HMS Defiance: Devonport's Submarine Base

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Defiance was a gunboat that the garrison at Gibraltar launched in June 1782 during the Great Siege of Gibraltar. She was one of 12. Each was armed with an 18-pounder gun, and received a crew of 21 men drawn from Royal Navy vessels stationed at Gibraltar. Brilliant provided Defiance 's crew. [1] She also participated in the Battle of Cape Finisterre on 22 July 1805, and the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October, whilst under the command of Captain Philip Charles Durham, who claimed that "she was the fastest 74 gun ship in the British fleet". [ citation needed] Defiance was a development of the Renown class. The second pair of Renowns, HMS Atlas and HMS Anson, had a modified, finer stern run. Defiance was originally laid down as to the same plan as Atlas, but a new plan dated 8 October 1858 was prepared giving Defiance a lengthened bow. [2] Some indication has been given of voyages made by the vessels. The amount of information in the documents varies greatly. For long distance voyages, the authorised destination is often given in the most general terms and the only clues lie in entries made at various ports of call. Coastal vessels sometimes give a detailed schedule of calls but at others only a general description. No attempt has been made to indicate whether the information covers the whole year, though this can sometimes be deduced.

English ship Defiance (1590) was a 46-gun galleon built in 1590. She was rebuilt and reduced to 34 guns in 1614 and was sold in 1650. HMS Defiance (shore establishment 1970) was the Fleet Maintenance Base at HMNB Devonport between 1972 and 1979, and again between 1981 and 1994 when it was absorbed into the main base. One ship was renamed HMS Defiance whilst serving as the establishment's depot ship. The museum’s size inspired the the idea of positioning the figureheads high up. Photograph: Jim Wileman/The GuardianThirteen of the figures, weighing a total of 20 tonnes, have been suspended from the ceiling of the atrium to a new museum and gallery in the maritime city of Plymouth, Devon. The Perseus was used almost entirely for training in mine warfare and had the facility to assemble and disassemble mines and to launch and recover them.

Another topic when I joined a submarine early 1950 as an additional for training , I discovered the WW2 Electrician and his EMs , had a converted from LTOs , that previously formed the ship electricians within the Torpedo Branch prior to 1947. They were not actually Torpedo men , being trained in ship electrical maintenance . There are those who state on the web that the new 1947 Electrical Branch was formed mainly by "Wire men" --- this not so .

HMS Defiance was the Fleet Maintenance Base at HMNB Devonport between 1972 and 1979, and again between 1981 and 1994 when it was absorbed into the main base. One ship was renamed HMS Defiance whilst serving as the establishment's depot ship.