Royal Adelaide HMS

[shipstamps]

Royal Adelaide, (ex London, renamed May 10, 1827). A 1st Rate of 104 guns, she was nine years on the stocks before being launched at Plymouth Dockyard on July28, 1828. She was one of the earliest Royal Navy ships to have planking right round the bow at the height of the forecastle. However attempts to stengthen the stern in a similar way meant depriving the officers of their large windows and glass doors and met with indignant opposition. They objected to being deprived of their comfort, so the windows and glass doors remained open to devastating broadsides from astern. The figurehead is of Adelaide, later to be the Queen of William IV. SG1128

[aukepalmhof]

Built as a First Rate vessel by the Plymouth Dockyard at Plymouth for the Royal Navy.
May 1819 laid down, her intended name was LONDON.
10 May 1827 renamed.
28 July 1828 launched under the name HMS ROYAL ADELAIDE, the Duchess of Clarence; Adelaide of Saxe Meiningen, the wife of the future King William IV performed launching ceremony, but at that time the Lord High Admiral.
Launching took place nine years after her keel was laid down.
Tonnage 2.446 tons (bm), displacement 4.122 tons, dim. 198 x 54ft.
Armament 104 guns.
10 Dec. 1835 commissioned.

11 Jan. 1836 taken to moorings in the Mamoaza, very near were she was built. She carried then the flag of the Port Admiral Sir. W. Hargood and later Admiral Lord Amelius Beauclerck.
After three and a half year used as a stationary Port Flagship she was decommissioned and laid up in reserve.
April 1859 she was commissioned again and used as Guardship for the Ordinary, and flew the flags of the Plymouth Port Admirals, used in this roll till August 1891, when it was taken over by the HMS VIVID.
1891 She left for the first time the port of Plymouth for a short coastal maiden voyage to Chatham, to become an accommodation and receiving vessel. (Most possible not even under her own sails but towed)
For thirteen years she was used to train and accommodate navy recruits.
1904 Condemned as unfit for further service.
April 1905 Sold to Laidlaw of Sunderland to be broken up. She was towed by a French tug in June 1905 across the Dover Strait to Dunkirk, where she was broken up, her second seagoing voyage. It was reported that during the tow, she was in collision with a passing schooner, and carried away the headgear and jib boom of that schooner.

The figure head depict on the Liberian stamp did not belong to the ROYAL ADELAIDE, the figurehead of the ROYAL ADELAIDE stood for many years in the Navy Barracks at Chatham, but it slowly rotted away and is long gone.
The figurehead depict on the stamp is that of the young Queen Victoria, wearing a crown and holding orb in her left hand, and is now standing (1985) overlooking the parade ground of HMS THUNDERER. The Royal Navy Engineering College at Manadon, Devon.
First it was thought that she did belong to the ROYAL ADELAIDE but in 1969 it was discovered and it is believed to belong to HMS WINDSOR CASTLE ex VICTORIA (renamed 06 Jan. 1855).
John Smith were most of this information is coming wrote:
On a visit he made in 1977 to HMS THUNDERER to see the figurehead, would you believe the plaque under still reads ROYAL ADELAIDE. So we cannot blame the stamp designer this time.

Mostly copied from two articles in Log Book: March 1984 page 415 by Tom Lloyd and Log Book February 1985 page 124, by John Smith.