HMS Minotaur

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Six ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Minotaur after the minotaur, a creature in Greek mythology.

• The first Minotaur was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line launched in 1793. She fought at the battles of the Nile and Trafalgar and was wrecked in 1810 off Texel.
• The second Minotaur was a 74-gun third rate launched in 1816, renamed Hermes in 1866 and broken up in 1869.
• The third Minotaur, launched as Elephant in 1863, was the lead ship of her class of ironclad battleships. She was renamed Boscawen in 1904 and Ganges in 1906, and broken up in 1922.
• The fourth Minotaur was the lead ship of her class of armoured cruisers, launched in 1906 and broken up in 1920.
• The fifth Minotaur was a Town-class cruiser launched in 1936 and renamed Newcastle. She served in World War II and was broken up in 1959.
• The sixth Minotaur was the lead ship of her class of light cruisers, launched in 1943. She was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy and renamed HMCS Ontario. She was broken up in 1960.

[edit] References

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