HMS Prince (1854)

HMS Prince was a 131-gun first-rate screw ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched in 1854. She was designed by Sir Baldwin Walker and was one of the largest wooden warships ever built.

Prince was commissioned late in the Crimean War, missing active service. Her dimensions were impressive for the time: 240 feet in length between perpendiculars and a beam of 60 feet. She displaced approximately 6,066 tons.

Initially intended to carry sail alone, Prince was fitted with a two-cylinder horizontal single expansion steam engine producing approximately 800 horsepower (nominal), which drove a single screw propeller. This auxiliary engine allowed her to maintain a reasonable speed in calms or against unfavorable winds.

She served primarily as a guard ship after her completion, and participated in fleet reviews. She underwent a refit in the 1860s but did not see further significant active service. Technological advancements in naval warfare, particularly the introduction of ironclad warships, quickly rendered wooden ships of the line obsolete.

Prince was eventually sold for breaking in 1882. While not achieving fame through battle, she represents a significant period in naval history as one of the last and largest wooden steam-assisted warships built for the Royal Navy.