HMS ''Waterloo'' was a 120-gun, three-deck,

first rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a first rate was the designation for the largest ships of the line. Originating in the Jacobean era with the designation of Ships Royal capable of carrying at least ...

, broadened built for the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

during the 1830s. The ship remained

in ordinary ''In ordinary'' is an English phrase with multiple meanings. In relation to the Royal Household and public officials more generally, it indicates that a position is a permanent one (in contrast to positions that are extraordinary). In naval matt ...

until she was commissioned in 1851. She was razeed and converted into a steam-powered, 89-gun,

second rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a second-rate was a ship of the line which by the start of the 18th century mounted 90 to 98 guns on three gun decks; earlier 17th-century second rates had fewer guns ...

, two decker in 1859–1860. ''Waterloo'' was renamed ''Conqueror'' in 1862 and participated in the Shimonoseki campaign two years later. The ship was renamed ''Waterloo'' in 1876 and became a

training ship A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house class ...

. She was destroyed in a fire in 1918.

Description

As an 89-gun ship, ''Waterloo'' measured on the

gundeck The term gun deck used to refer to a deck aboard a ship that was primarily used for the mounting of cannon to be fired in broadsides. The term is generally applied to decks enclosed under a roof; smaller and unrated vessels carried their guns ...

and on the

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The keel laying, laying of the keel is often ...

. She had a beam of ,, a depth of hold of Winfield, p. 48 and a deep draught of The ship displaced and had a tonnage of 2,845

tons burthen Builder's Old Measurement (BOM, bm, OM, and o.m.) is the method used in England from approximately 1650 to 1849 for calculating the cargo capacity of a ship. It is a volumetric measurement of cubic capacity. It estimated the tonnage of a ship b ...

. She was fitted with a horizontal two-cylinder single-expansion steam engine built by Ravenhill, Salkeld & Co that was rated at 500

nominal horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are th ...

and drove a single

propeller shaft A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power, torque, and rotation, usually used to connect o ...

. Her boilers provided enough steam to give the engine that was good for a speed of during her

sea trials A sea trial or trial trip is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a " shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on o ...

. Her crew numbered 830 officers and ratings.Winfield, pp. 47–48 The ship's

muzzle-loading A muzzleloader is any firearm in which the user loads the projectile and the propellant charge into the muzzle end of the gun (i.e., from the forward, open end of the gun's barrel). This is distinct from the modern designs of breech-loading fire ...

smoothbore A smoothbore weapon is one that has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars. Some examples of smoothbore weapons are muskets, blunderbusses, and flintlock pistols. ...

armament consisted of thirty-two shell guns on her lower gundeck and thirty-four 32-pounder (56 cwt) guns"Cwt" is the abbreviation for

hundredweight The hundredweight (abbreviation: cwt), formerly also known as the centum weight or quintal, is a British imperial and United States customary unit of weight or mass. Its value differs between the United States customary and British imperial sy ...

, 56 cwt referring to the weight of the gun. on her upper gundeck. Between her

forecastle The forecastle ( ; contracted as fo'c'sle or fo'c's'le) is the upper deck (ship), deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or, historically, the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters. Related to the latter meaning is t ...

and

quarterdeck The quarterdeck is a raised deck behind the main mast of a sailing ship. Traditionally it was where the captain commanded his vessel and where the ship's colours were kept. This led to its use as the main ceremonial and reception area on bo ...

, she carried twenty-two 32-pounder (42 cwt) guns and a single 68-pounder gun.

Construction and career

''Waterloo'' was ordered on 16 February 1824,

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one ...

Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham, Kent, Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham, Kent, Gillingham; at its most extens ...

in March 1827, launched on 18 June 1833 and moved to

Sheerness Dockyard Sheerness Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the Sheerness peninsula, at the mouth of the River Medway in Kent. It was opened in the 1660s and closed in 1960. Location In the Age of Sail, the Royal Navy would often establish shore ...

on 19 July to be placed in ordinary. The ship's first

commission In-Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anot ...

was not until 5 August 1851 under Captain

Montagu Stopford General Sir Montagu George North Stopford, (16 November 1892 – 10 March 1971) was a senior British Army Officer (armed forces), officer who fought during both the First World War, First and Second World Wars. The latter he served in with dist ...

as she was intended to serve as the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...

Vice-Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of vic ...

James Dundas (Royal Navy officer), commander-in-chief of the

Mediterranean Fleet The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between ...

, although was sent instead. ''Waterloo'' was ordered to be cut down and converted into a steamship on 5 February 1859. The work included lengthening the ship by about and began on 1 April. She was launched on 12 November and completed in April 1860. Following the loss of the modern 101-gun steam 2-decker in 1861, ''Waterloo'' was renamed ''Conqueror'' on 27 February 1862. The ship was not commissioned until 24 November 1863 under Captain William Luard. She was sent to the

China station The Commander-in-Chief, China, was the admiral in command of what was usually known as the China Station, at once both a British Royal Navy naval formation and its admiral in command. It was created in 1865 and deactivated in 1941. From 1831 to 1 ...

, and bombarded Shimonoseki in September 1864. ''Conqueror'' was

paid off Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to placing a warship i ...

on 21 February 1866. On 11 August 1876 she was renamed ''Warspite'' and became a training ship at

Woolwich Woolwich () is a town in South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was mainta ...

then Greenhithe. The ship was destroyed by fire in 1918, with 250 boys embarked at the time."The Warspite Fire". ''The Times'' (41718): Col B, p. 3. 20 February 1918. Three teenage boys later claimed to have started the fire deliberately."Charge Of Burning The Warspite". ''The Times'' (41694): Col E, p. 3. 23 January 1918. They were charged for the alleged act and ordered to three years' detention at a

reformatory A reformatory or reformatory school is a youth detention center or an adult correctional facility popular during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Western countries. In the United Kingdom and United States, they came out of social concern ...

Notes

Citations

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Waterloo (1833) Ships of the line of the Royal Navy Caledonia-class ships of the line Ships built in Chatham 1833 ships Ship fires Shipwrecks of the River Thames Maritime incidents in 1918