HMS Victory
HMS Victory is a 104-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, laid down in 1759 and launched in 1765. She is most famous as Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. She was also Keppel's flagship at Ushant, Howe's flagship at Cape Spartel and Jervis's flagship at Cape St. Vincent.
Victory was constructed from approximatley 6000 trees, 90% of which were oak. This equates to 100 acres of woodland. Her hull thickness at the waterline is approximately 2 feet. Her overall length is 226.5 feet and she displaced 3,500 tons. She could spread 6,510 square yards of sail, and is rigged with 26 miles of cordage. Her top recorded speed was 11 knots. In a broadside she could throw 1,500 pounds of shot at 1600 feet per second. At Trafalgar she was manned by a crew of 821.
After 1824 she served as a harbour ship. In 1922 she was moved to a dry dock at Portsmouth, England, and preserved as a museum ship. She continues to be flagship of the Second Sea Lord and is the oldest naval ship still in commission. Although 30 years younger, USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship still afloat.
Nelson's Signal
As the British fleet closed with the opposing combined fleets of France and Spain, Lord Nelson signaled all the necessary battle instructions to his ships. However, aware of the momentousness of events to come, Lord Nelson felt that something extra was required. He instructed his signal officer, Lieutenant John Pasco, to signal to the fleet, as quickly as possible, the message "England confides [i.e. is confident] that every man will do his duty." Pasco suggested to Nelson that expects be substituted for confides, since the former word was in the signal book, whereas confides would have to be spelt out letter-by-letter. Nelson agreed to the change (even though 'expects' gave a less trusting impression than 'confides'):
His Lordship came to me on the poop, and after ordering certain signals to be made, about a quarter to noon, he said, 'Mr. Pasco, I wish to say to the fleet, ENGLAND CONFIDES THAT EVERY MAN WILL DO HIS DUTY' and he added 'You must be quick, for I have one more to make which is for close action.' I replied, 'If your Lordship will permit me to substitute the confides for expects the signal will soon be completed, because the word expects is in the vocabulary, and confides must be spelt,' His Lordship replied, in haste, and with seeming satisfaction, 'That will do, Pasco, make it directly.'
—John Pasco