HMS Donegal was a second-rate screw-driven ship of the line, built for the Royal Navy during the 1850s as part of the Conqueror-class. Laid down at HM Dockyard Devonport on 27 September 1855 and launched on 23 September 1858, she was completed by 27 August 1859. The vessel measured approximately 275 feet in overall length, with a gundeck length of 240 feet, a beam of 55 feet 5 inches, and a depth of hold of 24 feet 5 inches. Her tonnage was recorded at 3,245 tons burthen. The ship was armed with a formidable array of guns, including thirty-six 8-inch shell guns on her lower gundeck, thirty-six 32-pounder guns on her upper gundeck, alongside twenty-eight 32-pounders and a single 68-pounder gun positioned amidship. Propulsion was provided by a two-cylinder horizontal trunk steam engine built by John Penn and Sons, producing 3,103 indicated horsepower, which enabled a maximum speed of 11.8 knots. Her crew numbered around 930 officers and ratings. HMS Donegal's service included deployment with the Channel and North America and West Indies Squadrons. She participated in fleet reviews, transported troops to Mexico in 1861, and assisted in recovering equipment from her sister ship HMS Conqueror in 1862. Notably, she was present in Queenstown when William Hall was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1859. During her career, she also transported Vice-Admiral Sir Henry Kellett and a replacement crew to the China Station, and she notably took the last surrender of the American Civil War from CSS Shenandoah in 1865 after a long voyage from the Pacific. In 1870, HMS Donegal was decommissioned and became a tender to HMS Duke of Wellington. She was later hulked in 1886, renamed Vernon, and incorporated into the Royal Navy's Torpedo School at Portsmouth. She served in this capacity until 1923, when the torpedo school moved ashore. HMS Donegal was eventually sold for scrap in 1925, with parts of her timber repurposed for civilian use. Her long service life reflects her significance in mid-19th-century naval history, transitioning from a warship to a training hulk.

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