HMS Hermes

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Ten ships of the Royal Navy were named HMS Hermes after Hermes , the Greek messenger of the gods.

  • the first HMS Hermes was the Dutch sloop Mercurius , which was captured by the British in 1796.
  • the second HMS Hermes was a 22-gun warship, acquired in 1798, sold in 1802.
  • the third HMS Hermes, originally HMS Majestic , was a 16-gun sloop, bought in 1803 and sold in 1810.
  • the fourth HMS Hermes was a 20-gun frigate , launched in 1811, burned down in the British-American War in 1814.
  • the fifth HMS Hermes was a wooden ship, originally named HMS George IV , acquired by the Royal Navy in 1830, renamed HMS Hermes in 1832, renamed HMS Charger in 1835 , abandoned in 1854.
  • the sixth HMS Hermes was a wooden paddle steamer, built in 1835, demolished in 1864.
  • the seventh HMS Hermes was a ship of the line with 74 guns, launched in 1816 as HMS Minotaur , renamed in 1866, scrapped in 1869.
  • the eighth HMS Hermes was a highflyer class cruiser that was converted into a seaplane tender and sunk by a German submarine in 1914.
  • the ninth HMS Hermes was the first aircraft carrier built as such and was in service with the Royal Navy from 1923 until it was sunk by the Japanese in 1942.
  • the order for a Centaur- class aircraft carrier to be named HMS Hermes was canceled in 1945.
  • the tenth HMS Hermes (started as Elephant ) was a Centaur- class aircraft carrier that was used in the Royal Navy from 1953 to 1986. Sold to India as INS Viraat .