In the 18th and 19th centuries, it was commonplace to house convicts in prison ships. These vessels, modified to accommodate ...

One of the most famous black seamen was James Forten, who enlisted on the privateer Royal Louis as a powder boy, was captured along with his ship's crew, and spent time on a British prison barge ...

She said: "We would see it as a prison barge designed for 222 people [and] 500 humans are going to be put on that barge. It's inhumane. "The government should do what it did around Ukrainians.

Once on board, there were mixed views from its residents. One asylum seeker told the BBC the barge was like a prison and felt there was not enough room to accommodate up to 500 people onboard ...

The Bibby Stockholm's berth is beneath a steep hillside dominated by The Verne prison and the Royal Naval Cemetery. The barge is centrally located in the same spot a prison ship was moored until 2006.

A dad is facing up to two years in prison after mooring a barge on land he owns. Dean Richards is due in court after he left the 86ft vessel on foreshore at a picturesque quay in Cornwall.