She was laid down at the Portsmouth dockyard on 24 February 1874 as a by William White designed answer to the Italian battleships Dandalo and Duilio which were armed with 4-15“ or 38,1cm guns, launched on 27 April 1876 but not earlier commissioned as 5 July 1811 and broken up in 1903. Her building costs were 812,000 British pound sterling.
With a displacement of 10,880-11,880 (full load)tons were her dimensions 320’ (between perpendiculars)-344’ (over all) x 75 x 26.3’ or 98-105 x 23 x 8,0 metres. The two singe expansion engines and 12 coal fired boilers supplied 6,500 hp while driving two screws allowing a speed of 14,73 knots. Her crew numbered between 440-470 men. The original armament consisted of 2x2-16” (or 40,64cm muzzleloader guns, 6-20pdr breech loaders, 17 machineguns and 4-14“ torpedo tubes. The 20pdrs were in 1884 replaced by 4”guns and later by 4.7” quick firing guns. The armour consisted of a 24” waterline belt to which 17”teak was added, a 3” deck, the citadel was protected by 16-20” added by 21” teak, the turrets by 16-17” and there were 14-22” bulkheads fitted.
