Prison hulk

"These old Navy ships were hulked out to hold prisoners until they were assigned a convict ship leaving for the colonies."

- Evie Frye on the prison hulks, October 1888.

A prison hulk was a vessel, usually unseaworthy, that acted as a prison to hold convicts or civil internees. At least two such vessels were beached at Deptford, south-east of London, in 1888.

In that year, the Deptford prison hulks were guarded by Chief Warden John Billingsworth - a sympathiser and operative of Jack the Ripper - who was responsible for maintaining Jack's prisoners; a job he relished for allowing him the opportunity to maltreat and execute his detainees almost at will.

Trivia

 * Historically at least three separate Royal Navy warships -, , and HMS Thames - served as prison hulks stationed at Deptford, though all three had been completely decommissioned by 1864.

Reference

 * Assassin's Creed: Syndicate - Jack the Ripper