03 Feb. 1772 ordered.
Built as a First Rate three-decker ship-of-the-line on the Royal Plymouth Dockyard for the Royal Navy.
07 Jan. 1774 Keel laid down.
11 Sept. 1786 launched under the name HMS ROYAL SOVEREIGN.
Tonnage 2.193 tons (BM), dim. 186.0 x 52.0 x 22.3ft., length of keel 152.6ft.
Armament: Lower deck 28 – 32pdr., middle deck 28 – 24pdr., upper deck 30 – 12 pdr., quarter deck 10 – 12pdr., fo’s’sle 4 – 12pdr.
Crew 837.
The original building cost £67.458. Sir John Williams designed her in 1772.
1793 Was the ROYAL SOVEREIGN under command of Capt. Henry Nicholis, and she was the flagship of Admiral Thomas.
1794 She took part in the battle of the “Glorious First of June” when she was part of Admiral Howe’s fleet against Villaret, during the battle on 28, 29, and 1 June 1794 she lost 14 men and got 41 wounded.
April 1795 under command of Capt. John Whitby, Vice Admiral Cornwallis flying his flag on the vessel.
30 May together with a small squadron consisting of four ships of the line, 2 frigates, and 1 sloop from the fleet of Spithead, the squadron cruised off the French coast near Ushant.
08 June a French squadron was sighted escorting a largo convoy of coasters from Bordeaux to Brest. The French squadron under command of Rear Admiral Vence stood for Belle Isle pursued by the British ships, which took several prizes, while she engaged French ships and the shore batteries on Belle Isle.
The French fleet at Brest sailed out for the rescue, including 9 ships of the line,
Admiral Cornwallis did not at first appreciate that his squadron was outnumbered but as the French turned towards him in two columns he carried out an admirably managed retreat, with HMS PHAETON signaling to an imaginary fleet over the horizon.
01 March 1796 she sailed from Portsmouth as the flagship of Admiral Cornwallis with a squadron and a large convoy for the West Indies.
In position 42 00N 14 30W the transport BELLISARIUS which took not attention when wearing ship came in collision with the ROYAL SOVEREIGN, the jibboom and bowsprit of the ROYAL SOVEREIGN took the main mast of the BELLISARIUS and struck her amidships, causing her to founder in a very short space of time.
On the BELLISARIUS were about 300 Hessian troops only Capt. Barge of the BELLISARIUS 16 of his crew, 5 women and 120 soldiers were rescued.
The ROYAL SOVEREIGN returned to Spithead on 14 March, she was severely damaged.
In April Cornwallis was acquitted by a court martial of returning without orders and not transferring his flag to HMS ASRAEA.
In 1797 ROYAL SOVEREIGN was involved in the mutiny at the Nore.
1799 Under command of Capt. W. Bedford and Vice Admiral Sir A. Gardner used her as his flagship.
June 1799 16 ships-of-the-line under which the ROYAL SOVEREIGN was detached from the Channel Fleet to assist Lord Keith in the Mediterranean.
Four of these ships including the ROYAL SOVEREIGN put into the River Tagus to escort a convoy and the Nile prizes.
1803 Under command of acting Capt. R. Curry, she was fitting out at Portsmouth.
15 March 1804 under command of Capt. Pulteney Malcolm she arrived from England in the Mediterranean to join Nelson’s fleet.
09 April 1804 Nelson stationed himself to the Southward of Toulon
1805 Under command of Capt. John Stewart as the flagship of Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Bickerton.
17 January 1805 the French Admiral Villeneuve sailed from Toulon, the British frigates sighted him and Nelson was informed on the 19th and he set of with his fleet in pursuit.
07 May in the afternoon at Gibraltar.
At Gibraltar Rear Admiral Bickerton was left behind in charge of the Mediterranean station, and he shifted his flag to HMS AMFITRITE.
The same day in the evening the British fleet sailed through the Strait of Gibraltar to pursue the French fleet to the West Indies.
12 May off Cape St. Vincent the ROYAL SOVEREIGN was detached to augment the escort of a convoy with 5000 troops from England to the Mediterranean.
July 1805 under command of Capt. Mark Robinson, she was refitted at Portsmouth. In the second week of October, she joined the British fleet off Cadiz under command of Capt. Edward Rotheram as the flagship of Vice-Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood.
ROYAL SOVEREIGN received the first shots at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805, when leading the lee column she came under fire from the French FOUGUEUX.
At 12.10 P.M. she passed through the enemy line between SANTA ANA and FOUGUEUX (as seen on the stamp of Tristan da Cunha), killing and wounding nearly 400 onboard the FOUGUEUX by firing a double-shotted port broadside into her stern.
While ROYAL SOVEREIGN and SANTA ANA continued to fight it out, she was engaged by four other enemy ships, which pulled off when they discovered they were damaging each other.
SANTA ANA struck his flag after losing all her masts and ROYAL SOVEREIGN was in a scarily better condition, losing her main and mizzen.
She had 47 killed and 94 wounded.
At 06.00 P.M. Collingwood shifted his flag to the EURYALUS which took the ROYAL SOVEREIGN in tow and stood offshore with her.
The following day the tow was transferred to NEPTUNE and the prizes were ordered to rendezvous with her.
1807 Fitting out at Plymouth.
1808 Under command of Capt. Henry Garret as flagship of Vice Admiral Edward Thornbrough in the Mediterranean.
04 October 1810 under command of Capt. John Spear off Toulon.
10 October 1811 under command of Capt. John Harvey off Toulon.
1814 Under command of Capt. C.T.Snath as the flagship of Vice-Admiral Sir Sidney Smith in the Mediterranean.
1815 Out of commission and reclassed as a second rate of 98 gunship.
February 1817 reclassed as a first-rate 104 gunship.
17 August 1825 became receiving ship at Plymouth renamed HMS CAPTAIN.
June 1826 hulked.
09 June 1841 commence to break her up at Plymouth and the work was completed on 28 August 1841.
Tristan da Cunha 2005 20p sg?, scott?
Jersey 2005 34p sg?, scott?
Guyana 2005 $100 sg 6536 scott?, viewtopic.php?f=2&t=17550
Source: her history mostly copied from http://www.cronab.demon.co.uk/R.HTM
The Sail & Steam Navy List by Lyon & Winfield. Shipwrecks of the Revolutionary & Napoleonic Eras by T. Grocott.