Ajax-class ship of the line

The Ajax-class ships of the line were a class of two 74-gun third rates of the Royal Navy. They were grouped in with the large class of 74s, as they carried 24-pounders on their upper gun decks, rather than the 18-pounders of the middling and common class 74s. The design of the Ajax class was a lengthened (by 11 ft (3.4 m)) version of the Valiant class, the lines of which were taken from the French Invincible, captured in 1747.

HMS Ajax
Class overview
Name	Ajax
Operators	Royal Navy
Preceded by	Mars class
Succeeded by	Pompée class
In service	17 January 1798–1881
Completed	2
General characteristics
Type	Ship of the line
Length	182 ft 3 in (55.5 m) (gundeck) 149 ft 8 in (45.6 m) (keel)
Beam	49 ft 3 in (15.0 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Armament	74 guns: Gundeck: 28 × 32-pounders Upper gundeck: 30 × 24-pounders Quarterdeck: 12 × 9-pounders Forecastle: 4 × 9-pounders
Notes	Ships in class include: Kent, Ajax

Ships

• HMS Kent

Builder: Perry, Blackwall Yard

Ordered: 10 June 1795

Launched: 17 January 1798

Fate: Broken up, 1881

• HMS Ajax

Builder: Randall, Rotherhithe

Ordered: 10 June 1795

Launched: 3 March 1798

Fate: Accidentally burnt, 1807

References

• Lavery, Brian (1983) The Ship of the Line – Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650–1850. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-252-8.