HMS Ocean (1805 - 1875)

[stuartwaters]

HMS Ocean was a Second Rate ship of the line of 98 guns, built at the Woolwich Royal Dockyard to a design by Sir John Henslow, Co-Surveyor of the Navy.

The Second Rate ship of the line (carrying more than 80, but less than 100 guns) was regarded as a slightly cheaper alternative to the great First Rate ships. First Rate Ships of the Line in the Royal Navy were very few and far between, whereas Second Rate ships were much more numerous. Even at the time of the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, when the Royal Navy was larger than the rest of the worlds navies put together, there were only eight First Rate ships in commission and that included two ex-Spanish vessels, HMS San Josef (112) and HMS Salvador del Mundo (112). At the same time, there were sixteen Second Rate ships in commission. That stated, the First Rate ships, despite only carrying a few more guns, threw a much heavier broadside and were thus significantly more powerful than the similarly sized Second Rate ships.

As a more general point, vessels like the Second Rate Ship of the Line were unique to the Royal Navy in that only the British built ships of the line with three gundecks carrying less than 100 guns. Their French and Spanish rivals preferred instead to build 80-gun ships with two gundecks which threw a broadside of very similar weight and power. Despite the obvious advantages of the 80 gun two-decker in terms of building and running costs and superior speed and agility, the British preferred the 90 and later 98 gun three-decker because they felt that it's towering appearance, sheer physical presence and outward similarity to the First Rate ships would make the enemy much less keen on fighting. Although a number of 80 gun two deckers were serving in the Royal Navy at the time of the Battle of Trafalgar, all but two of them had been captured from the enemy. In other words, despite their advantages, the British only ever built two 80 gun two-deckers during the period of "Nelsons Navy".

HMS Ocean was originally ordered from the Woolwich Royal Dockyard on the 9th December 1790 as a fourth member of the Neptune Class of Second Rate ships of the line. The Neptune Class ended up as a group of three ships which included the famous HMS Temeraire, known after her part in the Battle of Trafalgar as 'The Fighting Temeraire'. HMS Ocean's first keel section was laid at Woolwich on the 1st October 1792. The Neptune Class marked a departure from previous practice with Second Rate ships of the line in that they were larger and more heavily armed. Previous Second Rate ships of the line carried 12pdr long guns on their upper gundecks, but the Neptune Class carried 18pdr long guns on both their middle and upper gundecks. The Neptune Class were also significantly larger than previous Second Rate ships of the line too. They were larger in fact than the oldest First Rate ships of the line in the fleet at the time they were built, HMS Royal Sovereign, HMS Britannia and HMS Victory.

At some point while the construction project was in it's fairly early stages, the Navy Board ordered that construction should stop. It's not clear why, but it may have had something to do with modifications made to the London Class Second Rate ship of the line HMS Prince (98). That ship was taken into the Portsmouth Royal Dockyard in June of 1796 and lengthened by 17ft in order to try to improve her sailing qualities. The experiment turned out to be an outstanding success and when she rejoined the fleet, HMS Prince was able to outsail other Second Rate ships by a significant margin.

On the 4th May 1797, HMS Ocean was re-ordered by the Navy Board, to a design which was basically the same as before but 10ft longer. This is the reason why HMS Ocean is not regarded as being a member of the Neptune Class, but as a unique, one-off ship. The construction re-started on the 1st October 1797.

HMS Ocean was a huge ship by the standards of the day but the additional gunports made possible by the increased length didn't mean that she carried more guns than she was originally designed for. What it did allow was for guns to be moved between gunports in order to better balance the ship.

The construction project was to be overseen by Mr Edward Sison, Master Shipwright in the Woolwich Royal Dockyard. Given the size of the ship, it is perhaps not surprising that her build took eight years. She was finally launched with all due ceremony into the River Thames on the 24th October 1805, almost fifteen years after she was first ordered.

During November of 1805, HMS Ocean was commissioned under Captain Francis Pender. He was an experienced commander who had passed his Examination for Lieutenant on the 2nd June 1772. He was first appointed Master and Commander on the 10th October 1780, in the 6pdr-armed ship-rigged Sloop of War HMS Barbuda, on the orders of the Commander-in-Chief in the West Indies at the time, Vice-Admiral Sir George Rodney. His term in command of that ship had ended at the surrender of Demerara to the French on the 3rd February 1782. HMS Barbuda was renamed La Barboude on being taken into French service. Captain Pender was not to receive another command appointment until the 1st December 1787 when he was Posted or Promoted to Captain and appointed to command the 12pdr-armed Frigate HMS Aquilon of 32 guns. His appointment prior to HMS Ocean was in another Second Rate ship of the line, the 98-gun ship HMS Queen.

On completion, HMS Ocean was a ship of 2,276 tons. She was 196ft 6.5in long at her upper gundeck and 164ft along the keel. She was 51ft 1in wide across her beams and drew 14ft 2in of water at her bows and 17ft at the rudder. HMS Ocean was armed with 30 x 32pdr long guns on her lower gundeck, 32 x 18pdr long guns on her middle gundeck with another 32 on her upper gundeck. She carried 2 x 12pdr long guns and 2 x 32pdr carronades on her forecastle with 2 x 12pdr long guns and 10 x 32pdr carronades on her quarterdeck with 6 x 18pdr carronades on her poop deck. In addition to her main guns, HMS Ocean was fitted with a dozen or so half-pounder anti-personnel swivel guns fitted to her forecastle and quarterdeck handrails and bulwarks.

Captain Pender's first task was to recruit a crew. He didn't have to do this alone. The Admiralty appointed his commissioned sea officers into the ship. The eight lieutenants were ranked in order of seniority, based on the dates on which they had passed their examinations. The First Lieutenant was clearly the most important of these as he was second-in-command of the ship and controlled the day to day operations of the ship and her crew. Each of the Lieutenants was in effect a commander in waiting, gaining experience, seniority and making connections with the right people in the hope that they would one day be given a command of their own.

The Warrant Officers were the ship's core craftsmen and effectively heads of departments and the most senior of them were appointed into the ship by the Navy Board. The ship's Standing Officers were those men who would remain with the ship whether or not she was in commission and these were:

The Carpenter - He was a fully qualified shipwright, usually appointed from amongst the men who had built the ship. He answered to the First Lieutenant and was responsible for the repair and maintenance of the hull, frames and decks. In a Second Rate ship of the line, he would be assisted by two Carpenters Mates and would have a dedicated Carpenters Crew of ten men.

The Boatswain - He was an experienced seaman who had worked his way up from the ranks of seamen. He also answered to the First Lieutenant and was responsible for the maintenance, operation and repair of the ship's boats as well as her masts, rigging and sails. He was assisted in this by four Boatswains Mates. Amongst the duties of the Boatswains Mates was the administering of any floggings ordered by the Captain.

The Gunner - He was another man who had worked his way up the ranks of seamen. He also answered to the First Lieutenant and was responsible for the repair, maintenance and operation of the ship's main guns. Also amongst his responsibilities was the training of gun crews and training Midshipmen-in-Ordinary in the arts of gunnery. In action, he was responsible for the distribution of gunpowder and shot and would be stationed in the magazine. He was assisted by four Gunners Mates and 23 Quarter-Gunners, each of whom was responsible for four gun crews.

The Purser - He reported directly to the Captain and was thus entitled to a berth in the Wardroom with the commissioned officers. He was responsible for the purchase and distribution of the ship's provisions and stores.

The Cook - The least senior of the Standing Officers, his job title is self-explanatory. He was aso in overall charge of the ship's complement of servants.

In addition to the Standing Officers, there were other Warrant Officers who would only be in the ship when she was in commission. These were:

The Sailing Master - He was responsible for the day-to-day sailing and navigation of the ship and was a qualified Ships Master. If not employed by the Royal Navy, he was qualified to command a merchant vessel. He answered directly to the Captain and in addition to directing the sailing and navigation of the ship, he was also responsible for training Midshipmen-in-Ordinary in the arts of sailing and navigation. As a Warrant Officer reporting directly to the Captain, he was entitled to a berth in the Wardroom with the commissioned sea-officers. In a Second Rate ship of the line like HMS Ocean, he was assisted by a Second Master, a less senior Sailing Master and four Masters Mates. In addition to the Masters Mates, there were also eight quartermasters responsible for the actual steering of the ship.

The Surgeon - Another man who reported directly to the Captain and entitled to a berth in the Wardroom, he was responsible for the day to day healthcare of the whole crew from the Captain down. Although not a doctor, a ship's surgeon had to serve and pass a seven-year apprenticeship which was overseen by the Royal College of Surgeons and the Royal College of Physicians before he would be alowed to practice unsupervised. He was assisted by three Assistant Surgeons, each of whom was a part-qualified Surgeon.

The Master at Arms - Responsible to the First Lieutenant, he was in effect, the ship's policeman, responsible for the day-to-day enforcement of discipline amongst the crew. In a Second Rate ship of the line like HMS Ocean, he was assisted by two Ship's Corporals.

The Armourer - Answerable to the Gunner, he was a fully qualified blacksmith and was responsible for the maintenance and repair of the ships stocks bladed weapons. He could also manufacture new bladed weapons as required. As a Blacksmith, the Armourer may have also been called upon to fabricate iron parts of the ship as necessary. On a Second Rate ship of the line, he was assisted by two Armourers Mates.

The Sailmaker - Answerable to the Boatswain, he was responsible for the repair and maintenance of the ships sails, the storage of spare sails as well as the ships stocks of flags. He was assisted by a single Sailmakers Mate and a dedicated crew of two men.

The Caulker - Answerable to the Carpenter he was responsible for making sure the ship's hull and decks remained watertight. He was assisted by a Caulkers Mate and seamen as directed by the First Lieutenant.

The Gunsmith - Answerable to the Armourer, he was specifically responsible for the ship's stocks of muskets and pistols. Only First and Second Rate ships had a Gunsmith amongst their Company. On smaller ships, this role fell to the Armourer himself.

The Chaplain - An ordained Church of England priest, he was responsible for the spiritual well-being of the crew. He was answerable to the Captain. In action, the Chaplain would assist the Surgeons crew with the care of wounded men. In deference to his ordained status, he was entitled to a berth in the Wardroom.

The Schoolmaster - Answerable to the First Lieutenant, he was responsible for teaching the Midshipmen in Ordinary the theory and mathematics behind navigation. With the Captains agreement, he also taught the ship's Boys the basic '3rs'.

The Clerk - Answerable to the Purser, he was responsible for all the record keeping aboard the ship and making sure that the ships books were sent to the Admiralty.

In addition to these men, HMS Ocean's crew would have been made up of Petty Officers in charge of specific areas of the ship or specific tasks to be carried out by the seamen. The seamen themselves would have been rated according to their experience at sea.

A Second Rate ship of the line had a complement of 24 Midshipmen. These men and boys were in effect, commanders in training and their role was to assist the ship's Lieutenants in their day to day duties until such a time that they could be put forward for their Lieutenant's Examination. The most senior of them was in charge of the ship's signals although when the ship was serving as a flagship, signals would be the responsibility of the Admiral's Flag Lieutenant. They were appointed into the ship by the local Commander-in-Chief wherever the ship commissioned or could be appointed by the Flag-officer flying his flag in the ship. In addition to the Midshipmen, the ship carried Midshipmen in Ordinary. Appointed by the Captain, these young men at the beginnings of their careers as officers in the Royal Navy, were the sons of friends of the Captain, people the Captain either owed a favour to or was doing a favour for, or were related to the Captain. They were on the ships books as Captains Servants and were paid at the same rate as an Able Seaman. The Captain of a Second Rate ship of the line was entitled to have up to 28 servants or four per rounded hundred of her Company. Unless he was extraordinariy extravagant, the Captain wouldn't require anything like this number of servants and in any case, usually came aboard with his own staff which included Stewards. The spare positions were taken up with the Midshipmen in Ordinary. They wore the uniform and performed the role of a Midshipman and they lived in the Midshipmen's quarters. In any case, the Captain would normally join the ship with his own staff consisting of his Steward, his Coxswain and his Secretary. These men would appoint their own Mates from amongst the existing Ships Company.

In addition to the seamen, HMS Ocean carried a complement of Marines. In a Second Rate ship of the line, there was a Captain of Marines in command, assisted by two Lieutenants of Marines ranked in order of seniority, with four Sergeants, four Corporals, two Drummers and 70 Marine Privates. The Commissioned Marine officers would live in the Wardroom along with the Sea Officers and those Warrant Officers who reported directly to the Captain. The Non-Commissioned officers would have the same status aboard the ship as the Petty Officers. The Captain of Marines reported directly to the Captain.

Once his crew was assembled, Captain Pender and his officers would have had to mould his ship and crew into an efficient, deadly fighting machine able to operate in all weathers and able to take on and defeat anyone unfortunate enough to cross their path. Failure was not an option.

HMS Ocean plans

Orlop Plan:



Lower Gundeck Plan:



Middle Gundeck Plan:



Upper Gundeck Plan:



Quarterdeck and Forecastle Plans:



Inboard Profile and Plan:



Sheer Plan and Lines. Note the section in red, which shows the additional 10ft section of hull inserted during construction:



Sail Plan:



On the 10th December 1805, HMS Ocean was declared complete at Woolwich having cost a total of £90,076. In early January of 1806, HMS Ocean sailed for the Mediterranean to take up the role of flagship to Vice-Admiral Sir Cuthbert Collingwood, Lord Collingwood, who had been appointed to the position of Commander-in Chief following the death of his predecessor, Vice-Admiral Horatio, Lord Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar the previous October.

On the 2nd October 1807, Captain Pender was promoted to Rear-Admiral and was replaced in command of HMS Ocean by Captain Richard Thomas. Captain Thomas had passed his Examination for Lieutenant on the 15th January 1797 and had first been appointed Master and Commander in the Bomb Vessel HMS Aetna on the 18th January 1803. He had been Posted and appointed to command the Third Rate ship of the line HMS Bellerophon in the aftermath of the Battle of Trafalgar, replacing her previous commander Captain John Cooke who had been killed during the battle. His appointment before HMS Ocean had also been in HMS Queen.

On 7th February 1808 a fleet of ten ships of the line, three frigates, two corvettes and seven armed transport ships under the French admiral Ganteaume broke out of Toulon and made their way to Corfu. While they were en-route, a squadron under Vice-Admiral Collingwood in HMS Ocean, which also comprised the ex-French 80-gun Third Rate ships HMS Malta and HMS Canopus and the 74 gun ship HMS Repulse, left Syracuse bound for Palermo. That evening, sails were sighted which belonged to a ship of the line standing into Syracuse. That ship was the Third Rate ship of the line HMS Standard (64). HMS Standard was carrying the news that the French had broken out and that they were at Corfu. Unfortunately, although Collingwood's force had seen her, HMS Standard had not seen Collingwood's force. On 2nd March, Collingwood's force was joined by squadrons under Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Thornborough and Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Strachan, bringing the total number of ships under Collingwood's command to 15 ships of the line and two or three frigates. This fleet continued towards Palermo, still ignorant of the fact that the French Toulon fleet was at sea. On 6th March, the fleet was joined by the 18pdr-armed 36-gun frigate HMS Apollo, which was carrying the news of Ganteaume's departure from Toulon a month previously. Collingwood immediately ordered his fleet to the Bay of Naples and it was there that the intelligence from HMS Standard finally reached Lord Collingwood. After watering his ships, Collingwood took his ships around Sicily towards the entrance to the Adriatic Sea and after having detached Rear-Admiral Martin with a squadron of three ships of the line into Palermo, Collingwood waited for the French to the north of Cape Sparviento. He fully expected them to arrive at any moment. On 28th, Collingwood received intelligence that the French had left the Adriatic some nine days before. The British immediately headed west, hoping to catch the French force. On 28th March, Collingwood received intelligence from Captain Charles Otter of the 18pdr-armed 32-gun frigate HMS Proserpine that the French had returned to Toulon and were safely tucked up in the harbour there. 

On the 14th April 1809, Vice-Admiral Collingwood left HMS Ocean and raised his command flag in the First Rate ship of the line HMS Ville de Paris of 110 guns. Collingwood ordered that Rear-Admiral Sir Edward Thornborough remain off Toulon with a blockading squadron to ensure no further French escapes and took the rest of the fleet to Cadiz, where he was under orders to render all possible assistance to Spanish rebels fighting the French occupation of Spain at the beginning of the Peninsular War.

In July 1809, Captain Thomas paid off HMS Ocean into the Plymouth Ordinary. The reason was that with the defeat of the French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar, the Royal Navy simply didn't need as many ships of the size and firepower of HMS Ocean. The ship became the responsibility of the Master Attendant in the Plymouth Royal Dockyard and was manned by a skeleton crew comprised of her Standing Officers, their servants and 32 Able Seamen.

In January of 1811, HMS Ocean entered the Plymouth Royal Dockyard for repairs. The repairs lasted until the 3rd September 1811 and upon their completion, the ship re-entered the Plymouth Ordinary to be manned by a skeleton crew as before.

In January of 1812, HMS Ocean went back into the Plymouth Royal Dockyard, this time to be fitted for sea. The reason was that the French had been busy rebuilding their fleet following the catastrophic losses in the Battle of Trafalgar and once again, the French Toulon Fleet presented a threat to British control in the Mediterranean. That month, the ship reommissioned at Plymouth under Captain Robert Plampin. In April, the refit was complete having cost £49,622 and on the 17th, the ship left Plymouth bound for the Mediterranean.

On arrival, HMS Ocean joined the fleet under the Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean, Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Pellew who flew his command flag in the First Rate ship of the line HMS Caledonia of 120 guns.

On the 12th February 1814, a French squadron of three ships of the line and three frigates set sail from Toulon to meet a newly built 74-gun ship expected any day from French-occupied Genoa. In the early morning of the 13th, the French were discovered by the British fleet, consisting at the time of the following ships:

The First Rate ships of the line HMS Caledonia and HMS Hibernia (both of 120 guns), the ex-Spanish HMS San Josef (112), HMS Royal George (100), the Second Rate ships of the line HMS Boyne, HMS Ocean, HMS Prince of Wales, HMS Union and HMS Barfleur (all of 98 guns) and the Third Rate ships of the line HMS Duncan, HMS Indus, HMS Berwick, HMS Swiftsure, HMS Armada and HMS Aboukir (all of 74 guns).

Pellew ordered the fleet to head for the Toulon Road in order to cut off the enemy squadron and at 12:30, HMS Boyne, the leading British ship opened fire on the second ship from the French rear, thought to be the frigate Adrienne. HMS Boyne positioned herself alongside the rear-most of the French ships of the line, the Romulus of 74 guns and continued to engage the French ship, following her under the guns of the powerful shore batteries on Cape Brun and Cape Sepet. Despite the damage from the pounding she received, the French 74 kept going. Vice-Admiral Pellew, seeing that HMS Boyne was also being badly damaged and was standing into extreme danger, ordered her to sheer off and despite receiving a broadside from HMS Caledonia as well, the French squadron returned safely to Toulon. HMS Ocean was a spectator to the Action of the 13th February 1814 so suffered neither casualties or damage.

The Action of the 13th February 1814. This painting by Thomas Luny shows HMS Caledonia (centre-right) engaging the Romulus (centre left) while HMS Boyne (right) breaks off her action and heads out to sea:



Shortly after the Action, the Treaty of Fontainebleu was signed on the 11th April and the war came to an end. In July 1814, HMS Ocean paid off once more into the Plymouth Ordinary to be manned by a skeleton crew as before.

After the war, the Admiralty and the Navy Board agreed that carronades should be included in a ship's Establishment of Guns, so in February of 1817, orders were received that HMS Ocean was to be re-established as being a First Rate ship of 110 guns. The re-establishment of the ship as a First Rate ship of the line had no real effect on the ship, other than that her officers, both commissioned and warrant, were entitled to higher pay should the ship be recommissioned.

On the 4th October 1819, the Resident Commissioner at the Plymouth Royal Dockyard received instructions from the Navy Board that HMS Ocean was to be cut down to an 84-gun, Second Rate, two-decked ship of the line. Before the work could begin however, the sheer hulk was brought alongside the ship and used to removed her guns and masts. Her yards and spars which had been taken down and stored below when the ship was put into the Plymouth Ordinary were also taken out. Once this was complete, the ship was docked down and the work began. It involved the complete removal of the poop deck and forecastle, along with the suite of cabins forming the Captain's quarters, his huge day cabin, his sleeping cabin, pantry and the chart room. Underneath the forecastle were the cabins belonging to the ship's Standing Officers as well as the sick bay, the warmest compartment on the ship located as it was directly above the galley stove. The former quarterdeck was cut back to a point just forward of the mizzen mast to form a new poop deck. An opening was created in the former upper gundeck and grated over to form a new boat tier between the main mast and the fore mast in order to form a new forecastle and quarterdeck. The former admirals quarters on the former upper gundeck (which formed the middle row of sternlights as you look at the stern of the ship) became the new Captains quarters while the wardroom which was on the former middle gundeck, now the upper gundeck, remained as it was. Once the work on the hull of the ship was completed, she was given a fresh lick of paint and was re-coppered, refloated and returned to her mooring. Once secured to a mooring buoy, the sheer hulk was brought alongside again and the masts and guns reinstalled. Once the work was complete, HMS Ocean was armed with 30 x 32pdr long guns on the lower gundeck, 32 x 18pdr long guns on the upper gundeck, 2 x 12pdr long guns and 2 x 32pdr carronades on the forecastle with 2 x 12pdr long guns and 10 x 32pdr carronades on the quarterdeck with 6 x 18pdr carronades on the poop deck. The dozen or so half-pounder swivel guns were also reinstalled.

In July 1821, the work was declared complete and the ship returned to the Plymouth Ordinary, to be manned by a skeleton crew as before.

Between September of 1814 and June of 1815, the Congress of Vienna was held between the ambassadors of all of the powers in Europe in order to thrash out the various disputes and hopefully, prevent more wars tearing the continent apart. When the negotiations eventually concluded, the shape of Europe more or less up until the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 was set. Russia, who was one of the powers involved in the Congress had expansionist ambitions, then as today. The Ottoman Empire was decaying and in 1821, an armed rebellion against the Ottoman Empire began in Greece. Although the British and other major European powers (France and Austria) suupported the Ottoman Empire for reasons of political stability in the Eastern Mediterranean, British public opinion  supported the Greeks and the British and French Governments were fearful of the Russians exploiting the weakness of the Ottoman Empire and establishing supremacy in the region. On the 6th July 1827, the British and the French obliged the Russians to sign the Treaty of London. In the Treaty, Britain, France and Russia agreed to force the Ottoman Empire to grant Greece complete autonomy within the Empire thus giving the Greeks what they wanted while maintaining the Ottoman Empire as a buffer between Russia and the Eastern Mediterranean.

In December of 1826, Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Codrington had been appointed Commander in Chief in the Mediterranean and his main task was to manage British interest in the Greek Rebellion and following the signing of the Treaty of London, to take overall command of the allied effort to subdue the Ottoman Empire. 

On the 23rd March 1827, HMS Ocean recommissioned at Plymouth under Captain Patrick Campbell with orders to reinforce Sir Edward Codrington's fleet off Greece as part of the effort to coerce the Ottomans into complying with the wishes of the powers under the Treaty of London. While HMS Ocean was en-route to Greece, Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Codrington and the Allied British, French and Russian fleet defeated an Ottoman and Egyptian fleet in the Battle of Navarino, fought on the 20th October 1827. Although HMS Ocean was not involved in the Battle, the Battle of Navarino is notable because it was the last time that fleets of wooden-hulled sailing ships fought each other in a fleet action.

HMS Ocean joined the fleet at Malta, to where the Vice-Admiral had withdrawn in order to refit and repair his ships after the Battle. June of 1828 saw the ship involved in the blockade of Morea, in southern Greece. This was necessary because the Ottomans were not going to leave Greece quietly. Ibrahim Pasha, the Ottoman ruler of Greece had started a policy of genocide against the Greeks, replacing Greeks with people brought from Ottoman occupied North Africa. Eventually, Vice-Admiral Codrington sailed to Alexandria where he negotiated with Mehemet Ali, Ibrahim's father to ensure the evacuation of all Ottoman forces from southern Greece. The negotiations resulted in the Treaty of Alexandria signed on the 6th August 1828 in the presence of a very heavily armed Allied fleet. The British Government were somewhat embarrassed by Codrington's version of gunboat diplomacy but it achieved their objective and the Ottomans duly evacuated Greece.

The blockade of Morea:




On the 24th March 1830, HMS Ocean finally left the Mediterranean and paid off at Plymouth on the 15th May.

On the 16th July 1831, HMS Ocean departed Plymouth bound for the River Medway, where she was to be converted into a Lazaretto Hulk, to be used for airing cargoes of cotton from the Eastern Mediterranean and to ensure that the cargoes were disease-free. The plans changed. On the 3rd December 1831, HMS Ocean was recommissioned at Sheerness as flagship of the Commander in Chief at the Nore, Admiral Sir John Poer Beresford. HMS Ocean was to remain off Sheerness in this role until 1841 when she was converted into a coal hulk. The reason this was done was because although the Sheerness Royal Dockyard had been extensively rebuilt in the 1830s, it was still designed around servicing the needs of a sailing navy. Steam powered ships were becoming more numerous by 1841 and the massive rebuilding and extension of the Royal Dockyard at Chatham was still thirty years away and neither Chatham or Sheerness had the space to store the amounts of coal which were needed to power the new steam-powered Royal Navy.

This painting shows hulks off Sheerness in the early 19th Century. The large ship in the foreground is the famous "Fighting Temeraire" mentioned at the beginning of this story. Given that that ship was broken up in 1838, it's very likely that the ship wearing the Vice-Admirals flag on her foremast to HMS Temeraire's left is HMS Ocean:



Another, later view of hulks off Sheerness. The black hulk in the foreground is also probably HMS Ocean.



HMS Ocean was to remain in use as a coal hulk until she was broken up in 1875.