HMS Penelope

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Nine ships of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Penelope, after the faithful wife Penelope of Greek mythology.

• The first Penelope was a 24-gun sixth-rate launched in 1778 and captured by her Spanish prisoners in 1780.
• The second Penelope was a 32-gun fifth-rate launched in 1783 and broken up 1797.
• The third Penelope was a 36-gun fifth-rate launched in 1798 and wrecked in 1815.
• The fourth Penelope was a 46-gun fifth-rate launched in 1829 but completed in 1843 as a paddle frigate, and sold for breakup in 1864.
• The fifth Penelope was an armoured corvette launched in 1867 that became a prison hulk in 1897 and was sold in 1912.
• The sixth Penelope was an Arethusa-class light cruiser launched in 1914 and sold in 1924.
• The seventh Penelope was a tender purchased in 1918 and sold in 1922.
• The eighth Penelope (97) was an Arethusa-class light cruiser launched in 1935 and sunk off Naples in 1944.
• The ninth Penelope (F127) was a Leander-class frigate launched in 1962 and sold to Ecuador in 1991, who operated her as "Presidente Eloy Alfaro".