H.M.S. Queen was, if for no other reason, a significant vessel in the history of the Royal Navy since she was the very last sailing battleship to be completed before the advent of steam. Initially ordered as a 120-gun First Rate, she was extensively redesigned to accommodate 110 guns before building commenced and her keel was laid at Portsmouth in November 1833. Originally to be called Royal Frederick, she was re-named in honour of the new Queen when virtually finished and launched on 15th May 1839. An enormous three-decker of 3,099 tons, she measured 204 feet in length and was armed with ten 8-in. guns and one hundred 32-pounders. In almost continuous commission for nearly twenty years, she was part of the fleet sent to the Black Sea during the Crimean War (1854-56) where she distinguished herself at the first bombardment of Sebastopol on 17th October 1854 even though she was set on fire three times and eventually forced to withdraw from the action. Despite the Anglo-French alliance during that war however, subsequent Admiralty mistrust of French intentions resulted in a warship modernisation programme during 1858-59 with Queen amongst those vessels selected for improvement. The work was carried out at Sheerness and by the time she was undocked there on 5th April 1859, she had been converted to screw propulsion thanks to the installation of a 500h.p. Maudslay engine whilst at the same time being cut down in size to a two-decker mounting 86 guns. Now capable of steaming at 10½ knots yet with a much reduced crew, she was promptly commissioned into the Mediterranean Fleet where she remained until 1864. Returning home to be paid off, this marked the end of her sea-going career and she was broken up in 1871.

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- Marine Pictures & Works of Art

Follower of Anton Schranz(Maltese, 1801-circa 1865)H.M.S. Queen lying in Grand Harbour, Valetta

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Alistair Laird

Follower of Anton Schranz (Maltese, 1801-circa 1865)

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Follower of Anton Schranz
(Maltese, 1801-circa 1865)
H.M.S. Queen lying in Grand Harbour, Valetta