Archive for the ‘Tall Ships’ Category
Back in 1758 the Royal Navy ordered a new first-rate new ship from the commissioner of the Chatham Dockyard. This seemed strange at the time because the Royal Navy went for smaller faster ships that were very maneuverable.
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The ships plans were based on the HMS Royal George and were presented in June 1759. The George was launched from the Woolwich Dockyard in 1756. Sir Thomas Slade was appointed Surveyor of the Navy and chosen to build the new ships. The new ship was to carry 100 guns and after her launching in practice she carried 104 to 106 guns and carronades.
The name was chosen in October 1760 to commemorate Annus Mirbilis (Year of Victories) or 1759. It was though that Victory was not a good name because the first Victory of 1744 was lost with all hands. The Seven Years War was won at Quebec, Minden and other naval battles of Lagos and Quiberon Bay all contributed to the year of victories.
The frame of the ship was built and then left for almost three years and work did not restart on her until autumn of 1763. This added to the ships longevity allowing the frame to season. The ship was finally completed May 7th of 1765, 90% of oak with some elm, pine and fir and they also used a small amount of Lignum Vitae to complete construction.
The Victory had no reason to be used at the time so she was moored in the Medway River for 13 years dismasted and roofed over and placed under general maintenance. She remained there until France joined the American War of Independence.
John Lindsay appointed as her first captain ended up transferred to the HMS Prince George in May of 1778. The Honorable Augustus Keppel Admiral raised his flag in Victory. The HMS Victory was finally commissioned under the command of Rear Admiral John Campbell and Captain Jonathan Faulknor under the flag of Admiral Keppel.
The HMS Victory’s armaments consisted of smooth bore cannons. She started out with thirty 42 pounders on the lower deck, 28 24 pounder on the mid deck and thirty 12 pounder on the upper deck. The quarterdeck and forecastle held twelve 6 pound guns. Later on some of the sizes were changed out and 2 carronade guns were added that would fire 68 lb shot.
The Victory was stationed at Chatham if February 1798 under the command of Lieutenant J. Rickman. Declared unfit for service as a warship in December she was ordered converted to a hospital ship. The idea was to treat French and Spanish prisoners of war.
After the loss of the HMS Impregnable off Chichester the on the way back from Portsmouth the Admiralty planed the recondition the Victory which turned out to a costly undertaking and extensive reconstruction.
They replaced her figurehead and paint scheme from red to black and yellow. The pattern was called the (Nelson Chequer) adopted by Royal Navy ships after the Battle of Trafalgar. With new masts and paint scheme completed April 11th 1803 under her new captain Samuel Sutton she left for Portsmouth.
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HMS Victory The Oldest Commissioned Warship
The HMS Victory is due to undergo complete restoration to the tune of $25 mil. Britain’s maritime power legacy centers around this awesome battleship built 246 years ago. The Victory will undergo the most extensive restoration she has ever had. The last extensive restoration was after the Battle of Trafalgar due to her extensive damage.
BAE Systems was awarded a five year contract to rebuild the HMS Victory. The major construction contract has a unique option to extend for a second five years if needed. The project manager John O’Sullivan thinks the ship is really always a “work-in-progress”. No matter how intensive the restoration a ship of this class needs continuous work to keep it from wasting away so restoration work must continue forever.
No much of the original ship that stands at Portsmouth is from the original ship. The ship was and still is a work of art built 246 years ago that make the experts of today marvel at the workmanship. Even O’Sullivan believes the ship is a true work of art.
Mr. O’Sullivan says that shipwrights would struggle duplicating the craftsmanship today of the HMS Victory. The restoration will require re-planking the entire outside hull. The masts will be repaired and considerable work will be carried out on the interior. Since the battle of Trafalgar the Victory has only undergone maintenance no complete refit of this magnitude has ever been carried out.
The real exciting part is that the restoration will be performed by specialist that still has the skills of doing the work by hand. The very best work can only be carried out by hand when it comes to shaping and carving wood. One goal that O’Sullivan has is to train new apprentices. The art of old tall ship restoration are skills that the world does not want to lose.
The HMS Victory was in service for 30 years, commissioned back in 1778. This great warship is the only one that survived the American War of Independence, French Revolutionary War and Napoleonic wars.
This is one amazing looking ship and would make a great addition to any collection. She is one well armed lady!
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Italian Amerigo Vespucci Tall Ship
Two training ships were ordered in 1925 by the Regia Marina and were to be designed by General Lieutenant Francesco Rotundi of the Italian Navy Engineering Corps. The ships were to be the same style used in the 18th century ships of the line that carried 74 cannons.
The first to be launched went into service as The Cristoforo Colombo in 1928. She ended up being used by the Italian Navy until 1943. The ship was given to the USSR for war reparations but was quickly decommissioned.
The second ship and the more beautiful of the two built in 1930 at the Naval Shipyard of Castellammare di Stabia Naples. Launched in 1931 and finally put into service in July.
Named in honor of the famous explorer Amerigo Vespucci The Italian Amerigo Vespucci Tall Ship of Marina Militare today makes its home port in Livorno, Italy. As the original plan she is used as a training ship.
The Amerigo Vespucci is a full rigged three-mast steel hull 270.34 ft long, with an overall length of 331 ft including the bowsprit and a maximum width of 51 ft. Her draught of about 23 ft and she has a displacement at full load of 4146 tons. She has auxiliary diesel-electric propulsion which will make the Amerigo Vespucci reach top speeds of 10 knots and cruise as far as 5450 nm at 6.5 knots.
She also has masts made from steel which are 50, 54 and 43 meters in height. Italian Amerigo Vespucci tall ship is rigged with 26 sails altogether. They consist of square sails, stay sails and jibs all made from the traditional canvas. Under full sail even with severe sea conditions she can reach a full 12 knots. She is the last of the tall ships with three decks and square rig to still survive as of today.
The style of this ship is truly a sight to behold. Black hull she has two white stripes that extenuates the original two cannon decks. Today she carries only the saluting guns mounted on pivots forward of the mainmast. Her deck planks made of teak get replaced every three years. The bow and stern have intricate ornaments and on the bow is a life size figurehead of Amerigo Vespucci.
When she sails with the midshipmen of the Naval Academy the crew totals about 450 officers and men. The standard crew configuration is 190 sailors, 70 non-commissioned officers and 16 officers.
The Amerigo Vespucci has auxiliary power since 1964 2 8 cylinder Fiat B 308 ESS diesel engines replace the older smaller power plant. The more powerful engines generate electric power for propulsion. The electric propulsion produces 2000 hp to propel the ship.
Today she has all the modern electronic navigation equipment and hydraulic assisted steering located on the bridge. But when training cadets she is steered by the manual stern rudder station. It has 4 steering wheels that require 2 men each to be manned at all times.
The Italian Amerigo Vespucci has maintained active service except during the war of World War II. She has sailed around the world in 2002 but mostly cruises in European waters when training the crew.
She maintains a full schedule entering the Tall Ship races, sailing in many parades. When racing she proves to be a good rival for the SSS Gorch Fock. Always when docked in port the public is granted tours of the vessel.
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1854 USS Constellation Order Today!
Our USS Constellation of 1854 is actually the second U.S. Navy ship to carry the name. The original USS Constellation a 38-gun frigate, one of the six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794. In June of 1853 she was disassembled as recorded in the U.S. Naval Registry. Our Naval sloop-of-war was built in Gosport Navy Yard of Norfolk, Virginia the same port the frigate was disassembled.
The USS Constellation of 1854 was the last warship powered by sail constructed by the U.S. Navy. And she lives on today and still sails as part of the Historic Ships in Baltimore and designated a National Historic Landmark.
Originally the sloop launched in August of 1854 and she received her commissioned in July of 1855 and with the honorable Captain Charles H. Bell in command.
During the Civil War years 1855 through 1858 the Constellation served diplomatic duties with the U.S. Mediterranean Squadron. She became the flagship of the U.S. African Squadron between 1859 through 1861. She interrupted the African slave trade catching the slave ships and releasing the African slaves.
Before World War I she was used as a practice ship for the Naval Academy. By 1894 the Constellation was converted into a training ship for the Naval Training center of Newport, Rhode Island. She assisted in the training of more than 60,000 recruits for World War I.
USS Constellation 1854 is a Beauty
USS Constellation Still Sails Today!
Sadly the Constellation was decommissioned in 1933 but in 1940 President Franklin Roosevelt re-commissioned her as a National symbol. During the second World War she served mostly as relief (i.e. reserve) flagship for the U.S. Fleet in the Atlantic. For the first six months of 1942 she served as flagship for Admiral Ernest J. King and Vice Admiral Royal E. Ingersoll.
After the war the Constellation was decommissioned again in February of 1955 and removed from the Naval Vessel Register. Not bad considering this was about one hundred years and two weeks from her first commissioning.
The USS Constellation was taken to her permanent berth in Baltimore, Maryland. She was the last American Civil War era Naval Vessel powered by sail built by the U.S. Navy.
After restoration the Constellation sailed again in October 2004 making her first trip out of Baltimore’s inner Harbor since 1955. Her first trip after 111 years was to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis that took 6 days.
The USS Constellation of 1854 is one of the four oldest sailing ships in the United States. The other three are the USS Constitution of 1797 and The Star of India 1863 along with the Charles W. Morgan.
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There have been four ships the bare the name USS Constellation for the U.S. Navy over the years. The name was given in honor according to the U.S. Congress of the “New Constellation of Stars” on the flag of the United States.
The first USS Constellation (1797), was a 38 gun frigate and the second ship to be commissioned in the United States Navy. It was the first US Navy vessel to put to sea and the first US Navy vessel to engage, defeat, and capture an enemy vessel.
Our USS Constellation (1854) was a sloop-of-war that served from 1855 to 1933, and is preserved as a National Historic Landmark in Baltimore, Maryland.
The third USS Constellation (CC-2), a battle-cruiser, was laid down in 1920 but construction was canceled in 1923.
The forth USS Constellation (CV-64), was a Kitty Hawk-class steam turbine propelled aircraft carrier which served from 1961 to 2003.
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