HMS Penguin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Seven ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Penguin. A penguin is a flightless aquatic bird.

• HMS Penguin was a 20-gun sixth-rate. She was originally launched in 1731 as Dolphine, then renamed Firebrand, and finally renamed Penguin in 1757. In 1760 she was captured by the French.
• HMS Penguin was an 8-gun sloop building in 1772. She was not completed and was broken up in 1775.
• HMS Penguin was a 16-gun sloop. She was originally Dutch and was captured in 1795 by Unicorn off the coast of Ireland. She was sold in 1809.
• HMS Penguin was an 18-gun Cruizer class brig-sloop laid down in 1813. She was captured in 1815 by the American Hornet off Tristan da Cunha and floundered later in the same year.
• HMS Penguin was a 6-gun packet brig laid down in 1838. In 1858 she became a coastguard watchvessel.. She was renamed WV.31 in in 1863 and sold in 1873.
• HMS Penguin was a Philomel class gunvessel laid down in 1860. She was sold in 1870 for scrap.
• HMS Penguin was a Osprey class sloop launched in 1876. In 1890 she became a survey ship and in 1908 a depot ship. She was transferred to the RAN in 1913 and sold in 1924. She became a crane hulk and was burnt in 1960.

In addition, two ships of the Royal Australian Navy have borne the name:

• HMAS Penguin was a Challenger class cruiser. She was originally launched as HMS Encounter in 1902. She was transferred to the RAN in 1919. In 1923 she became a depot ship and was renamed Penguin. In 1932 her hull was scuttled near Sydney.
• HMAS Penguin was a submarine depot ship. She was originally launched as HMAS Platypus in 1916. In 1929 she was renamed Penguin. In 1941 her name reverted to Platypus and she was sold for scrap in 1958.

[edit] References

• 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.