HMS Britannia (1762)

Britannia on the Hamoaze entering Devonport harbour
History
Great Britain
Name	HMS Britannia
Ordered	25 April 1751
Builder	Portsmouth Dockyard
Cost	£45,844/2s/8d
Laid down	1 July 1751
Launched	19 October 1762
Renamed	HMS Princess Royal – 6 January 1810 HMS St. George – 18 January 1812 HMS Barfleur – 2 June 1819
Nickname(s)	Old Ironsides[1]
Honours and awards	Participated in: Battle of Cape Spartel (1782) Battle of Genoa (1795) Battle of the Hyères Islands (1795) Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1797) Battle of Trafalgar (1805)
Fate	Broken up, 1825
General characteristics [2]
Class and type	1745 Establishment 100-gun first rate ship of the line
Tons burthen	2116
Length	178 ft (54.3 m) (gundeck)
Beam	51 ft (15.5 m)
Depth of hold	21 ft 6 in (6.6 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Complement	850 officers and men
Armament	100 guns: Gundeck: 28 × 42 pdrs Middle gundeck: 28 × 24 pdrs Upper gundeck: 28 × 12 pdrs Quarterdeck: 12 × 6 pdrs Forecastle: 4 × 6 pdrs

HMS Britannia was a 100-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. The vessel was laid down in 1751 and launched in 1762. Nicknamed Old Ironsides, she served in the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars, including at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. One of the largest Royal Navy warships of her era, Britannia was one of only three British first-rates present at the battle, alongside HMS Victory and HMS Royal Sovereign. In 1806, the vessel was laid up and eventually converted into a hulk, before being broken up in 1825.