HMS Neptune (1797)

HMS Neptune

Ship data flag  United Kingdom Ship type Second rank ship of the line class Neptune class Shipyard Deptford Shipyard Order February 15, 1790 Keel laying April 1791 Launch January 28, 1797 Commissioning March 25, 1797 Decommissioning October 1818

Ship dimensions and crew length 56 m ( Lüa ) width 16 m Draft Max. 6.4 m displacement 2110 ts   crew 750 men

Rigging and rigging Rigging Frigate rigging Number of masts 3

Armament 28 × 32 pounder 60 × 18 pounder 10 × 12 pounder

The HMS Neptune , built in Deptford in 1797 , was a British second class ship of the line with 98 cannons on three decks . She was the lead ship of the Neptune class .

The Neptune played an important role in the Battle of Trafalgar under the command of Captain Thomas Fremantle. She was the third ship in the windward line led by Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson on the Victory and was involved in heavy fighting. After the battle, she dragged the badly damaged Victory with Nelson's body on board to Gibraltar .

A French ship named Neptune and a Spanish ship named Neptuno also fought at the Battle of Trafalgar .

In 1809 she served as the flagship of Rear Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane's fleet , which captured the French colony of Martinique .