HMS Warrior (1860)

HMS Warrior (1860)
HMS Warrior was the name ship of a class of two 40-gun steam-powered armoured frigates built for the Royal Navy in 1859–61. The sister ships Warrior and HMS Black Prince were the first armour-plated, iron-hulled warships, and were built in response to France's launching in 1859 of the first ocean-going ironclad warship, the wooden-hulled Gloire. After a publicity tour of Great Britain in 1863, Warrior had an active career with the Channel Squadron. The frigate became obsolescent following the 1871 launching of the mastless and more capable HMS Devastation, was placed in reserve in 1875, and was paid off in 1883. After serving as a storeship and depot ship, Warrior was assigned in 1904 to the Royal Navy's torpedo training school. The frigate was converted into an oil jetty in 1927 and was donated by the Navy to the Maritime Trust for restoration in 1979. The restoration process took eight years, during which many of the ship's features and fittings were either restored or recreated. When this was finished Warrior returned to Portsmouth as a museum ship. Listed as part of the National Historic Fleet, the ship has been based in Portsmouth since 1987.