HMS Victory
The HMS Victory, built between 1759 and 1765, is the oldest naval ship still in commission.
The vessel currently sits in a dry dock at Portsmouth, but in its active days of duty the Victory saw many captains at the helm. The most famous admiral to use it as a flagship was Vice-Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson. Nelson lost his life aboard the ship during the Battle of Trafalgar. A bullet which entered Nelson's shoulder lodged itself into his spine, proving to be fatal.
After the battle, the HMS Victory took Nelson's body back to England where he lay in state at Greenwich Naval College.
The stamp below of Lord Nelson and the HMS Victory was issed in June 1982 as part of the Maritime Heritage stamp issue. You can see another stamp from this issue showing Henry VIII and the Mary Rose on our icon page dedicated to Hoblein's Portrait of Henry VIII.
- Illustration
Lord Nelson and the HMS Victory stamp
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