The British plan was deliberately simple. They divided the fleet into two squadrons. One was commanded by Admiral Horatio Nelson, who intended to break the enemy's chain and destroy the ships in the vanguard and center, and the second squadron, under the command of Rear Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, was to attack the enemy from the rear.

At 0600 hours on October 21, 1805, the British fleet formed two lines. The flagship of the first line of 15 ships was the battleship Royal Sovereign, on which Rear Admiral Collingwood was sailing. The second line, under the command of Admiral Nelson, consisted of 12 ships, and the battleship HMS Victory was the flagship. The wooden decks were covered with sand, which protected from fire and absorbed blood. Having removed all unnecessary that could interfere, the sailors prepared for battle.

At 08:00, Admiral Villeneuve gave the order to change course and return to Cadiz. Such a maneuver before the start of a naval battle upset the battle formation. The French-Spanish fleet, which is a structure in the form of a crescent, curved to the right towards the mainland, began to unfold chaotically. In the ranks of the ships, dangerous gaps in the distance appeared, and some ships, in order not to collide with a neighbor, were forced to "fall out" of order. Admiral Nelson, meanwhile, approached. He intended to break the line before the French sailing ships approached Cadiz. And he succeeded. The great naval battle began. The cannonballs flew, the masts began to break and fall, people died, the wounded screamed. It was total hell.

In a number of battles in which the British won the victory, the French took up a defensive position. They sought to limit damage and increase the chances of retreat. This position of the French resulted in flawed military tactics. For example, the weapons crews were ordered to aim at the masts and tackle in order to deprive the enemy of the opportunity to pursue French ships in the event of their retreat. The British have always aimed at the ship's hull to kill or maim the enemy team. In the tactics of naval combat, the longitudinal shelling of enemy ships was considered the most effective, while the shelling was carried out at the stern. In this case, with an accurate hit, the cannonballs swept from stern to bow, causing incredible damage to the vessel along its entire length. During the Battle of Trafalgar, the French flagship Bucentaure was damaged by such shelling, which lowered the flag, and Villeneuve surrendered. During the battle, it was not always possible to perform the complex maneuver necessary for the longitudinal attack of the ship. Sometimes the ships became sides to each other and opened fire from a short distance. If the crew of the ship survived the terrible shelling survived, then hand-to-hand combat awaited them. Opponents often sought to capture each other's ships.

Ever since man learned to travel by sea, the maritime states have embarked on a quest for wealth and power outside their territories. TO XVIII century Spain, Portugal, France, Holland, and Britain established vast colonial empires.

Ships built of wood and canvas began to make trade voyages across sea ​​routes between colonies and home. In the era of the sailing fleet, imperial ambitions were realized in dramatic battles at sea. Battleships, equipped with multiple decks on which death-carrying weapons were installed, became the most powerful weapons of their time. Three-deck warships were used - battleships, which carried up to 74 guns on board, approached the enemy to the limits of the possible and fired a volley. The wooden ship, breaking to pieces, undermined the morale of his team, thus inflicting the main blow on the enemy. This was the tactics of naval battles of that era.

Who ruled the oceans ruled the world. Britain has been such a country for almost two centuries. The first truly military fleet consisted of full-fledged battleships becoming the result of the ambitious King Henry VIII. Then naval battles were fought exclusively between merchant ships, on which guns were installed. His warships were built exclusively for military purposes. This was a real revolution at the time. The prototype battleship became " Mary rose».

The next two hundred years in constant conflicts between warring empires, the ships that participated in naval battles, turned into real battleships striking in their splendor. Large sailing ship " Victory"With three gun decks was a classic battleship... He could be on the high seas at any time of the year and anywhere in the world.

« Victory”Was launched in 1765. It took six years to build it and a whole oak forest of 2,500 trees. Battleship was twice as long " Mary rose"And seven times exceeded in displacement. Sailing battleship " Victory”Represented a whole dynasty of sailing ships, which, as they improved, became weapons in themselves.

Sailing ship« Victory"Is a floating weapon platform. Fifty guns of various calibers, designed to deliver a crushing blow that will blow your house apart in seconds. The power of the fire was incredible for that time. One side salvo is 500 kg of metal. The team was very large from 850 to 950 people. In such conditions, it was incredibly difficult to act: the rooms are low, there are few ventilation openings through which smoke could escape. There is no way to hide from the enemy's return fire from the gun deck.

classic sailing battleship "Victory"

building

illustrations depicting the classic battleship "Victory"

battleship "Victory"

battleship "Victory" on the road

battleship "Victory" at sea

Battleship« Victory”In the activities of the British Empire became a front-line position in the greatest naval battle in the history of the sailing fleet. In 1803, the battleship " Victory”On boarding Horatio Nelson became the flagship. At the time, the British feared an invasion of their country across the English Channel. On October 9, 1805, Nelson invited his officers to dinner on board battleship« Victory". He told them how to end, once and for all, the looming threat posed by the combined fleet of France and Spain. The determined and experienced sailor challenged the standard method of approaching the enemy in one line and fighting at close range. Instead, Nelson proposed a two-column formation and a breakthrough of the enemy line, resulting in confusion. The tactic was risky. During the Battle of Trafalgar, both squadrons met at dawn on October 21, 1805. Battleships and frigates approached at a speed of two knots so that the sailors could calmly have breakfast and think about what was about to happen. IN Battle of Trafalgar Nelson's ships were superior to their opponents only in size and armament.

Battle of Trafalgar

In times sailing fleet naval combat was more an art than a science. Naval commanders like Nelson won the battle, not ships. This tactic was also used due to the fact that the French and Spaniards could not shoot in a straight line. The fleet of Horatio Nelson, consisting of twenty-seven ships in a few hours, defeated the French-Spanish fleet, consisting of thirty-three battleships and frigates.

"Victory bones should be sacred relics ..". William Thackeray

Battleship "Victory" (English - HMS Victory)- the flagship of the British Navy, launched back in 1765, took part in many famous naval battles and has survived to this day. During the Battle of Trafalgar on board "Victory" was mortally wounded Admiral Nelson... Now the sailboat stands in Portsmouth dry dock and serves as a maritime museum.

"Victory" was laid down on July 23, 1759 at the shipyard in Chatham, in the midst of the seven-year war between England and France for influence in the East Indies and North American colonies. The prototype of the new sailing ship was the Royal George, the only battleship in the British fleet of that time. The construction of the new vessel was headed by the chief inspector of the British Admiralty, Thomas Slade. It was he who accidentally discovered in one of the warehouses a supply of logs that had been stored there for over ten years, of which the building was subsequently built. Victory. Thanks to these logs, the hull of the sailboat has survived to this day. New battleship "Victory" was supposed to become the fifth sailing ship with this name in the British fleet. The latter died in a storm in 1743. New ship built more than leisurely. The finished hull was launched only on May 7, 1765. And the whole work on the equipment of the new vessel was completed after another 13 years! The reason for all this was the endless military conflicts, and at the shipyard all forces were thrown into repairing ships damaged in battles.

In 1778 the battleship "Victory" was finally enlisted in the British Navy as a flagship. The first captain of the ship was John Lindsay. More than sixty thousand pounds sterling was spent on the construction of the sailboat. Battleship "Victory" became one of the largest ships of that time, its hull was 69 meters long and 15.7 meters wide. The sailboat carried 100 guns of various calibers: from six to 42 pounds, a simultaneous salvo from all of its cannons amounted to approximately 500 kilograms of metal. The sailboat had a double skin (external and internal) made of the best wood species, later the underwater part of the ship's hull was sheathed with copper sheets. Basic decorations "Victory" a bow figure, depicting King George III, and carved balconies at the stern of the ship became. On the sailing ship there were cabins only for the admiral and the captain, there were no cabins for the sailors, they slept right on one of the decks (there were four of them) in hammocks, which were folded up and put away in special boxes during the day. Ammunition for numerous guns was stored in the bow cellar, and during the battle, bombs were raised to the upper decks by hand. The sides of the ship were black with yellow gun ports highlighted. The sailing ship's crew consisted of almost a thousand people.

Battleship "Victory" conscientiously carried out his service, defending the interests of England in the sea, until 1798. During this time, he took part in such battles as the Battle of St. Vincent in 1797 and the Battle of Ouessant in 1778. But the most famous battle "Victory" was still ahead.

In 1798, they suddenly decided to exclude the battleship from the navy, deciding that the ship had already served enough in 20 years. And the flagship turned first into a hospital, and then into a floating prison. But already in 1799, the British Admiralty changed its mind, and the ship was sent for repairs. The ship was repaired until 1803 and cost more than £ seventy, more than the entire original construction.

On September 15, 1805, the admiral's flag was raised over the updated ship - command "Victory" became the famous naval commander Horatio Nelson. At this time, the so-called Napoleonic Wars... On October 21, 1805, the famous Battle of Trafalgar took place, in which the British fleet defeated the French-Spanish allied forces. Admiral Nelson had 27 ships at his disposal, against 33 enemy ships. The French-Spanish squadron was commanded by Admiral Villeneuve. As a result of this battle, the opponents of the British lost 18 ships and 7000 people (2600 killed and wounded, 4400 taken prisoner), while the British managed to save all their ships, but they also lost 450 people killed and 1230 wounded. The most important loss of the British was the famous admiral - Horatio Nelson was mortally wounded on board "Victory"... During the battle, the sailboat itself was damaged: the mizzen mast was destroyed by the cannonball, the mainsail and foremast were knocked out of their steps. And after the battle "Victory" was put back for repair.

After overhaul the sailing ship participated in several more battles in the Baltic Sea, and in 1811 became a transport ship. In 1812 "Victory" was expelled from the British navy, having served his homeland faithfully for 53 years. And it would seem that this was the end of the life of the sailboat. Most of its brethren are usually flooded after decommissioning, but "Victory" he was lucky, and for a whole hundred years he settled in the port of Gosport, becoming a living monument to the events of 1805 at Cape Trafalgar. Since 1824, gala dinners have been held annually in memory of the battle and Admiral Nelson.

By the beginning of the 20th century, the state "Victory" it was so bad that they wanted to send him for scrap. But the ship was defended again. J. Callender and D. Sturdy made a lot of effort for this. Thanks to them, significant funds were collected for the next repair. "Victory"... The restoration of the ship was completed in 1922, the sailboat was docked permanently in dry dock in Portsmouth and became a museum. During the Second World War, the hull of the sailing ship was pierced by a 250-kg aerial bomb, as a result of which the ship underwent another repair.

Today "Victory" one of the most visited and loved museums in England. This is not just a ship, but a monument to sea glory and the national pride of the British. All funds from excursions go to the maintenance of the ship, but now the most important enemy of the legendary battleship has become time, which gradually destroys the famous ship year after year ....

"Victoria" is a legendary ship navy Great Britain. It was launched in 1765. This is a linear stop-off ship that participated in the Battle of Trafalgar, Admiral Nelson was wounded on board. The most interesting thing is that this ship, which did not take part in the battles after 1812, has survived to this day. Docked at the oldest dock in Portsmouth since 1922, it is a fine example of the navy of the day, now converted into a museum, and is the oldest manned ship of the past era of English domination at sea.

"Victoria" - the flagship of the British Navy

"Victoria" is a first class ship, ships of this class carried at least three masts. Ancient ships carried weapons only along the sides, so the most effective battle tactics were to line up several ships in a line and a volley. The cannons of a large sixty-meter ship, when fired simultaneously from one side, fired almost half a ton of cannonballs! Such large ships were called line ships.

History of "Victoria"

The ship "Victoria" was laid down on July 23, 1759 at Chatham, designed by Thomas Slade. According to the report, it was a sunny and bright day. Initially, 250 people were hired for the construction, but the seven-year war confused the plans, and the ship did not go afloat until 1765. The dimensions of the "Victoria" approached the maximum possible for a wooden vessel, without the use of metal in the main structures. The Victoria is 227 feet or 69 meters long, 51 feet wide and 10 inches wide — almost 16 meters. The cladding was reinforced with a layer of copper. The ship used a steering wheel, this was an innovation, earlier on ships to control the massive rudder there was a mechanical lifting system. Sailing rigs have also become much more efficient. On sharp courses, oblique staysails and mizzen were used, on full courses - foxes.

Construction of "Victoria"

A special commission of the Admiralty accepted the ship in 1776. On Friday, May 8, 1778, the Victoria set sail for the first time, fired a salute of cannons, and went to sea under the command of Sir John Lindsay.

Design features of the ship

The ship has four decks that stretch the entire length of the hull. Supplies, provisions, gunpowder and water were stored on the lowest deck. The cabins of the medical staff and midshipmen were located immediately behind the cockpit, also on the lower deck. Kubrick became the headquarters during the fighting. The lower, middle and upper decks contained 30 guns of different calibers. The Victoria's side salvo could send nearly half a ton of cannonballs over a mile. The middle artillery deck housed the infirmary and the galley. The crew members spent the night in hanging bunks on the middle and lower artillery decks. The admiral's cabin was in the stern, on the upper artillery deck. On the upper open artillery deck, there were mainly rigging and winches, with the help of which the ship was controlled.

Interior decoration of the ship

"Victoria" inside - model

Artillery deck

The office of the renowned Admiral Nelson, who had led the British fleet to victory on the Victoria, was small, and his personal cabin was generally modest, the admiral slept on a hanging bunk. Nelson received guests and officers in the dining room. This was in stark contrast to the lavish decoration of the galleons of the previous century. Although from the outside, the Victoria looks like a huge three-story palace, but it does not have as many decorations and carvings as on earlier ships. Everything is devoted to military expediency.

At the dock of Portsmouth

The ship is like a floating fortress, designed to ensure the superiority of England at sea. These are the "wooden gates of England" that cannot be crossed.

Battle of Trafalgar

In 1778, France recognized the independence of America and vowed to defend, in arms, its trade relations with the young state. England began to prepare for war.

Victoria prepares for battle

When Napoleon came to power, relations not only deteriorated - the war broke out. Great Britain participated in it in an alliance with Austria, Russia, Sweden, the Kingdom of Naples. Napoleon's army was the strongest on land, it blocked communication with Great Britain, but in turn England put a naval blockade on Napoleon, preventing the supply of troops and Napoleon's communication with the colonies. Bonaparte decided to gather all the naval forces, clear the English Channel of English ships and land troops in England. For these purposes, Napoleon assembled a large combined fleet of France and Spain. However, in France by this time there was a lack of competent and skillful naval officers, they were destroyed by the revolution. British sailors were experienced warriors, they participated in many battles. The clash of these fleets led to the largest and most ambitious naval battle of the 19th century - the Battle of Trafalgar. The battle began on October 21, 1805 on the Atlantic coast of Spain near the city of Cadiz. The outcome of this battle was to show who now owns the sea and, ultimately, the whole world. Against 33 British ships under the leadership of Admiral Nelson, the flagship Victoria had 40 ships of the combined fleet under the command of Pierre-Charles Villeneuve.

"Victoria" at the Battle of Trafalgar

By the beginning of the Battle of Trafalgar, the vessel "Victoria" had 104 guns, of which two 64-pound carronades and 30 32-pounder cannons. Nelson, in preparing for the battle, took into account all the factors: swell, wind, waves. He built the ships in two columns and stood at the head of the left. He put on his dress uniform and went to the upper deck to be seen. To all persuasions to go down, he answered - the sailors must see their commander. At eleven o'clock the first shots of the flaring battle rang out.

The beginning of the battle

Two columns drove into the center of the formations of the combined French-Spanish fleet. This fleet stood like a crescent, it did not have time to line up in columns, the wind interfered. The historic battle has begun. The lead ships of the British broke through the formation, firing from all their guns. The Victoria entered between the enemy's two largest ships: the Spanish hulking giant Santisima Trinidad, which was equipped with 144 cannons, and the French flagship Bucentaure.

"Victoria" is boarding a French ship

The formation of ships mixed, each ship was looking for an enemy and fought with him. Nelson saw the shooter on French ship"Redontable", with which "Victoria" entered into a boarding battle, and inflicted a mortal wound on him. Horatio Nelson was taken to the Victoria infirmary, and from the infirmary Nelson kept asking about the course of the battle. “This day is yours,” they answered, although by that moment it was not clear whether the British won or not.

Nelson was in the thick of the fight

Nelson passed away. The British continued the battle, they were far superior in training to the French and the Spaniards, the British responded with three volleys for each salvo of the French-Spanish fleet. The British artillerymen were also distinguished by their accuracy - by firing at the cannon ports, they disabled the enemy's artillery. Three hours after the start of the battle, most of the ships of the combined squadron were defeated or captured. At two o'clock in the afternoon "Bucentaure" surrendered with the head of the French-Spanish fleet Villeneuve. The ships of the combined fleet began to leave the battle. The outcome of the battle became clear. The Allies lost 17 ships ("Santisima Trinidad" sank in transit during a storm) and more than seven thousand people. The British lost 2,000 sailors, but retained all the ships, although some were so battered and broken that they had to be taken in tow. The Victoria with Nelson's body was towed to Gibraltar for repairs.

The further fate of the vessel

After repairs, the ship patrolled the coast of the Baltic and Spain until 1812. Then she returned to Portsmouth. In 1889, "Victoria" became the flagship of the Commander-in-Chief and remains so to this day. In 1922, it was decided to give the ship the look that the ship of the line had during the Battle of Trafalgar, and has now been turned into a museum.

Cannon deck

Stern part