So much so that the ship only rolled 10 degrees during one storm that ripped the main and mizen topgallant masts off and split her topsails.

[7] Ten rectangular boilers provided steam to the engine at a working pressure of 25 psi (172 kPa; 2 kgf/cm2).

During her sea trials on 15 March 1865, Achilles had a maximum speed of 14.32 knots (26.52 km/h; 16.48 mph) from 5,722 indicated horsepower (4,267 kW).

The ship carried 750 long tons (760 t) of coal,[8] enough to steam 1,800 nautical miles (3,300 km; 2,100 mi) at 6.5 knots (12.0 km/h; 7.5 mph).

[1] Her performance was unsatisfactory when the wind was before the beam and her bowsprit and bowmast were removed in June 1865 in an attempt to correct this problem.

However, now she had too much weather helm so the bowsprit was replaced and the foremast was moved forward 25 feet (7.6 m) in July 1866.

Firing tests carried out in September 1861 against an armoured target, however, proved that the 110-pounder was inferior to the 68-pounder smoothbore gun in armour penetration and repeated incidents of breech explosions during the Battles for Shimonoseki and the Bombardment of Kagoshima in 1863–1864 caused the navy to withdraw the gun from service shortly afterwards.

[14] In 1874 the ship was rearmed with 16 nine-inch rifled muzzle-loaders replacing the 4 eight-inch and 20 of the 22 seven-inch guns.

To protect against raking fire the upper strake was closed off by 4.5-inch transverse bulkheads at each end.

[15] Achilles, named after the Greek mythological hero,[16] was ordered on 10 April 1861 from the Chatham Dockyard.

[17] She was the first iron-hulled warship to be built at a royal dockyard and her construction was delayed by the need to acquire the necessary machinery to handle iron and to train the workers to use it.

Upon its completion in 1875, the ship became guardship at Liverpool until 1877 when Captain William Hewett, VC, assumed command.

[16] The ship was sold for scrap on 26 January 1923 to the Granton Shipbreaking Co.[23] Charles Dickens offered a short meditation on the construction of HMS Achilles following a visit to Chatham Dockyard in 1863, first published in the weekly magazine All the Year Round on 29 August 1863, and then included in his collection The Uncommercial Traveller.

Dickens came away impressed by the experience, and the idea that such a large iron construction could float or move.

"To think that this Achilles, monstrous compound of iron tank and oaken chest, can ever swim or roll!