Portsmouth (Magasin a charbon de la flotte Anglaise) Queen RMG PW8082

Portsmouth (Coal store of the English fleet) Queen, Signed by artist in plate.
This etching, executed by the French artist A. Ballin, depicts the Royal Navy ship Queen in Portsmouth yard, apparently under construction, repair or alteration. Platforms are along her sides, as are several small vessels, and many men are working on the hull and deck. She has no upper masts or rigging but instead the mast placements hold double-beamed derricks for lifting heavy materials and a small steam engine appears to have been installed on the stern deck (she was converted to a screw battleship in 1858, but the chimney of this engine is perhaps rather small for the ship’s engine). Other large vessels, in various states of construction, can be seen in the background. Dated by the artist as 1877, the picture must show an earlier scene as the Queen was paid off at Portsmouth in 1863 and broken up at Charlton in 1871. Perhaps it illustrates the decommissioning of the ship.
Français : Portsmouth (Magasin a charbon de la flotte Anglaise) Queen, Signed by artist in plate.