H.M.S. Victory displaced over 3500 tons and was measured 226 feet in length and 51 feet abeam. Her hull was sheathed in copper to guard against barnacles. In a stiff breeze, carrying 36 sails total four acres of canvass. She could plough the waves at 10 knots. Fair weather or foul, the victory was a fortress city, stocked with 35 tons of powder and 120 tons of shot. She possessed the endurance to remain at sea for up to six months at a time.

Commissioned in 1778, H.M.S. Victory had almost 30 years hard service at the time of Trafalgar. She was a veteran of many hard naval battles. On October12, 1805, one of the most momentous battles in European history broke out round Cape Trafalgar, Spain. The combined fleets of France and its ally, Spain led by Napoleon， were defeated by the British fleet commanded by Lord Horatio Nelson. The attempts of Napoleon to invade England with his all-powerful army were so frustrated and the supremacy of Britain as a sea power established in this way. Moreover, both the Victory and Lord Nelson rose to fame ever since.

Honored and preserved over the years, she rests now at Portsmouth, England, a never-to-be-forgotten symbol of loyalty, courage, and devotion to duty.

HMS Victory stands today as the world's oldest commissioned warship. Still manned by Officers and Ratings of the Royal Navy, the Victory has seen over 200 years of almost continuous service.
Best known for her role in the Battle of Trafalgar, the Victory currently has a dual role as the flagship of the Second Sea Lord and as a living museum to the Georgian navy.
Launched in 1765 at Chatham Dockyard, the Victory was commissioned in 1778 and continued in active service for the next 32 years. In 1812 the Victory was retired from frontline duty and anchored in Portsmouth Harbour , on the south coast of England. For the next 110 years the Victory remained at her moorings in Portsmouth Harbour fulfilling a combination of practical and ceremonial roles.

In 1922, amid fears for her continued survival, the Victory was moved into Portsmouth's Royal Naval Dockyard and placed in No2 Dry Dock. Work then began on restoring the Victory to her 'fighting' 1805 condition.
Open to the public all year round, HMS Victory allows the visitor to explore the world of the Georgian navy, experiencing both the ship herself and the lives of the men who lived within her 'wooden world'.

There have actually been five different HMS Victory ships, but the most current was launched in 1765, cost 63,176 pounds and took six years to build.

During the famous Battle of Trafalgar of 1805, Admiral Lord Nelson was shot and killed, and Victory was badly damaged. She has since been lovingly restored and now rests in drydock in Portsmouth, England.