After a machinery breakdown on a passage towards Malta, Monarch continued under sail until she was taken in tow for repairs there. She then returned home under escort for more thorough work, followed by Channel service and repairs after HMS Minotaur collided with her. A major modernisation in the 1890s installed triple-expansion engines, after which she served as a guard ship at Simon's Bay until 1902. In March 1902, Captain Robert Carmichael Payne also held responsibility for Ascension Island. Under Captain William Lowther Grant, Monarch received Jan Smuts and Dennis Reitz on their way to a peace conference. By December 1902 she had become the Cape Town depot ship HMS Simoom. She remained useful even though her appearance was antiquated beside Royal Sovereign-style battleships.
Chapter · 32:12-34:36
Modernization carried Monarch into the twentieth century
After breakdowns and collisions, new triple-expansion machinery helped the elderly Monarch remain useful as a guard ship and Cape Town depot ship.