ɪn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti wˈʌn, ɪn ɹᵻspˈɑːns tə ðə fɹˈɛntʃ wˈɔːɹʃɪp bˈɪldɪŋ pɹˈoʊɡɹæm ɪnˈɪʃɪˌeɪɾᵻd baɪ ˈɛmpɚɹɚ nɐpˈoʊlɪən ɹˌoʊmən θɹˈiː, ðə bɹˈɪɾɪʃ bˈoːɹd ʌv ˈædmɚɹəlɾi sᵻlˈɛktᵻd sˈɛvən wˈʊdən tˈuːdˈɛkt sˈɛkəndɹˈeɪt wˈɔːɹʃɪps kˈɜːɹəntli ˌʌndɚ kənstɹˈʌkʃən fɔːɹ kənvˈɜːʒən tʊ ˈɑːɹmɚd wˈɔːɹʃɪps.
In 1861, in response to the French warship building programme initiated by Emperor Napoleon III, the British Board of Admiralty selected seven wooden two-decked second-rate warships currently under construction for conversion to armoured warships.