The London class ships 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...

 were a class of four second rates, designed for 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...

 by Sir Thomas Slade

Thomas Slade

Sir Thomas Slade was an English naval architect, most famous for designing HMS Victory, Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.-Career Outline:...

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Design

The first ship of the class, , was a 90-gun ship. When the second batch of three ships was ordered several years later, they were specified as being 98-gun ships. This was achievable without significant modifications to the design thanks to the earlier practice of not arming second rate quarterdecks, thus allowing for the addition of 4 guns per side.

Ships

Builder: Chatham Dockyard

Chatham Dockyard

Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional...

Ordered: 28 September 1759

Launched: 24 May 1766

Fate: Broken up, 1811

Builder: Woolwich Dockyard

Woolwich Dockyard

Woolwich Dockyard was an English naval dockyard founded by King Henry VIII in 1512 to build his flagship Henri Grâce à Dieu , the largest ship of its day....

Ordered: 9 December 1779

Launched: 4 July 1788

Fate: Broken up, 1837

Builder: Deptford Dockyard

Ordered: 13 September 1780

Launched: 15 April 1786

Fate: Wrecked, 1799

Builder: Deptford Dockyard

Ordered: 10 December 1782

Launched: 3 May 1790

Fate: Broken up, 1839