HMS Lion (1777)

HMS Lion was a 64-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched in 1777. She was built at Portsmouth Dockyard to a design by Sir Thomas Slade, and was one of the Intrepid-class ships.

Lion saw extensive service during the American Revolutionary War. She participated in the Battle of Ushant in 1778 and the Battle of Grenada in 1779. In 1780, she was part of the fleet under Sir George Brydges Rodney that engaged the Spanish fleet at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent.

During the French Revolutionary Wars, Lion served in the Mediterranean. She took part in the Siege of Toulon in 1793 and the Battle of Hyères Islands in 1795.

In 1798, Lion was part of Rear-Admiral Horatio Nelson's fleet that searched for the French fleet before the Battle of the Nile. Although she wasn't present at the Nile itself, she played a crucial role in the preceding operations.

She was eventually broken up in 1816. Her career spanned nearly four decades and encompassed significant naval battles and campaigns of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.