The brand-new British ironclad warship, H.M.S. Northumberland, had been completed at the Millwall Works on the Thames, and with most of her armor attached, weighed 9000 tons. Never had a ship this heavy been launched stern on, usually such heavy vessels had been rolled broadside into the water. After three postponements and ninety minutes of innovative technological effort, the massive warship was successful launched. (By John Osborne)
Source Citation
"Chronicle," The Annual Register: A Review of Public Events at Home and Abroard for the Year 1866 (London: F. & J. Rivington, 1867), 29-31.