Rodney was launched on 18 June 1833 at Pembroke Dockyard. She was based on a design by Robert Seppings and used his diagonal bracing (short timber) construction.
The majority of her commissions saw active service in the Mediterranean Sea, but she also served in the Black Sea during the Crimean War (1853–1856), and after being converted to a steam and screw propelled vessel, served in China as the flagship of Vice-Admiral Henry Keppel, commanded by captain Algernon Heneage from 21 January 1867.
Rodney was the ship where William Hall, later to become the first Black man and one of the first Canadians to win the Victoria Cross, began his naval career in 1852.[1] On 29 October 1853, she ran aground in the Dardanelles. She was refloated with assistance from .[2]
Rodney was fitted with screw propulsion in 1860, completed on 11 January, and was the last unarmoured wooden battleship in full commission. She was broken up in 1882.
Over the decades after Rodneys launch, eight captains commanded her:
| List of Captains | ||
|---|---|---|
| Captain | From | Until |
| Captain Hyde Parker | 29 August 1835 | 12 May 1840 |
| Captain Robert Maunsell | 13 May 1840 | 16 October 1843 |
| Captain Edward Collier | 4 February 1845 | 8 March 1849 |
| Captain Charles Graham | 6 August 1851 | 22 November 1854 |
| Captain George St Vincent King | 22 November 1854 | 21 July 1855 |
| Captain Henry Keppel | 21 July 1855 | 24 January 1856 |
| Captain George Knyvett Wilson[3] | 24 January 1856 | 20 August 1856 |
| Captain Algernon Charles Fieschi Heneage | 21 January 1867 | 27 April 1870 |