HMS Prince Consort (1862)

Career
Name:	HMS Prince Consort
Builder:	Pembroke Dock
Laid down:	1860
Completed:	April 1864
Fate:	Broken up, 1882
General characteristics
Class and type:	Prince Consort-class battleship
Displacement:	6,832 long tons (6,942 t)
Length:	As built : 252 ft (77 m) After 1861 : 273 ft (83 m)
Beam:	As built : 57 ft (17 m) After 1861 : 58 ft 6 in (17.83 m)
Draught:	As built : 25 ft (7.6 m) After 1861 : 24 ft (7.3 m)
Propulsion:	One-shaft Maudsley 1,000 nhp
Sail plan:	Double-topsail barque; sail area 25,000 sq ft (2,300 m2)
Speed:	12.5 knots (14.4 mph; 23.2 km/h) under power 10 knots (12 mph; 19 km/h) under sail
Complement:	605
Armament:	1864 : • 7 × 7 in (180 mm) breech-loading Armstrong rifles • 8 × 100-pounder smoothbore • 16 × 68-pounder smoothbore 1867 : • 4 × 8 in (200 mm) muzzle-loading rifles • 20 × 7 in (180 mm) muzzle-loading rifles 1871 : • 7 × 9-inch (229 mm) muzzle-loading rifles • 8 × 8 in (200 mm) muzzle-loading rifles
Armour:	Battery and belt: 4.5 in (110 mm) amidships and 3 in (76 mm) fore and aft

HMS Prince Consort was laid down at Pembroke as the 91-gun second rate battleship HMS Triumph, but her name was changed in February 1862 in memory of the recently deceased Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Her first posting after commissioning was to Liverpool; on her passage there, in an Irish Sea gale, it was found that she did not have enough scuppers fitted to discharge seawater coming aboard, and almost foundered. She served in the Channel Fleet from 1864 until 1867, when she was paid off to re-arm. From 1867 to 1871 she formed part of the Mediterranean Fleet, until she was brought home for a further re-armament. Notwithstanding this expense, she saw no further sea service, and by 1882 had fallen into disrepair, and was sold.

The Prince Consort was widely regarded as being the second-worse roller in the entire Fleet, being exceeded in this only by HMS Lord Clyde.

She and HMS Royal Oak were the only ships of the class to be rigged with double topsails, as this rig was abolished in the Royal Navy before the last two ships were completed. The limited area of canvas spread, compared to preceding classes, combined with the drag caused by a disconnecting but non-lifting screw made them at best indifferent performers when under sail.

It was found necessary to place the engines amidships, rather than towards the stern, which had been the case in earlier ironclads. This gave rise to an unusually wide spacing of the two funnels, one being midway between fore and main mast, and one being midway between main and mizzen.