HMS Victorious (1808)

The Swiftsure-class ship of the line was designed by Sir John Henslow, co-Surveyor of the Navy. Victorious measured on the gundeck and on the keel. She had a beam of , a depth of hold of and had a tonnage of 1,724 tons burthen. The ship's draught was forward and aft at light load; fully loaded, her draught would be significantly deeper. The crew of the Swiftsures numbered 590 officers and ratings. The ships were fitted with three masts and ship-rigged. The ships were armed with 74 muzzle-loading, smoothbore guns that consisted of twenty-eight 32-pounder guns on her lower gundeck and twenty-eight 18-pounder guns on her upper gundeck. Their forecastle mounted a pair of 18-pounder guns and two 32-pounder carronades. On their quarterdeck they carried four 18-pounders and ten 32-pounder carronades. Above the quarterdeck was their poop deck with half-a-dozen 18-pounder carronades. ==Construction and career==

Victorious was the third ship of her name to serve with the Royal Navy. The ship was ordered on 7 November 1802 from Henry Adams' sons Balthazar and Edward Adams and was laid down at their shipyard in Bucklers Hard in February 1805. She was launched on 20 October 1808 and completed at Devonport Dockyard between 7 November and 2 March 1809. Victorious was commissioned by Captain George Hamond in December 1808. Victorious served as part of Rear Admiral Sir George Cockburn's fleet in Chesapeake Bay during the War of 1812. She participated in the blockade of the Elizabeth River, keeping at her berth in Norfolk, Virginia, during the conflict. On 18 September 1813, Victorious arrived at Bermuda. The warship was decommissioned and placed in ordinary at Portsmouth Dockyard in March 1814. She was returned to service as a receiving ship in 1826, and broken up on 21 December 1861. ==Notes==