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HMS Union was a 90-gun second rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Chatham Dockyard to the draught specified by the 1745 Establishment as amended in 1750, and launched on 25 September 1756.
In 1756, one of the midshipmen on the Union was John Hunter, later to become an admiral and the second Governor of New South Wales. On 1 August 1757 Arthur Phillip, who was to become the first Governor of New South Wales, joined the crew with the new commander.
Naseby was a three-decker ship of the line built for the Commonwealth of England's Navy. She was one of four Second rates authorised by the Council of State on 3 July 1654 as part of the 1654 Construction Programme, intended to carry 60 guns each. Construction was allocated to Woolwich Dockyard, where the ship was to be designed and built by Peter Pett II. She was named Naseby, in honour of Sir Thomas Fairfax's decisive 1645 victory over the Royalist forces during the English Civil Wars.
However, it was decided early on to alter the Programme to include a First rate "suitable as a fleet flagship", and Naseby was altered during construction to mount a complete battery of guns along the upper deck (compared with the partial battery on this deck of her intended sisters, on which there were no gunports in the waist along this deck), and so was reclassed as a First rate of 80 guns. Her length was extended by 7Â ft (compared with her intended sisters), allowing room for a 14th pair of gunports on the lower deck, and also 14 pairs on the middle deck, as well as 13 pairs on the now fully-armed upper deck and 6 pairs on the quarterdeck.