HMS Dragon was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line

Ship of the line

A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...

 of the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

, launched on 2 April 1798 at Rotherhithe

Rotherhithe

Rotherhithe is a residential district in inner southeast London, England and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is located on a peninsula on the south bank of the Thames, facing Wapping and the Isle of Dogs on the north bank, and is a part of the Docklands area...

. She was designed by Sir William Rule, and was the only ship built to her draught.

In 1799, she sailed to the Mediterranean as part of a squadron under Sir Charles Cotton

Sir Charles Cotton, 5th Baronet

Sir Charles Cotton, 5th Baronet was a senior Royal Navy officer of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars whose service continued until his death in command of the Channel Fleet from apoplexy in 1812. During his service, Cotton saw action off the Eastern Seaboard of the Thirteen Colonies and...

. In February 1801 she was part of a squadron under Sir John Warren off Cadiz. In June 1801, Dragon, together with Endymion

HMS Endymion (1797)

HMS Endymion was a 40-gun fifth rate that served in the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, the War of 1812 and during the First Opium War. She was built to the lines of the French prize captured in 1794...

, captured the French ship Colombe. In 1805, Dragon took part in Admiral Robert Calder

Robert Calder

Admiral Sir Robert Calder, 1st Baronet, KCB was a British naval officer who served in the Seven Years' War, the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.-Early life:...

's action at the Battle of Cape Finisterre

Battle of Cape Finisterre (1805)

In the Battle of Cape Finisterre off Galicia, Spain, the British fleet under Admiral Robert Calder fought an indecisive naval battle against the Combined Franco-Spanish fleet which was returning from the West Indies...

.

From 1806-8 she served in the Channel Squadron. In September 1810 she commissioned as the flagship of Sir F. la Faey and sailed for the Leeward Islands in October. She then participated in the War of 1812

War of 1812

The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

 with the United States, under the command of Robert Barrie

Robert Barrie

Sir Robert Barrie KCB, KCH was a British officer of the Royal Navy noted for his service in the War of 1812....

, and took part in a number of engagements including the Battle of Hampden

Battle of Hampden

The Battle of Hampden, though a minor action of the War of 1812, was the last significant clash of arms in New England, in this instance, in the District of Maine . It represented the end of two centuries of violent contest over Maine by surrounding political units...

 which resulted in the scuttling of the frigate USS Adams

USS Adams (1799)

The first USS Adams was a 28-gun sailing frigate of the United States Navy. She should not be confused with .-Commissioning:She was laid down in 1797 at New York City by John Jackson and William Sheffield and launched on 8 June 1799. Capt...

.

In January 1815, Dragon was the flagship for Admiral Sir George Cockburn

George Cockburn

Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Cockburn, 10th Baronet GCB was a British naval commander of the late 18th through the mid-19th centuries. He held important commands during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812 and eventually rose to become Admiral of the Fleet and First Sea Lord.-Naval...

 at the Battle of Fort Peter

Battle of Fort Peter

The Battle of Fort Peter, or the Battle of Fort Point Peter or Fort Point Petre, was a successful attack by a British force on St. Marys, Georgia and a smaller force of American soldiers at Fort Peter, a small fort protecting the town. Point Peter is located at the mouth of Point Peter Creek and...

 and the capture of St. Marys, Georgia

St. Marys, Georgia

-See also:*Cumberland Island*St. Marys Historic District*St. Marys Railroad-External links:***...

.

She was on harbour service in 1824, becoming a Marine barracks at Portland in 1829. She was renamed HMS Fame in 1842. She was broken up in 1850.