HMS Union, hospital conversion, and naval capacity

HMS Union shows how a second-rate hull could serve beyond battle-line duty. Removing her guns and converting her into a hospital ship reassigned a large warship to medical and logistical work. The conversion date remains uncertain: surviving references point to the mid-1790s but do not settle whether the work occurred before 1794. Royal Navy bureaucracy could preserve detailed records while remaining vague about particular dates and spending. The same administration supported mass production of dependable rope, blocks, and tackle at something close to factory scale. Admiralty offices provide another example because no obvious special parliamentary vote explains their funding.