HMS Penelope (1867)

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HMS Penelope (1867) was a British ironclad designed for shallow coastal work. Built in the 1860s, she was an armoured corvette with a very shallow draught, which made sailing performance poor.

Construction and design
- Ordered: February 1865; built at Pembroke Dockyard
- Laid down: 4 September 1865; launched: 18 June 1867; completed: 27 June 1868
- Length: 260 ft; beam: 50 ft; draught: 15 ft 9 in forward, 17 ft 4 in aft
- Displacement: about 4,394 long tons; crew: around 350
- Propulsion: twin Maudslay horizontal-return steam engines, four boilers, two shafts; about 4,700 ihp; speed around 12 knots
- Sail plan: ship-rig with three masts
- Armament: eight 8-inch rifled muzzle-loading guns in a central battery, three 5-inch rifled breech-loading guns as chase guns, plus two 20-pounder saluting guns
- Armour: 6-inch waterline belt amidships with backing; 6-inch box battery, 4.5-inch bulkheads
- Notable features: first British capital ship with a washroom; only British twin-screw ship with hoisting screws (which gave it an unusual stern and extra drag)

Service history
- 1868–1869: served with the Channel Fleet
- 1869–1882: guard ship at Harwich in the First Reserve
- 1878: mobilised during tensions with Russia
- 1882: took part in the Bombardment of Alexandria during the Anglo-Egyptian War; fired 231 rounds and sustained light damage
- 1883–1887: returned home, then refitted
- 1888: sent to Simon’s Town, South Africa, as a receiving ship
- 1897: converted to a prison hulk
- 1912: sold for scrap; broken up in Genoa in 1914

Overall, Penelope was notable for its shallow-draught design and its use in various roles before being scrapped in the early 20th century.