediterranean.
Construction
The
Admiralty orders for ''Caledonia''s construction were issued in November 1794, for a 100-gun vessel measuring approximately 2,600
tons burthen. There were considerable delays in obtaining dockyard facilities and in assembling a workforce, and actual building did not commence until 1805 when the
keel was
laid down at
Plymouth Dockyard. By this time the designs had also been amended to stipulate construction of a 120-gun vessel of 2,616 tons. When completed to this new design in 1808, ''Caledonia'' entered Royal Navy service as the largest and most heavily armed vessel of the time.
[Winfield 2010, p.77]
Active service
''Caledonia'' proved to be a very successful ship, and it was said that 'This fine three-decker rides easy at her anchors, carries her lee ports well, rolls and pitches quite easy, generally carries her helm half a turn a-weather, steers, works and stays remarkably well, is a weatherly ship, and lies-to very close.' She was 'allowed by all hands to be faultless'. In later years she was to become the standard design for British three-deckers.
On 12 February 1814 she took part with
HMS ''Boyne'' in action against the French ship of the line
''Romulus'' off
Toulon; the French vessel managed to escape to Toulon by sailing close to the coast to avoid being surrounded.
In 1831 she was part of the Experimental Squadron of the
Channel Fleet
The Channel Fleet and originally known as the Channel Squadron was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1854 to 1909 and 1914 to 1915.
History
Throughout the course of Royal Navy's history the ...
under Sir
Edward Codrington
Sir Edward Codrington, (27 April 1770 – 28 April 1851) was a British admiral, who took part in the Battle of Trafalgar and the Battle of Navarino.
Early life and career
The youngest of three brothers born to Edward Codrington the elder (1732 ...
. On 12 September that year she took part in an experiment whereby she was towed by the frigate
HMS ''Galatea'' by means of hand-worked paddles alone.
In 1856 she was converted to a
hospital ship,
renamed ''Dreadnought'' and became the second floating
Dreadnought Seamen's Hospital at
Greenwich, where she remained until 1870. In 1871 she was briefly returned to service, as a
lazaret, to accommodate patients recovering from the
smallpox epidemic of that year. Towed to the breakers in 1872,
she was broken up in 1875.
Notes
References
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External links
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Ships of the line of the Royal Navy
Caledonia-class ships of the line
1808 ships
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