HMS Penelope
Encyclopedia
Nine ship
s of the British Royal Navy
have been named HMS Penelope, after the faithful wife Penelope
of Greek mythology
.
Ship
Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
s of the British Royal Navy
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 Penelope, after the faithful wife Penelope
Penelope
In Homer's Odyssey, Penelope is the faithful wife of Odysseus, who keeps her suitors at bay in his long absence and is eventually reunited with him....
of Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
.
- The first Penelope was a 24-gun sixth-rateSixth-rateSixth rate was the designation used by the Royal Navy for small warships mounting between 20 and 24 nine-pounder guns on a single deck, sometimes with guns on the upper works and sometimes without.-Rating:...
launched in 1778 and captured by her Spanish prisoners in 1780. - The second Penelope was a 32-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:...
launched in 1783 and broken up 1797. - The third PenelopeHMS Penelope (1798)HMS Penelope was a fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy, launched in 1798 and wrecked in 1815.Under Sir Henry Blackwood, she took part in the battle of 30 March 1800 against the Guillaume Tell. Penelope was credited for engaging and dismantling the masts of Guillaume Tell with two raking broadsides...
was 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:...
launched in 1798 and wrecked in 1815. - The fourth Penelope was a 46-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:...
launched in 1829 but completed in 1843 as a paddle frigate, and sold for breakup in 1864. - The fifth PenelopeHMS Penelope (1867)HMS Penelope was the last small ironclad to be commissioned in the Royal Navy.Because of the absence through illness of the Chief Constructor, Sir Edward Reed, the design of this ship was entrusted to his brother-in-law and the future Chief Constructor, Nathaniel Barnaby.-Design:She was...
was an armoured corvette launched in 1867 that became a prison hulk in 1897 and was sold in 1912. - The sixth PenelopeHMS Penelope (1914)HMS Penelope was an Arethusa-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy launched on 25 August 1914 at Vickers Limited's shipyard. Unlike her sisters, she carried an extra 4 inch anti-aircraft gun in place of two 3 inch anti-aircraft guns....
was an Arethusa-class light cruiserLight cruiserA light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
launched in 1914 and sold in 1924. - The seventh Penelope was a tenderShip's tenderA ship's tender, usually referred to as a tender, is a boat, or a larger ship used to service a ship, generally by transporting people and/or supplies to and from shore or another ship...
purchased in 1918 and sold in 1922. - The eighth Penelope (97)HMS Penelope (97)HMS Penelope was an Arethusa-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Harland & Wolff , with the keel being laid down on 30 May 1934...
was an Arethusa-classArethusa class cruiser (1934)The Arethusa class was a class of four light cruisers built for the Royal Navy between 1933 and 1937 and that served in World War II. It had been intended to construct six ships, but the last pair, Polyphemus and Minotaur were ordered in 1934 as the 9,100 ton Town class Southampton and...
light cruiser launched in 1935 and sunk off NaplesNaplesNaples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
in 1944. - The ninth Penelope (F127)HMS Penelope (F127)HMS Penelope was a of the Royal Navy. Like other ships of the class, Penelope was named after a figure of mythology. HMS Penelope was launched on 17 August 1962 and commissioned on 31 October 1963...
was a Leander-classLeander class frigateThe Leander class, or Type 12I frigates, comprising twenty-six vessels, was among the most numerous and long-lived classes of frigate in the Royal Navy's modern history. The class was built in three batches between 1959 and 1973...
frigateFrigateA frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
launched in 1962 and sold to EcuadorEcuadorEcuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
in 1991, who operated her as "Presidente Eloy AlfaroEloy AlfaroJosé Eloy Alfaro Delgado was the President of Ecuador from 1895 to 1901 and from 1906 to 1911. He became one the strongest opponents of pro-Catholic conservative President Gabriel Garcia Moreno...
".
See also
- Hired armedHired armed vesselsright|thumb|250px|Armed cutter, etching in the [[National Maritime Museum]], [[Greenwich]]During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the Royal Navy made use of a considerable number of hired armed vessels...
cutter PenelopeHired armed cutter PenelopeThe Hired armed cutter Penelope served the Royal Navy from 29 January 1794 until the Spanish captured her off Gibraltar on 7 July 1799. She was of 187 tons burthen and carried sixteen 4-pounder guns.-Service:...