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| 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 |
|
| Beam | 49 ft 3 in (15.0 m) |
| Propulsion | Sails |
| Armament |
|
| Notes | Ships in class include: Kent, Ajax |
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.