HMS ''Rodney'' was a 74-gun

third rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks (thus the related term two-decker). Rating When the rating system was f ...

ship of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactics in the Age of Sail, naval tactic known as the line of battl ...

of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

, launched on 8 December 1809 at

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century ...

. The Dockyard was suffering from a shortage of seasoned timber at the time ''Rodney'' was being built. In consequence the hull was built from unseasoned wood which quickly shrank and rotted when exposed to seawater. After just three years at sea all of the hull fastenings had given way and ''Rodney'' was returned to Deptford for decommissioning.Albion 2000, p. 395 In 1827 she was reduced to a 50-gun ship, and in 1836 ''Rodney'' was sold out of the Navy. In commercial service, ''Rodney'' collided with the British

paddle steamer A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine driving paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, whereby the first uses were wh ...

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

, on 11 October 1846, destroying her pinnace, and was driven ashore.

Notes

References

* *Lavery, Brian (1983) ''The Ship of the Line - Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850.'' Conway Maritime Press. . Vengeur-class ships of the line 1809 ships Ships built in Deptford Maritime incidents in October 1846 {{UK-line-ship-stub