Thomas Slade Sir Thomas Slade ( 1703 / 4 – 1771 ) was an English naval architect , most famous for designing HMS " Victory " , Lord Nelson ' s flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 . Career outline . Like many who rose to the pinnacle of the design of British sailing warships , Thomas Slade began as a shipwright in the Royal Dockyards . His uncle Benjamin Slade was Master Shipwright at Plymouth Dockyard ( a master shipwright was responsible for all ship construction and repair at the dockyard in which he served ) . In 1744 Thomas became Deputy Master Shipwright at Woolwich Dockyard . On 22 November 1750 he replaced his uncle , who had died that year , as Master Shipwright at Plymouth . On 27 May 1752 he was transferred temporarily back to Woolwich Dockyard as Master Shipwright , and from there to Chatham Dockyard on 17 June 1752 and subsequently on 15 March 1753 to Deptford Dockyard , where he remained until 5 August 1755 . He was appointed Surveyor of the Navy in August 1755 by George Anson , First Lord of the Admiralty , serving until his death in February 1771 . For the first decade , he shared the appointment with William Bately , formerly the Deputy Surveyor of the Navy , until the latter ' s retirement in June 1765 . On Bately ' s retirement , John Williams was appointed to share the post . Nevertheless , Slade was clearly the senior surveyor throughout his tenure . Achievements . According to N . A . M . Rodger : During this tenure , Slade was responsible for several major design changes . He produced a ' generic design ' that was used as a template for the Royal Navy ' s 74 - gun ships and frigates . His ' 74 ' designs , starting with the , were an evolution of current British ships , built to compete with the new French ' 74 ' s , some of which had been captured during the War of Austrian Succession in 1747 . At least forty - six ' 74 ' s were built to his designs ; the last was launched in 1789 . He also designed HMS " Asia " , which was the first true 64 - gun ship . As a result , the Royal Navy ordered no further 60 - gun ships but instead commissioned more 64s . Because these incorporated alterations learned from trials with " Asia " , subsequent ships were bigger , she was the only ship of her draught ( class ) . The first of these was HMS " Ardent " , which ushered in the . Slade also designed smaller vessels , such as the 8 - gun Board of Customs cutter , HMS " Sherborne " . " Victory " was his most famous single vessel . Once commissioned , she became the most successful first - rate ship of the line ever built . On 13 December 1758 , the Board of Admiralty in London placed an order for the construction of 12 new ships of the line , including one of 100 guns . The following year the Admiralty chose the name " Victory " for this vessel , despite the previous holders of the name having been largely unsuccessful . It is interesting to note that 1758 also saw the birth of Nelson , who would die on her decks at Trafalgar . Sir Thomas Slade died in February 1771 and is buried in St Clement ' s churchyard , Grimwade Street , Ipswich . His will was proven on 19 March 1771 ( Prob . 11 / 965 ) . His wife Hannah lies with her parents in the tomb next to the west boundary of the churchyard . Legacy . Slade Point on the central Queensland coast was named after him . His 1745 apprentice John Henslow ( later Sir John ) also became Chief Surveyor to the Navy in 1784 and was the grandfather of Darwin ' s mentor John Henslow .