HMS Minotaur (1863)
Construction and service
Construction and service
------------------------

HMS *Minotaur* was originally ordered on 2 September 1861 as HMS *Elephant*, in honour of the [ship](/wiki/HMS_Elephant_%281786%29 "HMS Elephant (1786)") once commanded by [Nelson](/wiki/Horatio_Nelson%2C_1st_Viscount_Nelson "Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson") seventy years before, but her name was changed to *Minotaur* during construction. She was laid down on 12 September 1861 by the [Thames Ironworks](/wiki/Thames_Ironworks_and_Shipbuilding_Company "Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company") in [Blackwall, London](/wiki/Blackwall%2C_London "Blackwall, London"). She was launched on 12 December 1863, commissioned in April 1867 and completed on 1 June 1867\. The lengthy delay in completion was due to frequent changes in design details, and experiments with her armament and with her sailing rig.Ballard, pp. 28, 240 The ship cost a total of £478,855\.Parkes, p. 59

*Minotaur* finally commissioned in [Portsmouth](/wiki/Portsmouth "Portsmouth") as the flagship of the Channel Squadron, a position which she retained until 1873\. In 1872 the ship nearly rammed the ironclad  as they were leaving [Belfast Lough](/wiki/Belfast_Lough "Belfast Lough"). *Minotaur* lost her [bowsprit](/wiki/Bowsprit "Bowsprit") and fore [topgallant mast](/wiki/Topgallant_mast "Topgallant mast"), but *Bellerophon* only suffered some minor flooding. She paid off for a long refit in 1873 and resumed her position in 1875 when she rejoined the Channel Squadron.Ballard, p. 29 *Minotaur* became the first ship in the Royal Navy to receive a permanent installation of an electric [searchlight](/wiki/Searchlight "Searchlight") in 1876\.Brown, p. 66

In 1882, she took part in naval operations off Egypt during the British invasion of the country, arriving in Alexandria just after the British squadron there had bombarded the port's defences on 11 July. She remained on active service off Egypt, sometimes shelling shore positions, until October 1882 when she sailed for Malta.

On 24 December 1886, she collided with  in the [Tagus](/wiki/Tagus "Tagus"), severely damaging HMS *Monarch*.

On 28 February 1887, she rescued the passengers and crew of the British steamship , which was wrecked on a reef off [Vigo](/wiki/Vigo "Vigo"), Spain. The ship was the flagship of [Vice Admiral](/wiki/Vice_admiral_%28Royal_Navy%29 "Vice admiral (Royal Navy)") Sir [William Hewett](/wiki/William_Nathan_Wrighte_Hewett "William Nathan Wrighte Hewett"), who had earned the [Victoria Cross](/wiki/Victoria_Cross "Victoria Cross") in the [siege of Sevastopol](/wiki/Siege_of_Sevastopol_%281854%E2%80%931855%29 "Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855)") in 1854, during Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee Fleet Review on 23 July 1887\.Ballard, p. 30 *Minotaur* was [paid off](/wiki/Ship_decommissioning "Ship decommissioning") at the end of 1887 in Portsmouth and assigned to the Reserve until 1893 when she became a training ship at [Portland](/wiki/Isle_of_Portland "Isle of Portland"). She was renamed HMS *Boscawen II* in March 1904 and transferred in 1905 to [Harwich](/wiki/Harwich_Dockyard "Harwich Dockyard") as part of the training school . The ship was renamed 11 June 1906 as HMS *Ganges* and then to *Ganges II* on 25 April 1908\. She was sold on 30 January 1922 for scrap.Silverstone, p. 252


In what year did HMS Minotaur become a training ship at Portland?