Caledonia-class ship of the line
The Caledonia-class ships of the line were a class of nine 120-gun first rates, designed for the Royal Navy by Sir William Rule. A tenth ship was ordered on 29 October 1827 to the same design, but was launched in 1833 as Queen to a fresh design by Sir William Symonds. The lead ship of the class,, had "superb sailing qualities" and was chosen by the Board of Admiralty to serve as the model for all future three-decker ships of the line.
Armament
In the original configuration, the armament of the Caledonia class was consistent for the first three ships of the class. The exception was an increase in firepower on the poop deck from 2 to 6 18-pounder carronades.Starting with the fourth ship, the armament of the class was significantly modified to adhere to the principle of a unified caliber of 32 pound. All guns on the middle and upper gun decks were replaced with the same number of 32-pounders, except for two 24-pounders on the middle deck that were replaced by two 8-inch-shell guns. Four of the 12-pounder guns on the quarterdeck were replaced with 32-pounder carronades. The remaining two were increased to 18-pounders, along with the two 12-pounders on the forecastle, and the carronades on the poop deck were removed.
By 1847 the armament had been brought to the 32-pounder standard.