2-720-301 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

'The Royal George', 1756. The English warship 'HMS Royal George', built at Woolwich Dockyard in London, was launched on 18 February 1756. The largest warship in the world at the time, the 'George' sank on 29 August 1782 during routine maintenance while anchored off Portsmouth. More than 800 lives were lost, one of the most serious maritime losses to occur in British waters. [Engraved for the General Magazine of Arts & Sciences for W Owen at Temple Bar [London], 1756]