HMS Ajax

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Eight ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Ajax after the Greek hero Ajax:

• The first Ajax, launched in 1765, was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line broken up and sold in 1785.
• The second Ajax, launched in 1798, was another 74-gun third-rate that fought at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and was burned in 1807.
• The third Ajax, launched in 1809, was another 74-gun third-rate. She was converted to screw propulsion in 1846 and broken up in 1864.
• The fourth Ajax was launched in 1835 as the sixth HMS Vanguard and was renamed Ajax in 1867.
• The fifth Ajax, launched in 1880, was the lead ship of her class of ironclad battleships. She was sold in 1904.
• The sixth Ajax, launched in 1912, was a King George V-class battleship that served in World War I and was broken up in 1926.
• The seventh and famous Ajax (22), launched in 1934, was a Leander-class light cruiser that served in World War II, and was broken up in 1949. She was made famous by taking part in the Battle of the River Plate.
• The eighth Ajax (F114), launched in 1962, was a Leander-class frigate, broken up in 1988.

[edit] References

• J. J. Colledge, Ships of the Royal Navy, Greenhill Books, 1987.