HMS Formidable (1825)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Formidable.

HMS Formidable was an 84-gun second rate of the Royal Navy, launched on 19 May 1825 at Chatham Dockyard.^[1] With a crew of 700 she was one of the Navy's largest ships at that time.

Formidable at Sheerness in December 1850
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Formidable
Ordered	8 May 1815
Builder	Chatham Dockyard
Laid down	October 1819
Launched	19 May 1825
Fate	Sold, 1906
General characteristics [1]
Class and type	Canopus-class ship of the line
Tons burthen	2289 bm
Length	193 ft 10 in (59.08 m) (gundeck)
Beam	52 ft 4+1⁄2 in (16.0 m) (16 m)
Depth of hold	22 ft 6 in (6.86 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Armament	84 guns: Gundeck: 28 × 32 pdrs, 2 × 68 pdr carronades Upper gundeck: 32 × 24 pdrs Quarterdeck: 6 × 24 pdrs, 10 × 32 pdr carronades Forecastle: 2 × 24 pdrs, 4 × 32 pdr carronades

Service

She was designed by Sir Robert Seppings. She was launched in May 1825 at a truly massive cost of £64,000. However, her fitting out (with guns etc) was not completed until November 1841. Her first "true commander" (i.e. other than being moved from dock to dock) was Captain Charles Sullivan who sailed her to the Mediterranean.

On 29 November 1842, Formidable ran aground off the mouth of the Llobregat on the coast of Spain.^[2] She was refloated on 2 December 1842 with the aid of two French steamships.^[3]

In April 1844 command transferred to Captain George Frederick Rich.

In 1869 Formidable became a training ship, at the National Nautical School in Portishead,^[4] and she was sold out of the navy in 1906^[1] to Castle's for breaking up at Charlton.^[5]

Formidable careened in Malta Dockyard, 31 January 1843

Archives

Records of the National Nautical School are held at Bristol Archives (Ref. 38087) (online catalogue).