HMS Agamemnon (1781)

HMS Agamemnon, a sixty-four gun, third-rate ship-of-the-line-of-battle, was constructed at Buckler's Hard, on the Beaulieu river, Hampshire, and launched in 1781. HMS Agamemnon was one of the most famous ships in the Royal Navy, with battle honours including The Saints, Copenhagen, the Battle of Trafalgar, and the Battle of Santo Domingo. She was commanded by Captain Nelson between 1793 and 1796, during which time he lost the sight in his right eye at the siege of Calvi.

HMS Agamemnon was the first ship-of-the-line Nelson commanded, and also the first in which he raised his broad pennant as Commodore. He transferred his command to the 74-gun HMS Captain, 74, in 1796, in which he took part in the Battle of St Vincent. Nelson always spoke fondly of Agamemnon, and indeed, she is remembered to this day as his favourite ship of all.

Designed by Sir Thomas Slade, the same man who had designed HMS Victory, she was a fast sailer, and a very weatherly ship. Unfortunately, by the time she was stationed on the West India station, her bottom was not in great condition, and during manoeuvres in Maldonado Bay, off the coast of Uruguay, a fluke on one of her anchors penetrated her bottom. All the hands were taken off without loss of life - indeed, she settled very slowly. Divers are currently excavating the recently discovered site of the wreck.

This 3D model aims to reproduce the ship as she would have appeared during the time of Nelson's command.

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Leave a Comment: Most Recent Comments:
 
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2009·08·23 Simon Needham says:
What a great set of pictures, very good
 
2009·03·01 JollyRoger says:
A very brilliant piece of work. I am modelling HMS Agamemnon in 1:1200, and this is an excellent resource.

Thank you!


 
2008·09·16 angie says:
This is wonderful to see,I have been researching my ancestors and one from 1783 served on this ship.He was from the isle of mann.
 
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