 She was affectionately known by her crew as Old Alex.She was named after Princess Alexandra (later Queen Alexandra) wife of Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII).At the time of her design the Board of Admiralty were at loggerheads amongst themselves as regards the provision of sails in their contemporary warships; steam engine design had advanced to the point where ships could cross the Atlantic under steam power alone, but centuries of tradition had left an ingrained emotional attachment to sails in a small but influential number of the senior members of the naval hierarchy.