HMS Warrior (1860) - Service Career

Service Career

Warrior never saw battle in her time in service, although, when launched, she and Black Prince were the biggest and most powerful warships in the world. Naval technology advanced so fast that both ships were removed from the front line within ten years.

On 19 September 1861 Warrior sailed for Portsmouth. After a short period in dry dock, the ship began her trials on 14 October. Between March and June 1862 defects exposed during the ship's trials were rectified, and damage received during the trials repaired. Changes included the fitting of a lighter bowsprit and a shorter jib boom, along with the provision of extra heads amidships.

In March 1863 the finest ship in the Royal Navy was sent to escort Princess Alexandra of Denmark, who was sailing to Britain to marry the Prince of Wales. Alexandra was greatly impressed by the ability of the larger ship to keep station on the royal yacht, so that upon arrival she sent the message 'princess is much pleased'. Warrior's captain had the words inscribed in brass letters into the ship's wheel which stood upon the quarterdeck. In autumn 1863 the Channel fleet toured the ports of Britain where Warrior was the centre of attraction. In November 1864 her first crew was paid off.

Warrior then underwent a refit. She was briefly commissioned with the intention of becoming Guardship at Queenstown (Cobh) and with this crew appeared in the 1867 Fleet Review. However this commission was cancelled after 24 days, and on 25 July 1867 she was again re-commissioned under Captain Henry Boys. After working up at Spithead, she sailed to join the channel squadron on 24 September. Shortly after, she sailed to Lisbon, where further training was carried out, after which she returned to England in December. She was then deployed to Osborne Bay to guard Queen Victoria at Osborne House. This was not merely an honorary guard, since this was the year of the Fenian Rising, and there was intelligence that suggested that the Queen might be in danger from Irish nationalists. At some point during the time Warrior was performing this duty the ship received an informal visit from Queen Victoria. In April 1868 she was part of a squadron that escorted the royal yacht HMY Victoria and Albert II to Dublin for an official visit by the then Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII. June was spent on a channel training cruise with the rest of the channel squadron. In August the squadron departed for a cruise to Scotland. During the cruise, Warrior collided with HMS Royal Oak, losing her figurehead and jib boom and seriously damaging Royal Oak's cutter.

For Warrior 1869 began with four cruises from Portugal. Between 4 and 28 July, Warrior, with Black Prince and the wooden paddle frigate HMS Terrible, was employed to tow the specially built 'Bermuda' floating dry dock across the Atlantic from Madeira to Ireland Island, Bermuda. The dock had taken a total of 36 days to be transferred from England. After recoaling, she sailed for England on 31 July. After a time in dry dock to have her bottom cleaned and the figurehead lost in the collision with HMS Royal Oak replaced, Warrior rejoined the channel squadron and carried out further cruises from Lisbon. Another brief period in dry dock followed before Warrior joined the Mediterranean fleet. Warrior was part of the fleet present when HMS Captain was lost due to severe weather on 7 September 1870. Further cruising followed including trips to Madeira and Gibraltar. While departing Gibraltar, Warrior was part of the squadron present at the grounding of HMS Agincourt on Pearl Rock.

In September 1871 Warrior began a refit that lasted until 1875. The work carried out included the addition of a poop deck, a shorter bowsprit and the replacement of her boilers. In April 1875 Warrior re-entered commission, having been relegated to the First Reserve. Her primary duties were acting as a guardship at Portland. During this time, she went on yearly summer cruises to various ports. In 1878 she was mobilised in reaction to concern that Russia might be about to attack Constantinople, but the attack did not materialise, and Warrior cruised to Bantry Bay. In April 1881 she was transferred to the Clyde District, where she served as guardship until 31 May 1883.

She was then used as a storage hulk, and from 1902 to 1904, as a depot ship for a flotilla of destroyers. Her name was changed to Vernon III in March 1904, a month after she joined Portsmouth-based Vernon, the Royal Navy's torpedo training school. Her role was supplying steam and electricity to the neighbouring hulks that made up Vernon. In October 1923 Vernon was transferred to a newly built shore installation, rendering Warrior and her companion hulks redundant; the Royal Navy put her up for sale in 1924.