H.M.S. Victory at her moorings in Portsmouth harbour, with H.M.S. Duke of Wellington and other shipping beyond

Arguably the world's most famous warship, H.M.S. Victory was already forty years old when she achieved her immortality at the Battle of Trafalgar having been launched in Chatham back in 1765. Badly damaged at Trafalgar, she was first repaired and then extensively refitted in 1808 before returning to sea as flagship to the Baltic Fleet. Paid off in 1812, since 1824 she has served as flagship to the Commanders-in-Chief at Portsmouth, a role she fulfilled afloat before being permanently dry-docked in 1922.