HMS Nelson was a Nelson-class armoured cruiser built for the Royal Navy in the 1870s.

The steel-hulled ships were fitted with a ram and their crew numbered approximately 560 officers and other ranks.

The engines produced 6,624 indicated horsepower (4,940 kW) and Nelson reached her designed speed of 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) on her sea trials.

The Nelson-class ships carried a maximum of 1,150 long tons (1,170 t) of coal which gave them an economical range of 5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at a speed of 12.5 knots (23.2 km/h; 14.4 mph).

Nelson was degraded to dockyard reserve in April 1901 and hulked seven months later as a training ship for stokers.