HMS Royal Sovereign

History of HMS Royal Sovereign

HMS Royal Sovereign served with the Royal Navy in the second half of the 18th and early 19th centuries and is known for participating (with Horatio Nelson's HMS Victory) at the Battle of Trafalgar - a British naval victory Western Union Fleet. The ship was described as "a first-class gunboat", which represented not only her armament but also her fighting qualities in the British fleet. First-class ships usually have 100 or more guns, followed by second-, third-, and fourth-class ships with fewer guns.

The skilled naval tactician will then deploy his fleet by observing the enemy's maneuvers and deploying his ships as needed to fire deadly broadsides. Since all weapons will be fired from the port and starboard sides of the warship, a broadside attack is chosen, which basically moves a ship parallel to its target and fires all its guns.

Ordered by the British Government on 3 February 1786, the HMS Royal Sovereign was built by Plymouth Dockyard in Plymouth, and its keel was laid on 7 January 1774. She officially went to sea on September 11, 1786.

When built, the HMS Royal Sovereign had a barrel length of 183 feet 10.5 inches, a beam of 52 feet, and a draft of 22 feet 2.5 inches. She was a three-masted fully rigged boat, each mast had a name for quick identification - the fore-mast was at the front, the centre-mast became the main mast and the aft-post became the mizzen. Additionally, individual names have been added to each sail fitting, from moon mast and mainsail to king, top galant to top sail and front end. The span of the foremast (extending from the foremast to the boom - the post protruding above the bow at the ship's "beak") has been identified as the flying boom, outer boom, inner boom and fore top mast . The "spunker", also known as the "driver", is located at the rear.

Wind boats of that era used underwater rudders, which were essential for maneuvering. The captain's cabin is located in the upper part of the stern, and there are crew quarters, battery and storage rooms around the hull.

Various lines and nets are attached from the mast to the deck to allow the crew to install rigging and masts, and to control the sails in general.

The Royal Sovereign isn't the fastest or most maneuverable in the fleet, but it still packs a punch. Essentially, the ship is a combat ship and thus has 100 guns on the three main decks (many muzzles on the sides). The main gun deck has 28 x 32 pounders, the middle gun deck has 28 x 24 pounders, and the top gun deck has 30 x 12 pounders.

Ten 12-pounders were added to the quarter deck, and four 12-pounders were added to the forecastle.

On 1 June 1794, the first notable Royal Sovereign operation took place when the British fleet under Lord Howe engaged the French and HMS Villarrey-Joyce. The Royal Navy encountered 25 battleships against 26 of the French. Known as the "Glorious 1st June" and the "Third Battle of Authan," the battle took place during the French Revolution, which included several wars from 1792 to 1802. The battle, which took place west of the French fortress of Ouchamp in the Atlantic Ocean, ended in a tactical British victory, as well as a strategic victory for France. Casualties included 1,200 Royal Navy personnel and 4,000 French, 3,000 of whom were taken prisoner.

The French Navy also lost as many as seven warships. The royal monarch lost 14 souls and wounded another 41.

The next notable act of Royal Sovereignty took place between June 16 and 17, 1795, at what became known as the Cornwallis Retreat. This engagement, which also took place during the French War of Independence, included a defensive operation by the British, with five ships of the line eyeing twelve enemy ships as well as eleven frigates (French Admiral Commander Villaret de Joyce).

The battle took place on the coast of Brittany in the Atlantic Ocean, and France ultimately failed to break through the British defenses under Lieutenant General William Cornwallis. The Anglo-French conflict did not end there, as they only laid the groundwork for the Royal Navy's most famous naval battle, the Battle of Trafalgar.

The Battle of Trafalgar took place on 21 October 1805 off the coast of Cape Trafalgar (near the Strait of Gibraltar), Spain. The ship was commanded by Lieutenant Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, while Admiral Horatio Nelson commanded HMS Victory. They faced the combined Franco-Spanish forces led by Generals Pierre-Charles Villeneuve and Federico Gravina respectively.

Figures include 33 Royal Navy ships and 41 enemy fleets. The United Kingdom manages 27 ships on the route, the French Navy manages 18 and the Spanish Navy manages 15.

By this time, the French leader Napoleon Bonaparte had assembled an army in Boulogne destined to invade England. However, his barges were unarmed and ready to be taken under fire from the vaunted British fleet. Therefore, he commissioned Admiral Villeneuve to form the French fleet and destroy the British warships.

A team of Spaniards will also help. Villeneuve provided about 50% of the available French naval power to meet Napoleon's deadline and meet the Spanish on the coast of Cadiz before sailing to England on October 19, 1805.

Following a carefully planned offensive line under Nelson's command, the British moved quickly to limit the Fa-Spanish response. The HMS Royal Sovereign engaged the Spanish ship Santa Ana, both of which were damaged in the battle as the ship's line gave out broadside as it passed. The Royal Sovereign lost her main mast, mizzen and rigging, lost a lot of control and was ordered to be towed away (Nelson Collingwood was reportedly injured). During the rescue, the streamer to the HMS Royal Sovereign was cut by HMS Euralus - a 36-door frigate.

Meanwhile, the Royal Sovereign was rescued by a detachment of British ships gathered near her to repel the oncoming enemy. Rescued, though barely afloat, the royal monarch was barely responsive and had little tactical use.

A second rescue operation against the British ships was moot, and Collingwood then boarded the oncoming Euryalus, who again attempted to steer the line towards the Royal Sovereign.

The battle is now over, the enemy fleet is defeated, Nelson is dead (killed by a sniper while excited), and Collingwood takes command. The death toll on the Royal Sovereign stands at 141, while the ship itself is being salvaged and salvaged. After the battle, the British achieved a decisive victory at sea, at the expense of 458 dead and 1208 wounded.

The enemy fleet suffered 13,781 casualties, including 2,218 French and 1,025 Spanish. 10 French and 11 Spanish ships were captured, and surprisingly, the British lost no ships (only 5 enemy ships would be used again). In addition, 4,000 people were captured and about 3,000 drowned after the battle. Villeneuve was captured by the British, and Gravina escaped the barrel of a gun, though wounded, but died a few months later.

The battle became one of Britain's most revered naval engagements and made Horatio Nelson a household name.

The key to winning was Nelson's two-pronged approach to dealing with an outnumbered foe. Doctrine at the time called for a linear approach to take full advantage of the broadside and keep the communication chain open during periods of chaos.

Nelson's mission allowed his outnumbered fleet to withstand one of the heaviest losses in the French navy and maintain British naval supremacy, both chaotic and limited enemy maneuverability, while falling prey to British fire. The fight lasted about 4.5 hours, starting at 12:00 noon and ending around 4:30 pm.

HMS Royal Sovereign spent a long time at the dock during maintenance. In 1806 she set sail again, this time to the Mediterranean. She participated in the naval blockade of Toulon against France, where she remained until November 1811. She has since been recalled to England and joined the Channel Fleet to defend the English Channel.

The Channel Fleet has a long history, founded in 1690 and managed to defend vital British waterways with ships based at Plymouth, Falmouth and Torbay until 1909.

As the battle years passed, the HMS Royal Sovereign underwent a period of remodeling, starting a new life as a port service ship on 17 August 1825, named HMS Captain. Her tenure as captain was short-lived, as the ship was decommissioned and scrapped at Plymouth Dockyard in June 1926, with only four guns known as mementos (the Collingwood Memorial, Tynemouth).

This process continued until August 1841, when history ended the long career of the HMS Royal Sovereign.

Collingwood, now Admiral, died on 7 March 1810 at HMS Ville de Paris at the age of 61 while serving in the Mediterranean (as Commander-in-Chief). For health reasons, he took a boat home. Collingwood was buried next to Nelson in St Paul's Cathedral in London.

From 1826, the Royal Sovereign was relegated to port service before being dissolved in 1841, ending her long maritime career.

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