Valiant-class ship of the line

The Valiant-class ships of the line were a class of two 74-gun third rates of the Royal Navy.

Valiant-class
Class overview
Name: Valiant
Operators:  Royal Navy
Preceded by: Hercules class
Succeeded by: Bellona class
In service: 10 August 1759 - 1850
Completed: 2
General characteristics
Type: Ship of the line
Length:
  • 172 ft (52 m) (gundeck)
  • 139 ft (42 m) (keel)
Beam: 49 ft 8 in (15.14 m)
Propulsion: Sails
Armament:
  • 74 guns:
  • Gundeck: 28 × 32-pounders
  • Upper gundeck: 30 × 24-pounders
  • Quarterdeck: 10 × 9-pounders
  • Forecastle: 2 × 9-pounders
Notes: Ships in class include: Valiant, Triumph

Design

The draught for the two Valiant-class ships was a copy of the lines of the captured French ship Invincible, which had been captured during the First Battle of Cape Finisterre. They were slightly longer than other British 74s of the time, and carried a significantly heavier armament (thirty 24-pounders on their upper gun decks as opposed to the twenty-eight 18-pounders found on the upper gun decks of all other British 74s at the time). The second of the two ships was launched in 1764, and there would not be another 'large' type 74 until the Mars-class, the first of which was launched in 1794.

Ships
Builder: Chatham Dockyard
Ordered: 21 May 1757
Launched: 10 August 1759
Fate: Broken up, 1826
Builder: Woolwich Dockyard
Ordered: 21 May 1757
Launched: 3 March 1764
Fate: Broken up, 1850

References
    • Lavery, Brian (2003) The Ship of the Line - Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-252-8.


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