HMS Defence (1815)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Defence.

Defence
History
Royal Navy EnsignUnited Kingdom
NameHMS Defence
Ordered23 March 1809
BuilderChatham Dockyard
Laid downMay 1812
Launched25 April 1815
FateBurnt, 1857
General characteristics [1]
Class and typeVengeur-class ship of the line
Tons burthen1754 bm
Length176 ft (54 m) (gundeck)
Beam47 ft 6 in (14.48 m)
Depth of hold21 ft (6.4 m)
PropulsionSail
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Armament
  • 74 guns:
  • Gundeck: 28 × 32 pdrs
  • Upper gundeck: 28 × 18 pdrs
  • Quarterdeck: 4 × 12 pdrs, 10 × 32 pdr carronades
  • Forecastle: 2 × 12 pdrs, 2 × 32 pdr carronades
  • Poop deck: 6 × 18 pdr carronades

HMS Defence was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 25 April 1815 at Chatham.[1]

History

HMS Defence was ordered on 23 March 1809 and laid down in May 1812 at Chatham Dockyard. She was launched on 25 April 1815 and served as a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line.

In 1849, she was converted to serve as a prison ship. On 14 July 1857, Defence was badly damaged by an accidental fire at Woolwich, likely caused by spontaneous combustion in a recently delivered load of coal.[2] The fire was extinguished by scuttling the ship, and the remains were subsequently broken up later that year.[3]

Sectional view of the interior of the Defence Hulk, (The Woolwich prison ships)
The Defence hulk and the Unite convict hospital ship, off Woolwich

Citations

  1. ^ a b Lavery, Ships of the Line vol. 1, p. 189.
  2. ^ The Hobart Town Mercury, 30 Oct 1857, p2
  3. ^ Gosset, William Patrick (1986). The lost ships of the Royal Navy, 1793-1900. Mansell. p. 114. ISBN 0-7201-1816-6.

References

  • Lavery, Brian (2003). The Ship of the Line - Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850. Conway Maritime Press. p. 189. ISBN 0-85177-252-8.
  • Gosset, William Patrick (1986). The lost ships of the Royal Navy, 1793-1900. Mansell. p. 114. ISBN 0-7201-1816-6.
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