Penelope was completed at Devonport Dockyard on 27 June 1868 for the cost of £196,789 and served in the Channel Fleet until June 1869. She was then guard ship at Harwich until 1882, which included summer cruises in company with the rest of the reserve fleet.
The warship Penelope was completed at Devonport Dockyard on 27 June 1868 for a price of £196,789 and spent its early years in the Channel Fleet before being stationed as a guard ship at Harwich until 1882. During this time, it participated in summer cruises alongside other reserve vessels.