Ajax-class ship of the line

The Ajax-class ships of the line were a class of two 74-gun third rates of the Royal Navy. They were grouped in with the large class of 74s, as they carried 24-pounders on their upper gun decks, rather than the 18-pounders of the middling and common class 74s. The design of the Ajax class was a lengthened (by 11 ft (3.4 m)) version of the Valiant class, the lines of which were taken from the French Invincible, captured in 1747.

HMS Ajax
Class overview
Name:	Ajax
Operators:	Royal Navy
Preceded by:	Mars class
Succeeded by:	Pompée class
In service:	17 January 1798–1881
Completed:	2
General characteristics
Type:	Ship of the line
Length:	182 ft 3 in (55.5 m) (gundeck) 149 ft 8 in (45.6 m) (keel)
Beam:	49 ft 3 in (15.0 m)
Propulsion:	Sails
Armament:	74 guns: Gundeck: 28 × 32-pounders Upper gundeck: 30 × 24-pounders Quarterdeck: 12 × 9-pounders Forecastle: 4 × 9-pounders
Notes:	Ships in class include: Kent, Ajax