The ship was assigned to the Channel Fleet in mid-1890 and was badly damaged when she ran aground in late 1892.

[1] Howe and her sister ship, Rodney, were enlarged and improved versions of Collingwood with a more powerful armament.

[2] The ships carried a maximum of 1,200 long tons (1,219 t) of coal that gave her a range of 7,200 nautical miles (13,300 km; 8,300 mi) at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).

[7] The secondary armament of the Admirals consisted of six 26-calibre BL 6-inch (152 mm) Mk IV guns on single mounts positioned on the upper deck amidships, three on each broadside.

They fired 100-pound (45 kg) shells that were credited with the ability to penetrate 10.5 inches (267 mm) of wrought iron at 1000 yards.

[11] The ship was laid down at Pembroke Dockyard on 7 June 1882, launched on 28 April 1885 and was delivered at Portsmouth on 15 November 1885, complete except for her main armament, at a cost of £639,434.

[12] On 2 November 1892, she ran aground on a shoal off Ferrol, Spain, due primarily to faulty charts,[13][14] and was salvaged with great difficulty, being finally freed by HMS Seahorse on 30 March 1893.

[16] In October of that year, Howe was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet where she remained until December 1896, when she became port guardship at Queenstown.

[16] Captain Henry Louis Fleet was in command from January 1900 until she was paid off at Devonport on 12 October 1901, when her entire crew was transferred to HMS Empress of India, which took over as the Queenstown guardship.