HMS Queen was a 110-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 15 May 1839 at Portsmouth. As the last purely sailing-built battleship ordered by Britain, she represented the culmination of traditional naval design before the transition to steam-powered vessels. Originally ordered in 1827 under the name Royal Frederick, she was renamed HMS Queen in April 1839, shortly before her launch, in honor of Queen Victoria. Her design was based on a new draught by Sir William Symonds, making her the only ship completed to this specific plan, although she was initially intended to be part of the broadened Caledonia class. She was originally part of a group of four sister ships, with some later completed as screw battleships, reflecting the transitional period in naval technology. HMS Queen’s service history includes participation in the Crimean War, notably during the Bombardment of Sevastopol on 17 October 1854 under Captain Frederick Thomas Michell. During this engagement, she was set on fire three times and was ultimately forced to withdraw, marking a notable but costly engagement. The ship also carried the famous mascot Timothy the tortoise, who was about 160 years old when he died in 2004, during her active service. In the late 1850s, HMS Queen was refitted with an auxiliary steam engine, marking a significant technological upgrade. Between August 1858 and April 1859, she was cut down from three decks to two and re-armed as an 86-gun ship, fitted with a Maudslay, Sons and Field 500 nhp engine and a single screw propeller, which allowed her to reach speeds of 10.5 knots. Following her refit, she served with the Mediterranean Fleet until 1864. The vessel was ultimately broken up in 1871 at Surrey Canal Wharf in Rotherhithe on the River Thames, ending her distinguished naval career.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.