THE TRAFALGAR SAIL - a legacy of the Battle

Referred to as The Trafalgar Sail, HMS Victory’s foretopsail (the second largest on the ship’s 37 sails) is the largest single surviving object from the Battle of Trafalgar (apart from the ship itself). It reveals the 90 shot holes it suffered on 21^st October, 1805.

Though Victory was launched in 1765, the sail was only two years old, having been made at Chatham in 1803. It would have taken around 1,200 man-hours for the sailmakers to stitch it. Measuring the size of a tennis court (80ft at its base, 54ft at its head and 54ft deep), it weighs a third of a ton.

 

Following the immense damage the ship sustained at the Battle of Trafalgar, HMS Victory was towed into Gibraltar for temporary repairs. After a week, she was returned to Portsmouth and later to the Chatham Dockyard for a complete refit. Here, the sail remained and was displayed at the yard for almost a century before being returned to the ship in 1905.

After becoming lost for three decades, the dilapidated sail was re-discovered in 1962 in a naval gymnasium hidden beneath a pile of mats. It was returned to Victory but signs of deterioration were evident and a decision to preserve it was made. Conservation began in 1993, a process which took twelve years.

Today, The Trafalgar Sail is on display to the public under environmentally-controlled conditions in Storehouse 10 at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. It is regarded as Britain’s most important marine historic textile.

HMS Victory continues to be flagship of the Second Sea Lord and is the oldest naval ship still in commission.

See also:  "HMS Victory and the Aftermath of Trafalgar" - blog post.

Refs: National Museum and Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.

Images include:  Hand-stitching a sail in a sail loft in the late 18^th century and The Trafalgar sail at the 1891 London Naval Exhibition. Other sources supplied on request.

HMS Victory and the aftermath of Trafalgar

Seven days after the Battle of Trafalgar, HMS Victory was towed into Gibraltar Bay for sufficient repairs to be undertaken to enable her to return to English waters. The first-rate was in a sad and sorry state, but at least she was still afloat. 

 "The hull is much damaged with shot in a number of places, several along the water line. Several beams and riders, knees shot through, and a broken starboard cathead. Timbers of the Head and Stem full of shot with lots of parts damaged. Chains and Channels shot away, the Mizzen mast shot away nine foot above the deck, bulwarks shot away, the main mast was full of shot and sprung, the Main Yard gone, the main Top-Mast cap shot away. The Main Topsail mast yard shot away. The Foremast shot through in many places, the Foreyard shot away, Bowsprit, Jib Boom and cap shot-away. Spritsail yards and Flying-jib boom gone. Fore and Main Tops shot away and the ship taking in 12 inches of water an hour."

After a difficult journey, Victory arrived back in Portsmouth on 4th December. From here she was destined to sail to her birthplace, Chatham Naval Dockyard for the second major refit of her long career.

Victory’s fore topsail accompanied the ship home and had been preserved to this day. (see The Trafalgar Sail blog post)

The wheel, which was shot away during the battle, was replaced with one bearing the words of Nelson's famous signal: ENGLAND EXPECTS THAT EVERY MAN WILL DO HIS DUTY.

 Ref – The Contemporary Sculptor: Image:  Portsmouth Historic Dockyard - 2012 (MM)

The Trafalgar sail - from HMS Victory

 

 

Note: This post was published in 2012. I have now updated it (Oct 2014) and the revised and improved post is at the link "Trafalgar Sail - a legacy of the Battle". 

Thank you
Margaret Muir

 

The Trafalgar Sail – Britain’s most important maritime textile – the fore-topsail from Nelson’s HMS VICTORY’s
For me the most poignant artefact held at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is this immense sail. Damaged at the Battle Trafalgar (1805), it reveals the holes made by French cannon balls during the famous sea battle.
It is enormous - the size of a tennis court and weighs more than a third of a ton. Taking up the whole top floor of one of the buildings, perhaps only a third of the sail is visible. Unfortunatley, photography was not permitted, so I can only show a copy of the poster describing it – but I stood within a meter of it and was awe-inspired at its sheer size and history.
For 100 years during the 19th century it was displayed at Chatham but for 30 years of the 20th century it was stored and ‘lost’.
In 1993, however, conservation work began which lasted 12 years. Today it is regarded as Britain’s most important maritime textile which provides information on sail making in the Nelson era.