HMS Ariadne

Eight ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Ariadne, after the Greek goddess:

• HMS Ariadne (1776) was a 20-gun post ship launched in 1776. She faced USS Alfred in 1778 and forced Alfred’s surrender. Ariadne was rebuilt in 1792 to carry 24 guns, and was sold in 1814.
• HMS Ariadne (1805) was an advice boat purchased in 1805. She was renamed HMS Dove later that year, and HMS Flight in 1806. She floundered in 1806.
• HMS Ariadne (1816) was another 20-gun post ship launched in 1816. She was converted into a coal hulk in 1837 and was sold in 1841.
• HMS Ariadne (1839) was an Indian iron paddle sloop launched in 1839, which foundered in 1842.
• HMS Ariadne (1859) was a wooden screw frigate launched in 1859. She became part of the HMS Vernon establishment in 1884, and was renamed HMS Actaeon in 1905. She was finally sold in 1922.
• HMS Ariadne (1898) was a Diadem-class cruiser launched in 1898, converted to a minelayer in 1917 and torpedoed and sunk later that year.
• HMS Ariadne (M65) was an Abdiel-class minelayer launched in 1943 and sold for breaking up in 1965.
• HMS Ariadne (F72) was a Leander-class frigate launched in 1971. She was sold to the Chilean Navy in 1992, and renamed General Baquedano. She was decommissioned in 1998 and sunk as a target in 2004.