HMS Bombay was an 84-gun second rate ship of the line

Ship of the line

A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...

 of the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

, launched on 17 February 1828 at Bombay Dockyard

Bombay Dockyard

Bombay Dockyard—also known as Naval Dockyard—is an Indian shipbuilding yard at Mumbai.Shipbuilding was an established profession throughout the Indian coastline prior to the advent of the Europeans and it contributed significantly to maritime exploration throughout Indian maritime history. Indian...

.

She was fitted with screw propulsion in 1861. Her efficient ventilation system spread a fire of unknown origin during target practice near Flores Island in the River Plate

Río de la Plata

The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...

on 14 December 1864, destroying her and costing the lives of 86 of her crew of 616.