Launch of the Caledonia.

The Caledonia man of war was launched at Plymouth, on the 25th of June, between five and six o'clock in the evening. She is the largest, and is generally considered to be the finest ship ever built. Her plan was designed by Sir William Rule, one of the surveyors of the navy; and she was laid down in the year 1796. Her dimensions are as follows:--

	ft.	in.
Length on the gun deck	205	0
Extreme breadth	53	6
Depth in the hold	23	2

Burthen (more than) 2605 tons.

On the lower deck, or gun deck, she has 17 ports on each side, middle deck 18, upper deck 17, quarter deck 8, and forecastle 2. She will mount 120 guns, from 18 to 32 pounders, besides carronades. Her stern is elegantly neat and light, without that profusion of carved work which formerly decorated ships of her class, having only the unicorn supporting the arms of Scotland. -- Her head is a bust of a female figure, emblematic of her name, with the plaid bonnet, and thistle "of the Saxon-green," and bagpipes, the favourite musical instrument of Caledonia, on each side, carved by Mr. Dickerson, in a manner that does great credit to his taste and judgement. -- Her mainmast is 119 feet in length, and 39 inches in diameter; the weight of her anchors is ninety-three hundred and two quarters.

Nautical Chronical, Vol. 20 (1808), p 60.

Transcribed by Lars Bruzelius

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