Duke-class ship of the line explained

The Duke-class ships of the line were a class of four 98-gun second rates, designed for the Royal Navy by Sir John Williams.

Ships

Builder: Plymouth Dockyard

Ordered: 18 June 1771

Launched: 18 October 1777

Fate: Broken up, 1843

Builder: Plymouth Dockyard

Ordered: 16 July 1774

Launched: 5 July 1788

Fate: Broken up, 1825

Builder: Portsmouth Dockyard

Ordered: 16 July 1774

Launched: 14 October 1785

Fate: Wrecked, 1811

Builder: Chatham Dockyard

Ordered: 5 August 1777

Launched: 13 February 1782

Fate: Broken up, 1821

References

• Lavery, Brian (1983) The Ship of the Line – Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650–1850. Conway Maritime Press. .
• Winfield, Rif (2007) British Warships in the Age of Sail 1714–1792: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing. .