The Dublin-class ships of the line were a class of seven 74-gun third rates, designed for the Royal Navy by Sir Thomas Slade.

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Quick Facts Class overview, General characteristics ...

A Dublin-class ship of the line in a light breeze by Charles Brooking
Class overview
Name	Dublin
Operators	Royal Navy
Preceded by	1745 Establishment
Succeeded by	Hercules class
In service	6 May 1757 – 1802
Completed	7
Lost	2
General characteristics
Type	Ship of the line
Tons burthen	1546 87/94
Length	165 ft 6.5 in (50.457 m) (gundeck) 134 ft 6 in (41.00 m) (keel)
Beam	46 ft 6 in (14.17 m)
Depth of hold	19 ft 9 in (6.02 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Complement	550
Armament	74 guns: Gundeck: 28 × 32-pounders Upper gundeck: 28 × 18-pounders Quarterdeck: 14 × 9-pounders Forecastle: 4 × 9-pounders
Notes	Ships in class include: Dublin, Norfolk, Shrewsbury, Lenox, Warspite, Resolution, Mars

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The Dublin-class ships were the first 74-gun ships to be designed for the Royal Navy, and marked the beginning of a more dynamic era of naval design than that in the ultra-conservative Establishment era preceding it.

Slade's draught was approved on 26 August 1755 when the first two orders were transmitted to Deptford Dockyard. The design was some 4½ feet longer than the preceding 70-gun ships of the 1745 Establishment, with the extra length making provision for an additional (14th) pair of 32-pounder guns on the lower deck compared with the 13 pairs of the 70-gun ships. They were nominally ordered as 70-gun ships (although always designed to carry 74), but redesignated as 74-gun during construction.