British First Rate ship of the line 'Britannia' (1820)

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Britannia	33
Nominal Guns	120	B065
Nationality	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Operator	Royal Navy
Ordered	6.1.1812	B065
Keel Laid Down	12.1813	B065
Launched	20.10.1820	B065
How acquired	Purpose built	B065
Shipyard	Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth	B065
Category	First Rate	B065
Ship Type	Ship of the Line	B065
Sailing Rig	Ship Rigged	B065
Broken Up	20.11.1869	B065

Dimensions

DimensionMeasurementTypeMetric EquivalentB065
Length of Gundeck205' 0"Imperial Feet62.484
Length of Keel170' 11"Imperial Feet51.8164
Breadth53' 6"Imperial Feet16.2052
Depth in Hold23' 2"Imperial Feet7.0273
Burthen2,616Tons BM

Armament

1820Broadside Weight = 1824 Imperial Pound ( 827.184 kg)B028
Gun Deck2 British 68-Pounder
Gun Deck18 British 32-Pound Carronade
Gun Deck64 British 32-Pounder
Gun Deck34 British 24-Pounder
Gun Deck4 British 18-Pounder

1820Broadside Weight = 1568 Imperial Pound ( 711.088 kg)B181
Lower Gun Deck32 British 32-Pounder
Middle Gun Deck34 British 24-Pounder
Upper Gun Deck34 British 24-Pound Congreve
Quarterdeck10 British 32-Pound Carronade
Quarterdeck6 British 12-Pounder
Forecastle2 British 32-Pound Carronade
Forecastle2 British 12-Pounder

Crew Complement

Date# of MenNotesSource
1820900 B181
1820820Peace establishmentB181

11 Ship Commanders

DatesRankNameSource
28.4.1830 - 10.1831CaptainW03323.11.1839 - 1.10.1840CaptainNBD18497.4.1841 - 9.1841CaptainW0339.1841 - 1844CaptainW03330.8.1850 - 2.12.1851CaptainW0339.8.1852 - 1854CaptainW0331.1.1859 - 1.10.1863CaptainW0331.10.1862 - 1866CaptainW0251.10.1863 - 20.4.1866CaptainW03320.4.1866 - 1867CaptainW0331867CaptainW033

3 Flag Officers

DatesRankNameSource
4.10.1823 - 1830Rear-AdmiralW0332.12.1851 - 1852Rear-AdmiralW0332.12.1851 - 9.8.1852Rear-AdmiralW033

16 Commissioned Officers

DatesRankNameSource
4.1824 - 1824LieutenantNBD184930.4.1827 - 2.1828LieutenantNBD184930.4.1827 - 4.1830LieutenantNBD184912.5.1827 - 29.9.1827CommanderNBD184911.9.1827 - 1829LieutenantNBD184931.5.1828 - 5.1830CommanderNBD18491.12.1830 - 5.1835LieutenantNBD184927.10.1831 - 1834LieutenantNBD18495.4.1836 - 3.1837Flag LieutenantNBD184919.4.1839 - 23.11.1841First LieutenantNBD184923.11.1839 - 1.10.1840Flag LieutenantNBD184913.10.1840 - 22.9.1841LieutenantNBD184918.10.1840 - 1841LieutenantNBD184912.11.1840 - 29.7.1841LieutenantNBD184918.6.1841 - 13.9.1841LieutenantNBD184928.7.1841 - 17.9.1841LieutenantNBD1849

1 Warrant Officer

DatesRankNameSource
29.10.1831 - 1835Masterref:1871

3 Petty Officers

DatesRatingNameSource
1816 - 17.4.1824Master's MateNBD18492.1820 - 10.1823MidshipmanNBD18491841 - 23.11.1841Master's MateNBD1849

Service History

DateEventSource
1820Completed at Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth at a cost of £103768.0.0dB181
1.1843Placed in ordinary at PortsmouthW033
30.8.1850Guard ship in ordinary at PortsmouthW033
12.1851Commissioned for the MediterraneanW033
7.1855Hulked as a Hopital Ship at PortsmouthB181
2.1859Became a training shipB181
2.1862Moved to PortlandB181
9.1863Moved to DartmouthB181
20.11.1869Break up completed at DevonportB181

Notes on Ship

Dimensions other than tonnage are the design measurements for the class (Caledonia Class)

Sources

IDNameAuthorType

B028J. J. Colledge, Book

B065Brian Lavery, Book

B181David Lyon, Book

NBD1849O'Brien, Digital Book

W025P. Davis, Web Site

W033Ronald Deschenes, Web Site

ref:1871 Archive

Previous comments on this page

Posted by Cy on Monday 18th of December 2023 08:22

Yes, there was work after launch, all done at Plymouth dockyard.
There has never been a Britain, they probably meant Briton, a frigate built in 1812. Except that in 1823 she ws being refitted in Portsmouth.

Posted by Keith Funnell on Monday 18th of December 2023 00:56

February 1823 one of my forebears was a carpenter at Portsea working on the "HMS Britain" (baptismal entry record). Is it possible that while built at Plymouth there may have been 'finishing' work to do before being fully commissioned and, of coarse, was the Britannia (1820) also known as HMS Britain ?

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