HMS Achilles

Seven ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Achilles, after the Greek hero Achilles. Four others, mostly prizes, have had the French spelling of the name, Achille.

• The first Achilles was an 8-gun schooner purchased in 1747. She served in the War of the Austrian Succession and was captured in 1748 by the Spanish.
• The second Achilles was a 60-gun fourth-rate launched in 1757 and sold in 1784.
• The third Achilles, launched in 1863, was a broadside ironclad frigate. Displacement 9820 tons and had an armament of 20 guns.
• The fourth Achilles was a Warrior-class armoured cruiser launched in 1905. She served in World War I and was sold in 1921.
• The fifth and famous Achilles, launched in 1932, Leander-class light cruiser. She was made famous for taking part in the Battle of the River Plate in 1939. Later, she was transferred to the RNZN, she was returned at the end of World War II and recommissioned as Delhi before being was sold in the 1948 to India and commissioned as INS Delhi.
• The sixth Achilles, launched in 1968, was a Leander-class frigate. She was sold to Chile in 1990 and renamed Ministro Zenteno.

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 Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.