HMS President was ordered in May 1818 to be built as a 58-gun frigate

Frigate

A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...

 to the exact lines of the previous President

USS President (1800)

USS President was a nominally rated 44-gun wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She was named by George Washington to reflect a principle of the United States Constitution. Forman Cheeseman was in charge of her construction, and she was launched in April 1800 from a...

, captured from the Americans in January 1815; this prize ship was re-classed as a 60-gun fourth rate in February 1817 but was taken to pieces in June 1818. The new replacement was laid down at Portsmouth Dockyard in June 1824 and launched on 20 April 1829; she was completed in 1830 but not commissioned until February 1832.

Rather than being armed identically to her namesake, her design was amended to complete her as a 52-gun frigate with an unarmed spar deck. She was later re-armed with thirty-two 32-pounder guns on the upper deck, and twenty 32-pounder carronade

Carronade

The carronade was a short smoothbore, cast iron cannon, developed for the Royal Navy by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, UK. It was used from the 1770s to the 1850s. Its main function was to serve as a powerful, short-range anti-ship and anti-crew weapon...

s on the quarterdeck and forecastle.

Service

After her first two years' commission on the North America and West Indies Station, she was refitted between February and May 1834. The years 1835–1838 were spent on the South American station. Thereafter she was at Portsmouth for several years before being fitted out as a flagship in 1845 and sent to the Cape of Good Hope

Cape of Good Hope

The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...

 for the next two year commission.

Operations in support of the suppression of the slave trade led to President sending her boats in 1847 to attack an Arab stockade at Anjoxa, Mozambique Channel. The fighting, however, was not of a very serious description.

Returning from South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

 in 1847 to Chatham

Chatham, Medway

Chatham is one of the Medway towns located within the Medway unitary authority, in North Kent, in South East England.Although the dockyard has long been closed and is now being redeveloped into a business and residential community as well as a museum featuring the famous submarine, HMS Ocelot,...

, she was refitted there in 1853 and sent to the Pacific Station

Pacific Station

The Pacific Station, often referred to as the Pacific Squadron, was one of the geographical divisions into which the Royal Navy divided its worldwide responsibilities...

. There she served as flagship until 1857.

Between 11 May and 7 September 1854, when news of the war being declared against the Russians was received, the British force on the China and Japan station consisted of President, Captain Richard Burridge, HMS Pique

HMS Pique (1834)

HMS Pique was a wooden fifth rate warship of the Royal Navy, launched on 21 July 1834 at Devonport. She was of 1633 tons and had 36 guns....

, Captain Sir Frederick William Erskine Nicolson, Bart., HMS Amphitrite

HMS Amphitrite

Seven ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Amphitrite, or HMS Amfitrite, after Amphitrite, a sea goddess of Greek mythology: was a 24-gun sixth rate launched in 1778 and wrecked in 1794....

, Captain Charles Frederick

Charles Frederick (Royal Navy officer)

Admiral Charles Frederick was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Third Naval Lord.-Naval career:Frederick joined the Royal Navy in 1810 and then served in the First Opium War in command of HMS Apollo. Promoted to Captain in 1842, he commanded HMS Amphitrite in the Pacific during the Crimean War...

, HMS Trincomalee

HMS Trincomalee

HMS Trincomalee is a Royal Navy Leda-class sailing frigate built shortly following the end of the Napoleonic Wars. She is now restored as a museum ship in Hartlepool, UK.-History:...

, Captain Wallace Houstoun, and HMS Virago

HMS Virago

Four ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Virago, after the term virago, to mean a strong, warlike woman: was a 12-gun gun-brig launched in 1805 and sold in 1816. was a wooden paddle sloop launched in 1842 and broken up in 1875. was a Quail-class torpedo boat destroyer launched in 1895,...

, Commander Edward Marshall, all under Rear-Admiral David Price

David Price (British captain)

Rear Admiral David Powell Price was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Station.- Naval career :...

 on President. The French force, under Rear-Admiral Auguste Febvrier-Despointes, consisted of Forte, Eurydice, Artemise, and Obligado. President participated in the Siege of Petropavlovsk

Siege of Petropavlovsk

The Siege of Petropavlovsk was the main operation on the Pacific Theatre of the Crimean War. The Russian casualties are estimated at 100 soldiers; the Allies lost five times as many....

 and in a number of operations, none of which were carried through to a satisfactory conclusion. During the exchange of fire with the Russian batteries, Price retired to his cabin and shot himself. After suffering heavy casualties in a ground attack, the Allies withdrew, although President and Virago managed to capture and burn a Russian transport, the Sitka, of 10 guns, and take a small schooner, the Avatska, laden with stores. The Allies then left the area on 7 September.

Fate

After serving in the Pacific she was laid up in reserve as Chatham for another 3 years before being converted at Woolwich to a RNR Drill Ship for Service at West India Docks

West India Docks

The West India Docks are a series of three docks on the Isle of Dogs in London, the first of which opened in 1802. The docks closed to commercial traffic in 1980 and the Canary Wharf development was built on the site.-History:...

 in 1862. President then spent the rest of her life in the London Docks

London Docks

The London Docks were one of several sets of docks in the historic Port of London. They were constructed in Wapping downstream from the City of London between 1799 and 1815, at a cost exceeding £5½ million. Traditionally ships had docked at wharves on the River Thames, but by this time, more...

. On 25 March 1903 she was renamed Old President before being finally sold for breaking up on 7 July 1903.