A ship built in 1559 as a merchant vessel, named ‘The Great Christopher’, was purchased For Queen Elizabeth I from Anthony Hickman and Edward Castlyn of London, she was a carrack about two years old. In September 1562 the Navy and renamed her ‘Victory’ in honour of the Protestant success in Scotland.

In 1586 the ship had a refit to the specifications below

The guns were  12 culverine (18 pound shot) 29 sakers (6 pound shot)

Crew    750

October 1562 and July 1563 she took part in the relief of the English garrison at Havre.

1585: Victory was docked for reconstruction as a galleon, after docking she had a crew of 268 mariners, 32 gunners, and 100 soldiers.

The Victory was the flagship of  Sir John Hawkins at the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. She was eventually broken up at Deptford in 1608.

Battle Honours
Armada 1588

This ship was designed by Phineas Pett and built by Burrell at Deptford Dockyard on the Thames. The ship was launched in 1620. At 875 tons she had 42 guns, a crew of 500 and her figurehead was a rather lean lion.

In 1621 she was in the Mediterranean and in action against Algerian pirates. 1622 found her in the English Channel wearing the flag of the Earl of Oxford and searching for privateers. She also went to the Tagus as escort to the Spanish Ambassador.

1627 Victory was the flagship of the Earl of Denbigh and went with the Duke of Buckingham in an attempt to relieve the French Protestants besieged in La Rochelle.

1664-66 Victory was taken to pieces and rebuilt at Chatham as an 82 gun 2 nd Rate of 1029 tons carrying a crew of 500, and during the Second Dutch War was the flagship of Vice-Admiral Sir Christopher Myngs. 

The ship was in action at Orfordness and was in the Van Division of the Blue Squadron with the flag of Sir Edward Spragge.

On 10 th June the Dutch Admiral Van Ghent sailed into the Thames and captured Sheerness, carrying on up the river Medway. The Dutch withdrew on the 14 th June taking with them the Royal Charles. Victory was scuttled at her moorings off Chatham, but was later refloted and refitted for sea.

The ship was again in action during the Third Dutch War at Solebay 28 th May 1672, the ship had been in eleven fleet actions. In December 1688 she was found to be in need of repair but following a survey it was decided to break her up which was done at Woolwich in 1690.

Battle Honours

1652 19 May

Dover

1st Dutch War 1652 - 54

1653 18-20 Feb

Portland

1st Dutch War 1652 - 54

1653 2-3 June

Gabbard

1st Dutch War 1652 - 54 (North Foreland)

1653 31 July

Scheveningen

1st Dutch War 1652 - 54

1666 1-4 June

Four Day's Battle

2nd Dutch War 1665 - 67 (Southern North Sea)

1666 25-26 July

St James' Day Battle (Orfordness)

2nd Dutch War 1665 - 67

1672 28 May

Solebay

3rd Dutch War 1672 - 74

1673 4 June

Schoonevevled

3rd Dutch War 1672 - 74

1673 11 August

Texel

3rd Dutch War 1672 - 74

This ship, launched in 1665, was built in Chatham Dockyard and named Little Victory. She had a displacement of 175 tons and 20 guns and was classed as a fifth rate.

On the 19th February 1667, with another small man-of-war, the Pearl, she was escorting a costal convoy. A large Dutch ship (said to be of fifty guns) attacked the Pearl and because of light airs, it was several hours before the Little Victory got within range and helped to beat off the enemy after a very severe action. The Little Victory’s armament was reduced to twelve guns, and she was converted into a fireship.

In December 1670, under Captain L. Harris, in company with the Revenge, Sir Edward Spragge, she was operating against the Algerian corsairs. On the 14th two Algerian men-of-war and a prize were sighted and chased. The Revenge was slow, so after three days Spragge sent one hundred extra men into the Little Victory and ordered her on ahead. Overhauling one of the Algerians – a ship of twenty eight guns the Little Victory engaged and held her until the Revenge came up. The corsairs then ran their ship on shore, but she was brought off and made a prize. The other two escaped.

Spragge’s squadron was off the corsairs’ lair at Bougie in May 1671. This port was very strongly fortified and had a boom across the harbour mouth. After the failure of a night attack on 2 nd May it was decided to attempt another in daylight. To enable the Little Victory to enter the enemy harbour, she was lightened until she drew only eight feet of water. Owing to the hazardous nature of her service she was given an extra master’s mate to take command if her regular officers became casualties.

After the pinnaces from the ships had opened a gap in the boom the Little Victory passed through under a very heavy fire. Captain Harris, her own master’s mate and the gunner were all disabled. The supernumerary, Henry Williams, then took command, ran her into the midst of seven Algerian men of war in the harbour, and set her on fire. This very gallant action led to the destruction of the entire Algerian squadron and three of its prizes. Each of the enemy ships mounted from twenty-four to thirty-four guns against the twelve of the Little Victory.    

NOTE: The Navy built another Victory, a schooner, in 1763; she was built by the Navy Island, laid up and burnt by accident some time before 1779. This ship has not been counted as it did not see active service.

This ship was originally named the Royal James, built in Portsmouth by Deane and launched in 1675. She was a hundred gun ship of 1485 tons and carried a crew of 754. On the 7th March 1691 the Admiralty renamed the ship Victory.

In May 1692 the Victory wore the flag of Admiral Sir John Ashby at the Battle of Barfleur. (Barfleur 19-22 May, War of the English Succession 1689-97)Victory lead the Blue Squadron.

Victory was rebuilt in 1695 at Chatham and then served for a number of years as the flagship of various admirals, in 1697 wearing the flag of the famous and ill-fated Sir Cloudesley Shovell.

In 1708 she was out of  commission at Portsmouth when rumours of a projected Jacobite landing caused her to be armed as a floating battery and moored at the harbour mouth but as nothing happened she was laid up again.

In August 1714 the Victory was renamed Royal George, but in September 1715 reverted to Victory when the Queen was named Royal George.

The Victory was cut down to a two-decker in 1716 and never went to sea again. She was in dock in February 1721, having the weed burned off the bottom when she caught fire and was destroyed. Some of her timber was saved and set aside for further use, and part of this was built into the next Victory, which was thus called a ‘rebuild’ although she can hardly be regarded as anything but a different ship.

1733: The new Victory was laid down; a ship of 1921 tons able to carry a crew of 900. The ship was launched 23rd February 1737.

In the summer of 1741, under Captain Samuel Faulknor, the ship became the flagship of Sir John Norris, the Commander-in Chief of the Channel Fleet.

In 1744 Victory was returning to England with Admiral Sir John Balchen flying his flag in her. As his fleet entered the English Channel the ship encountered the worst storm for many years and the ships became scattered as they ran before the winds. At about half-past three in the afternoon of the 4th October the Victory’s consorts lost sight of her near the Channel Islands. She became wrecked on the Cosquets on the 5th October with total loss of the ship's company.

The two images here are of the model at the Maritime Museum at Greenwich, London.