HMS ''Caledonia'' was a

broadside ironclad An ironclad is a steam-propelled warship protected by iron or steel armor plates, constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells. T ...

of the . Originally laid down as a two-decker steam ship of the line of the ''Bulwark'' class, ''Caledonia'' was converted on the building stocks into an

armoured frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

Service history

HMS ''Caledonia'' was not completed until July 1865 due to a delay in the delivery of her main armament. Once this was installed, she was commissioned as Second-in-Command 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 t ...

, becoming the first ever armoured flagship of the Royal Navy. She was temporarily withdrawn from service in 1866 for reconstruction which involved the addition of a

poop deck In naval architecture, a poop deck is a deck that forms the roof of a cabin built in the rear, or " aft", part of the superstructure of a ship. The name originates from the French word for stern, ''la poupe'', from Latin ''puppis''. Thus th ...

. Following this, she was flagship of the

Channel Fleet The Channel Fleet and originally known as the Channel Squadron was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1854 to 1909 and 1914 to 1915. History Throughout the course of Royal Navy's history the ...

until 1867, when she 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 in ...

for re-armament. HMS ''Caledonia'' was flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet until 1869 (relieving , the last three-deck Royal Navy flagship) until 1872. In July 1871, she ran aground off

Santorini Santorini ( el, Σαντορίνη, ), officially Thira (Greek: Θήρα ) and classical Greek Thera (English pronunciation ), is an island in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km (120 mi) southeast from the Greek mainland. It is the ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

. She was later refloated and taken in to

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

for repairs. She was a guardship in the Firth of Forth from 1872 until 1875. On 15 June 1873, ''Caledonia'' was in collision with the British ship ''Hogton Tower'' off St. Alban's Head,

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

. ''Hogton Tower'' was severely damaged at the bows; ''Caledonia'' towed her in to

Spithead Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds except those from the southeast. It receives its name from the Spit, a sandbank stretching south from the Hampshire ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

. ''Caledonia'' had been serving as a

Coastguard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...

vessel at

Birkenhead Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

and was sailing to

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

for a forthcoming inspection of the fleet by the

Shah of Persia Iranian monarchism is the advocacy of restoring the monarchy in Iran, which was abolished after the 1979 Revolution. Historical background Iran first became a constitutional monarchy in 1906, but underwent a period of autocracy during the years ...

. She was paid off at Plymouth, and was laid up there until she was sold on 30 September 1886.

References

;Sources * *
Battleships-Cruisers.co.uk
* * Baxter, James Phinney ''The Introduction of the Ironclad Warship'', published Harvard University, 1933. * * Clowes, William Laird ''Four Modern Naval Campaigns, Historical Strategical, and Tactical'', first published Unit Library, 1902, reprinted Cornmarket Press, 1970. * * * * Reed, Edward J ''Our Ironclad Ships, their Qualities, Performance and Cost'', published John Murray, 1869. {{DEFAULTSORT:Caledonia (1862) Prince Consort-class ironclads Bulwark-class battleships (1859) Victorian-era battleships of the United Kingdom Ships built in Woolwich 1862 ships Maritime incidents in July 1871 Maritime incidents in June 1873