HMS Bellerophon
Encyclopedia
Four ships of the Royal Navy
have been named HMS Bellerophon after the hero Bellerophon
in Greek mythology
, whilst another two were planned:
was a 74-gun third-rate
launched in 1786. She became a prison ship
in 1815, was renamed HMS Captivity in 1824, and was sold in 1836.
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 Bellerophon after the hero Bellerophon
Bellerophon
Bellerophon or Bellerophontes is a hero of Greek mythology. He was "the greatest hero and slayer of monsters, alongside of Cadmus and Perseus, before the days of Heracles", and his greatest feat was killing the Chimera, a monster that Homer depicted with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a...
in 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...
, whilst another two were planned:
was a 74-gun third-rate
Third-rate
In the British Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks . Years of experience proved that the third rate ships embodied the best compromise between sailing ability , firepower, and cost...
launched in 1786. She became a prison ship
Prison ship
A prison ship, historically sometimes called a prison hulk, is a vessel used as a prison, often to hold convicts awaiting transportation to penal colonies. This practice was popular with the British government in the 18th and 19th centuries....
in 1815, was renamed HMS Captivity in 1824, and was sold in 1836.
- HMS BellerophonHMS Waterloo (1818)HMS Waterloo was an 80-gun third rate ship of the line, launched on 16 October 1818 at Portsmouth. She was designed by Henry Peake, and was the only ship built to her draught. She had originally been ordered as HMS Talavera, but was renamed on the stocks after the Battle of Waterloo.In 1824...
was an 80-gun third rate, originally named HMS Talavera but renamed before her launch in 1818. She was renamed HMS Bellerophon in 1824, relegated to harbour service in 1848 and finally sold for breaking up in 1892. was an ironcladIronclad warshipAn ironclad was a steam-propelled warship in the early part of the second half of the 19th century, protected by iron or steel armor plates. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells. The first ironclad battleship, La Gloire,...
battleshipBattleshipA battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
launched in 1865. She was renamed Indus III in 1904 and used for training, and was sold in 1922. was a launched in 1907 and sold for breaking up in 1921. - HMS BellerophonHMS Blake (C99)HMS Blake was a guided missile cruiser of the Tiger class of the Royal Navy, the last of the Royal Navy cruisers. She was named after Admiral Robert Blake, a 17th century admiral who was the "Father of the Royal Navy". She was ordered in 1942 as one of the Minotaur class of light cruisers...
was to have been a Minotaur-classMinotaur class cruiser (1943)The Minotaur class of light cruisers of the Royal Navy, also known as the Swiftsure class, was designed as a modified version of the Crown Colony class incorporating war modifications and authorised in 1941, but, in spite of the heavy toll of cruisers in that year and the following one, the...
cruiserCruiserA cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
. She was ordered in 1942, but was renamed before construction started in 1944. - HMS BellerophonHMS Tiger (C20)HMS Tiger was a conventional cruiser of the Royal Navy, one of a three ship class known as the Tiger class.-Construction, redesign and commissioning:...
was to have been a Minotaur-class cruiser. She was renamed in 1945 whilst under construction and was launched later year.
See also
- HMS Bellerophon, a former Royal Navy shore establishment in PortsmouthPortsmouthPortsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, HampshireHampshireHampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England.