The Birth of a Legend: The Construction of HMS Victory
The year is 1758, and the Seven Years' War has been raging around the world for nearly two years with no clear victor in sight. The Royal Navy was working tirelessly to deliver a decisive victory for king and country. On 14 July, Prime Minister William Pitt the Elder ordered the construction of 12 additional ships of the line to bolster the fleet, including one first-rater. A few days later, at Chatham Dockyard, construction began on a leviathan destined to change the course of history.