HMS Victory |
On October 21, 1805, one of the most momentous battles in European history began off Cape Trafalgar, Spain. Napoleon was determined upon invasion of England and he ordered the 33 heavily-gunned ships of France and Spain to confront the 27 ships of British fleet commanded by Lord Horatio Nelson.
At the head of the British column, Nelson''s flagship, HMS Victory, sailed directly into the center of the combined fleet to cut it in two, holding fire to conserve ammunition. Her steering was disabled, her sails were full of holes, and she was partially dismasted, but Victory came straight on. Only then did Nelson give the order to open fire while turning to run down the line of the French formation.
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HMS Surprise |
The HMS Surprise was made famous by Patrick O Brian, in his books on the adventures of Captain Aubrey and the surgeon Maturin, and in the movie Master and Commander. This frigate was built as L Unite in 1794. It was a 24-gun corvette, armed with 8lb long guns.
The British captured her in April 1796 in the Mediterranean, and changed her name to HMS Surprise. She was re-armed and classed as a 28-gun ship (actually had 24 32lb carronades on her main deck, 8 32 lb carronades on her quarter deck, and 4 6 lb long guns on her foredeck).
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Cutty Sark |
The Cutty Sark was launched on November 22, 1869, in Dumbarton on the Scottish Clyde. She was built to carry tea in the China Run. Due to a new hull shape that was stronger, could take more sail and be driven harder than any other, the Cutty Sark was the fastest ship taking the Cape of Good Hope Route. Her name comes from Robert Burns'' poem, Tam O'' Shanter. Tam meets a group of witches, most of whom are ugly, but for Nannie, who is young and beautiful and is described as wearing only a "cutty sark" (a short chemise or shirt).
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HMS Endeavour
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In 1768 Lieutenant James Cook, Royal Navy, set sail on HMS Endeavour on a voyage of exploration and scientific investigation and through his journeys, Cook is considered to be one of the greatest explorers
In 1770 Cook reached New Zeland where he circumnavigated and completely charted the north and south islands before continuing west. In April, he sighted the east coast of Australia and sailed north along the coast before anchoring in what he named Botany Bay. He then continued north to Cape York and on to Jakarta and Indonesia. During the four months voyage along the coast Cook charted the coastline from Victoria to Queensland and proclaimed the eastern part of the continent for Great Britain. Due to the popularity of the "Endeavour" name we have also included a few features from the sailing yacht class that carry the same name.
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Mayflower |
The Mayflower transported the Pilgrim Fathers from Plymouth, England to "North Virginia" (in what was later to become the United States of America) in 1620, leaving Plymouth on September 6 and weighing anchor near Cape Cod on November 21. |
HMS Leopard
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The HMS Leopard was made famous in the Patrick O’Brien novel “Desolation Island”, where Captain Jack Aubrey was assigned to rescue Governor Bligh of the famed “Mutiny on the Bounty”.
In history, the HMS Leopard, is best known for the “Chesapeake- Leopard” affair of 1807 (which many saw as a prelude to the War of 1812). Under the command of Captain Humphreys, the Leopard hailed the USS Chesapeake to search for suspected deserters. The Leopard sent a boat over to the Chesapeake with a copy of a search order. Denying the request, the Commodore of the Chesapeake sent the boat back while secretly clearing the gun decks in preparation for battle. Not letting himself be outwit, the HMS Leopard was prepared and fired three full broadsides on the Chesapeake. Able to fire off only one shot in retaliation, the Chesapeake surrendered and allowed the boarding and search previously requested by more peaceful means. Four suspected deserters were captured and brought back to the Leopard. |