HMS Leviathan

Four ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Leviathan:

• The first Leviathan was a 70-gun third-rate ship of the line launched in 1750 as Northumberland, renamed in 1777 and sunk in 1780 in the Atlantic.
• The second Leviathan was a 74-gun third rate launched in 1790. She fought at the Battle of Trafalgar, was used as a convict ship from 1816 and sold in 1848.
• The third Leviathan was a Drake-class armoured cruiser launched in 1901 and sold for scrap in 1920.
• The fourth Leviathan was a Majestic-class aircraft carrier. She was launched in 1943 but never completed and scrapped in 1968.

Other uses

HMS Leviathan was also the subject of John Winton's eponymous novel, first published in 1967, concerning a troubled aircraft carrier and its new Executive Officer. First published in 1967.

References

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8. OCLC 67375475.