They were purchased for service in the Royal Navy in 1864 and served briefly with the Channel Fleet before they became guard ships at Bermuda and Hong Kong.

In March 1862, a contract was placed with Laird & Son Co. by Captain James D. Bulloch, a naval agent for the Confederate States of America, for two double-turreted warships designed for ramming attacks at a cost of £93,750 each, exclusive of armament and ammunition.

The hull was divided by 12 watertight bulkheads and the ships had a double bottom beneath the engine and boiler rooms.

[3] The gun turrets, designed by Captain Coles of the Royal Navy, sat on circular turntables that were built on an iron radial platform with arms that rested on beveled wheels 18 inches (457 mm) in diameter.

[6] The Scorpion-class ships had two horizontal direct acting steam engines, built by Lairds, driving a single three-bladed, 14-foot (4.3 m) propeller.

[7] The ships carried 336 long tons (341 t) of coal, enough to steam 1,210 nautical miles (2,240 km; 1,390 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).

[8] No ordnance had been ordered by the Confederates before the ships were seized in 1863, but in British service they mounted a pair of 9-inch rifled muzzle-loading guns in each turret.

The gun fired its shell at a muzzle velocity of 1,420 ft/s (430 m/s) and was credited with the ability to penetrate a nominal 11.3 inches (290 mm) of wrought iron armour at 100 yards (91 m).

The inside of the turret was lined with .5 inches (12.7 mm) of iron boiler plate to which T-shaped beams were bolted.

Ambassador, Charles F. Adams queried the Egyptian government directly and confirmed that this was merely a subterfuge to disguise the true ownership of the vessels.

The Admiralty was prompted to send a guard ship, HMS Majestic, to watch over the newly launched El Toussan after Lairds had made a request to begin sea trials in September.

[7] The legality of this seizure was seriously disputed, but the British government had already been somewhat embarrassed by the activities of Alabama, a ship also built by Laird Son & Co and operated as a commerce raider by the Confederate Navy.

In order to overshadow discussions as to the legality of their action, the British government purchased the ships on 8 August 1864 for £25,000 in excess of the contract price.

In 1873 a proposal was made to remove her poop and forecastle, masts and deck fitting to convert her to a harbour defence monitor with all-around fire, but this was deemed too expensive and the project was abandoned in 1878.