HMS Windsor
Castle was a triple-decker, 116 gun first-rate Royal Navy ship of
the line. She was renamed HMS Cambridge in 1866 or 1869, when she
replaced a ship of the same name as gunnery ship off Plymouth. Laid
down at Pembroke Dockyard as HMS Victoria, she was converted from
sail to steam screw whilst on the stocks, renamed Windsor Castle on
6 January 1855 and launched 26 August 1858. 204 feet long, and of
4971 tons displacement, she had a crew of 930, but almost immediately
entered the first-class steam reserve - The Times reported on 13 September
1860 reported her as among the "ships and gunboats in the first-class
steam reserve which could be got ready for the pennant at a short
notice". She was renamed HMS Cambridge in 1866 or 1869, when
she replaced a ship of the same name as gunnery ship off Plymouth.
She was later joined by HMS Calcutta as her tender, with a wooden
bridge between the bow of HMS Cambridge and the stern of the Calcutta.
Other of her tenders included HMS Gorgon, Plucky and Sabrina (around
1877) and HMS Bonetta, Bulldog, Cuckoo, Hecate, Plucky, Sabrina and
Snap (around 1890). In 1890, some of her officers were listed as bound
for Foudroyant and Perseus. She was towed on October 30th 1907 to
No. 5 Basin of the Royal Dockyard to enable the gunnery school to
move ashore into the Naval Barracks, paid off on November 4th that
year and sold to Cox on 24 June 1908 for breaking up at Falmouth.
[Source: Wikipedia
HMS Windsor Castle]
HMS Calcutta
was an 84-gun second-rate ship-of-the-line of the Royal Navy, built
in teak to a draught by Sir Robert Seppings and launched on 14 March
1831 in Bombay. She was the only ship ever built to her draught. She
carried her complement of smooth-bore, muzzle-loading guns on two
gundecks. Her complement was 720 men (38 officers, 69 petty officers,
403 seamen, 60 boys and 150 marines). In 1855 the ship had been in
reserve, but was recommissioned for the war between Russia and Britain
and sailed for the Baltic. After two months she was sent home again,
as being useless for modern naval actions. She saw action in the Second
Opium War as the flagship of Rear Admiral Sir Michael Seymour, under
the command of Captain William King-Hall. In 1858 Calcutta visited
Nagasaki where she stayed for one week, becoming the first ship-of-the-line
to visit Japan. In 1865, she was converted to a gunnery ship, moored
at Devonport, Devon, with HMS Cambridge.[4] She was sold to breakers
in 1908. Her figurehead was acquired by Admiral Lord Fisher, then
First Sea Lord, as she had been his first seagoing ship. [Source:
Wikipedia
HMS Calcutta]
