&sq=&lang=&file=File:HMS_Defence_(1861)_after_1866.jpg) Defence as she appeared after the final modification of her sailing rig in 1866
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Defence |
| Ordered | 14 December 1859 |
| Builder | Palmers, Jarrow |
| Laid down | 14 December 1859 |
| Launched | 24 April 1861 |
| Completed | 12 February 1862 |
| Commissioned | 4 December 1861 |
| Renamed | HMS Indus, 1898 |
| Fate | Sold for scrap, August 1935 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Defence-class armoured frigate |
| Displacement | 6,070 long tons (6,170 t) |
| Length | 280 ft (85.3 m) |
| Beam | 54 ft 2 in (16.5 m) |
| Draught | 26 ft 2 in (8 m) |
| Installed power | |
| Propulsion | 1 shaft; 1 trunk steam engine |
| Sail plan | Ship rig |
| Speed | 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph) |
| Range | 1,670 nmi (3,090 km; 1,920 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement | 460 |
| Armament |
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| Armour | |
HMS Defence was the lead ship of the Defence-class armoured frigates ordered by the Royal Navy in 1859. Upon completion in 1862 she was assigned to the Channel Fleet. The ship was paid off in 1866 to be refitted and rearmed and was briefly reassigned to the Channel Fleet when she recommissioned in 1868. Defence had short tours on the North Atlantic and Mediterranean Stations, relieving other ironclads, from 1869 to 1872 before she was refitted again from 1872 to 1874. She became guard ship on the River Shannon when she recommissioned. The ship was transferred to the Channel Fleet again in 1876 and then became guard ship on the River Mersey until 1885. Defence was placed in reserve until 1890, when she was assigned to the mechanical training school in Devonport in 1890. She was renamed Indus when the school adopted that name and served there until sold for scrap in 1935.