The second HMS ''Mersey'' was commissioned in 1858, just six years after the first ''Mersey'' had been broken up. She and her sister ship the ''Orlando'' were the longest wooden warships built for the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

. At 336 feet in length, HMS ''Mersey'' was nearly twice the size of HMS ''Victory'', the flagship of Admiral Horatio Nelson at the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (180 ...

. At 5643 tons displacement, she was certainly a large and impressive looking ship in her day. She was heavily armed, and in comparison to many of her counterparts was quite fast with an approximate speed of 12½ knots, achieving 13½ on trials. The length, the unique aspect of the ship, was actually an Achilles' heel of the ''Mersey'' and ''Orlando''. The extreme length of the ship put enormous strains on her hull due to the unusual merging of heavy machinery, and a lengthy wooden hull, resulting in her seams opening up. They were pushing the limits of what was possible in wooden ship construction: In 1875 ''Mersey'' was laid up and sold for breaking. Some of her masts were installed on , which was then being refitted at

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 ...

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External links

A picture of HMS Mersey can be found here
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mersey (1858) Mersey-class frigates Steam frigates of the Royal Navy Frigates of the Royal Navy 1858 ships