HMS Elizabeth

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The name HMS Elizabeth or the related HMS Queen Elizabeth have been traditionally used in the Royal Navy since 1577 when a hired ship was used by Sir Francis Drake in his operations against the Spanish. That ship, and all the subsequent ships so named have been named in honour of Queen Elizabeth of England, who reigned in the second half of the sixteenth century and oversaw the expansion of the Royal Navy and the defeat of the Spanish Armada. The name has been revived more recently for projected warships in honour of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, although it has retained its traditional form.

[edit] HMS Elizabeth

• The first HMS Elizabeth was a hired ship about which little is known, but which served in several operations including against the Armada and the sacking of Cadiz in 1596.
• The second HMS Elizabeth was a 58-gun warship built in 1598, possibly from the timbers of the previous ship. She was sold in 1618.
• The third HMS Elizabeth was a 38-gun frigate which fought at the battles of Montecristo and Orfordness, but was burnt by the Dutch in 1667.
• Four small ships were given the name HMS Elizabeth between 1667 and 1679 but none performed any duties of note.
• The eighth HMS Elizabeth was a third-rate ship of the line which was built in 1679, fought at Beachy Head and Barfleur. She was docked and rebuilt in 1704.
• The ninth HMS Elizabeth was the rebuilt ship of 1679, modernised and repaired. She served at numerous engagements in the War of Jenkins' Ear and the Seven Years' War.
• The tenth HMS Elizabeth was a third-rate ship of the line built in 1769 which served in the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary War. She was broken up in 1797.
• The eleventh HMS Elizabeth was a small schooner captured from the French in 1806 and wrecked in 1814.
• The twelfth HMS Elizabeth was a third-rate ship of the line built in 1807 at Blackwall She served in the Napoleonic Wars and was broken up in 1820.
• Since 1820 five minor warships have borne the name HMS Elizabeth, but none were of significant size or saw any action.

[edit] HMS Queen Elizabeth

In the twentieth century the name changed with the addition of the prefix Queen. As of 2007, only one ship of the Royal Navy has carried the name HMS Queen Elizabeth, though other ships of the name were or are planned.

• HMS Queen Elizabeth was the lead ship of the Queen Elizabeth class of battleships, launched in 1913 and scrapped in 1948.
• The first of the planned CVA-01 class carriers was designated HMS Queen Elizabeth, but the class was never constructed.
• HMS Queen Elizabeth, is the first ship of the planned Queen Elizabeth class of aircraft carriers currently under design.