HMS Caledonia (1808)

Fight of the Romulus against HMS Boyne and HMS Caledonia, by Gilbert Pierre-Julien (1783 - 1860)
History
UK
Name:	HMS Caledonia
Ordered:	19 January 1797
Builder:	Plymouth Dockyard
Laid down:	January 1805
Launched:	25 June 1808
Renamed:	HMS Dreadnought, 1856
Honours and awards:	Participated in bombardment of Algiers, 1816
Fate:	Broken up, 1875
General characteristics
Class and type:	Caledonia-class ship of the line
Tons burthen:	2616 5⁄94 (bm)
Length:	205 ft (62 m) (gundeck)
Beam:	53 ft 6 in (16.31 m)
Depth of hold:	23 ft 2 in (7.06 m)
Propulsion:	Sails
Sail plan:	Full rigged ship
Armament:	120 guns: Gundeck: 32 × 32 pdrs Middle gundeck: 34 × 24 pdrs Upper gundeck: 34 × 18 pdrs Quarterdeck: 6 × 12 pdrs, 10 × 32 pdr carronades Forecastle: 2 × 12 pdrs, 2 × 32 pdr carronades Poop deck: 2 × 18 pdr carronades

HMS Caledonia was a 120-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 25 June 1808 at Plymouth. She was Admiral Pellew's flagship in the Mediterranean.

She proved to be a very successful ship, and it was said that 'This fine three-decker rides easy at her anchors, carries her lee ports well, rolls and pitches quite easy, generally carries her helm half a turn a-weather, steers, works and stays remarkably well, is a weatherly ship, and lies-to very close.' She was 'allowed by all hands to be faultless'. In later years she was to become the standard design for British three-deckers.

On 12 February 1814 she took part with HMS Boyne in a hot action against the French line-of-battle ship Romulus off Toulon; the French 74 managed to escape to Toulon by sailing close to the coast to avoid being surrounded.

In 1831 she was part of the Experimental Squadron of the Channel Fleet under Sir Edward Codrington. On 12 September that year she took part in an experiment whereby she was towed by the frigate HMS Galatea by means of hand-worked paddles alone.

In 1856 she was converted to a hospital ship, renamed Dreadnought and became the second floating Dreadnought Seamen's Hospital at Greenwich, where she remained until 1870. In 1871 she was briefly returned to service to accommodate patients recovering from the smallpox epidemic of that year. She was broken up in 1875.