HMS Medusa

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Nine ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Medusa, after the ancient Greek mythological figure Medusa:

• HMS Medusa was a 50-gun fourth rate launched in 1785 and wrecked in 1798.
• HMS Medusa was 32-gun fifth rate frigate launched in 1801. She was Nelson's flagship on his return to England at Harwich on 9 August, was present at the Action of 5 October 1804 and was broken up in 1816.[1],
• HMS Medusa was to have been a 46-gun fifth rate. She was ordered in 1816, reordered in 1830 and cancelled in 1831.
• HMS Medusa was a wood paddle packet launched in 1838 and sold in 1872.
• HMS Medusa was an iron paddle gunboat launched in 1839 and wrecked in 1853.
• HMS Medusa was a Marathon class cruiser launched in 1888, on harbour service from 1910, sold in 1920 and resold in 1921.
• HMS Medusa was a Medea class destroyer, previously the Greek Lesvos. She was purchased in 1914, before being launched in 1915. She was sunk in a collision with HMS Laverock in 1916.
• HMS Medusa was an M29 class monitor, previously named HMS M29. She was renamed HMS Medusa in 1925, converted to a depot ship and renamed HMS Talbot in 1941, HMS Medway II in 1943 and back to HMS Medusa in 1944. She was sold in 1946 and broken up in 1947.
• HMS Medusa (A353) was a harbour defence launch, launched in 1943 as ML 1387. She served in D-Day, was renamed BDB 76 in 1946, SDML 3516 in 1949 and Medusa in 1961. She was paid off in 1963, and is now a museum ship.[2][3]

[edit] Sources

• Colledge, J. J. and Warlow, Ben (2006). Ships of the Royal Navy: the complete record of all fighting ships of the Royal Navy, Rev. ed., London: Chatham. ISBN 9781861762818. OCLC 67375475.