Nelson & His World

Discussion on the life and times of Admiral Lord Nelson
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 Post subject: Ships of the Line Plans
PostPosted: Sun Oct 19, 2008 11:28 pm 
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Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2008 1:15 am
Posts: 14
I've got hold of a great book about HMS Victory, full of the great ships history, diagrams, plans and layouts.
Does any one know if similar information is available about Nelson's Foudroyant or Agamemnon.
I had presumed that the Ships of the Line were built to a standard form or pattern but I seem to remember reading somewhere that Nelson favoured the Agamemnon over all his other ships and wondered why.
Given that the materials used to build the ships were subject to a degree of 'organic' variation, I can appreciate that there could have been some ships that perhaps handled better than others, but were there other differences which might cause a preference.
Perhaps a bit more cabin space for the officers, easier to ready for battle, stability in heavy seas &c.. Any information would be very much appreciated.
Thanks
Mike


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 9:15 am 
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Joined: Wed Feb 20, 2008 9:44 am
Posts: 168
Location: Woodbridge
Have a look for "Nelson's Ships" by Peter Goodwin; it contains service histories of every ship Nelson served on, with line drawings and pictures.

Also "Warships of the Napoleonic Era" by Robert Gardiner,which reproduces original plans of all the main types of ship, with a short history and background of the type.

The Agamemnon is dealt with in "Nelsons Favourite" by Anthony Deane.

"The Ship of the Line" (two volumes) by Brian Lavery, covers the history of the development of the type

and finally ...

"British Warships in the Age of Sail 1714-1792" and "British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793 - 1817", both by Rif Winfield is a full list of every ship that served in the Royal Navy, with service histories,with some plans and pictures


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 6:24 pm 
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Joined: Sat Feb 23, 2008 9:11 am
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Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Swiftsure,

There are two points here, a ships sailing ability and the comfort she might provide. With regard to Nelson the Agamemnon falls into the first category.

Although ships were built to a design and to all intents and purposes appeared structurally to be the same, it was true to say that the sailing performance of one ship of the same class as against another was often very different. I believe there was, and still is, often an indefinable something which makes one ship sail better than another which is similar in most respects. This would of course only really have been deduced by actually taking the ship to sea.

The Agamemnon appears to have been a case in point and Nelson became very attached to her for her sailing ability, calling her the finest sixty four in the service. One might think this stems either from his exuberance when he became her captain in 1793 after five years 'on the beach', or that most of the crew came from Norfolk and under him became well trained, however I think but there was more to it than that. Having found that she was a good sailer Nelson, being the man he was, would have learnt to get the best out of her. Very often, whether a ship will perform well or not depends on the individual captain and his understanding of his ship and her characteristics. Nelson had this understanding, and I wouldn't mind betting that other captains didn't sail the Agamemnon so well, even if the ship herself were willing.

Nelson, being used to frigates in his early career, sailed the Agamemnon like one when he found that she would respond. There are several instances of this, one being his well known exploit in the Mediterranean in 1795 when he poured broadsides in quick succession into stern of the crippled French Ca Ira, first on one tack then on another. He was offered a 74 by Lord Hood, but he initially refused, wanting to stay with the Agamemnon. When he finally had to give her up, when she was in bad need of repair, he was loath to do so.

When Nelson became a rear admiral he perhaps thought a little more of comfort and chose the San Josef, which was briefly his flagship in 1801 and was the ship which he had earlier captured at Cape St Vincent. Although also a good sailer I believe he thought her accomodation for an admiral and his staff superior to many ships of similar size. She actually survived into the era of the camera, there being a photograph of her being broken up in Devonport dockyard in 1849.

Kester


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