What is the name of the ship in Turner's 'The Fighting Temeraire'?

The ship in J. M. W. Turner’s The Fighting Temeraire is HMS Temeraire.

HMS Temeraire was a British 98-gun second-rate ship of the line, launched at Chatham Dockyard in 1798. She became famous for her role at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805, where she supported HMS Victory and helped capture two French ships. Her wartime reputation explains the affectionate title “The Fighting Temeraire.”

Turner’s 1839 painting does not show the ship during battle. Instead, it depicts the aging warship being towed up the River Thames in 1838 toward Rotherhithe, where she would be broken up. A small steam tug pulls the grand sailing vessel through a sunset, creating a powerful contrast between the age of sail and modern steam power.

The common mistake is to treat The Fighting Temeraire as the ship’s official name. It is a celebrated nickname and the title of Turner’s painting; the vessel’s formal name was HMS Temeraire. Turner’s work is now in London’s National Gallery.