The Warrior joined the Channel Fleet in June 1862. She spent nearly all of her seagoing life guarding Britain and the eastern Atlantic against potential threats.
Crowds of up to 6000 people turned out to see the Warrior as she visited British ports. She never once fired a shot in anger. Her strength was her ability to keep the peace.
The Warrior advanced existing ideas about shipbuilding by leaps and bounds. Foreign governments quickly copied her advanced features.
Armour-plated vessels with even greater firepower were soon challenging her as the world's greatest warship. Warrior became out of date within 10 years. She was relegated to the Reserve Fleet ranks and in 1883 she was withdrawn from sea service.
By the beginning of the 20th century, under the name Vernon III, the Warrior had become a floating storage and depot ship for torpedo vessels at Portsmouth.
She was taken to Gray's Shipyard in Hartlepool and after a £8 million refit was opened to the public. Her permanent mooring is now at Portsmouth Navy Yard.
HMS Warrior, c. 1863. © NMM
