HMS Argus
Encyclopedia
Nine ships of the Royal Navy
have been named HMS Argus, after Argus
, the hundred-eyed giant of mythology
:
was a 10-gun sloop
, originally a French privateer, captured in 1799 and broken up in 1811.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
have been named HMS Argus, after Argus
Argus Panoptes
In Greek mythology, Argus Panoptes or Argos, guardian of the heifer-nymph Io and son of Arestor, was a primordial giant whose epithet "Panoptes", "all-seeing", led to his being described with multiple, often one hundred, eyes. The epithet Panoptes was applied to the Titan of the Sun, Helios, and...
, the hundred-eyed giant of mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
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was a 10-gun sloop
Sloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
, originally a French privateer, captured in 1799 and broken up in 1811.
- HMS Argus was to have been a 36-gun fifth-rateFifth-rateIn Britain's Royal Navy during the classic age of fighting sail, a fifth rate was the penultimate class of warships in a hierarchal system of six "ratings" based on size and firepower.-Rating:...
. She was ordered in 1812, but cancelled that same year. was an 18-gun Cruizer classCruizer class brig-sloopThe Cruizer class was an 18-gun class of brig-sloops of the Royal Navy. Brig-sloops were the same as ship-sloops except for their rigging...
brig-sloop launched in 1813 and sold in 1827. The sale was subsequently cancelled and she was resold in 1828. - HMS Argus was to have been an 18-gun sloop. She was laid down in 1831, but cancelled later that year. was a wooden-hulled paddle sloop launched in 1849 and broken up in 1881. was a coastguardHer Majesty's CoastguardHer Majesty's Coastguard is the service of the government of the United Kingdom concerned with co-ordinating air-sea rescue.HM Coastguard is a section of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency responsible for the initiation and co-ordination of all civilian maritime Search and Rescue within the UK...
vessel launched in 1851, renamed HMS Amelia in 1872, and HMS Fanny in 1889. She was hulked in 1899, used as a boom defence vessel from 1902 and was sold in 1907. - HMS Argus was a coastguard vessel launched in 1864 as . She was renamed HMS Argus in 1884 and was sold in 1903. was a coastguard vessel launched in 1904, renamed HMS Argon in 1918 and sold in 1920. Renamed Peninnis and operated by the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company from 1920 to 1926. Renamed Riduna and sold to the Alderney Steam Packet CompanyAlderney Steam Packet CompanyThe Alderney Steam Packet Company provided shipping services between Alderney and Sark, Guernsey and Cherbourg from 1897 to 1931.-Courier I and Courier II:...
in 1926. Sent for break-up at Plymouth in 1931. was an aircraft carrierAircraft carrierAn aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
, originally laid down as the Italian liner Conte Rosso. She was purchased in 1916 and launched in 1917. She was on harbour service from 1944 and was sold for breaking up in 1946
Royal Fleet Auxiliary
- RFA ArgusRFA Argus (A135)RFA Argus is a ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, part of the Royal Navy. Italian-built, Argus was formerly the container ship MV Contender Bezant. The ship was requisitioned in 1982 for service in the Falklands War and purchased outright in 1984 for use as an Aviation Training Ship, replacing RFA...
is a Royal Fleet AuxiliaryRoyal Fleet AuxiliaryThe Royal Fleet Auxiliary is a civilian-manned fleet owned by the British Ministry of Defence. The RFA enables ships of the United Kingdom Royal Navy to maintain operations around the world. Its primary role is to supply the Royal Navy with fuel, ammunition and supplies, normally by replenishment...
aviation training and primary casualty receiving ship, previously the container shipContainer shipContainer ships are cargo ships that carry all of their load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. They form a common means of commercial intermodal freight transport.-History:...
MV Contender Bezant, launched in 1981. She was purchased in 1984 and renamed RFA Argus in 1987. She is currently in service.