Eight ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Ajax after the Greek hero Ajax:
- The first Ajax, launched in 1767, was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line broken up and sold in 1785.
- The second Ajax, launched in 1798, was another 74-gun third-rate that fought at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and was burned in 1807.
- The third Ajax, launched in 1809, was another 74-gun third-rate. She was converted to screw propulsion in 1846 and broken up in 1864.
- The fourth Ajax was launched in 1835 as the sixth HMS Vanguard and was renamed Ajax in 1867.
- The fifth Ajax, launched in 1880, was the lead ship of her class of ironclad battleships. She was sold in 1904.
- The sixth Ajax, launched in 1912, was a King George V-class battleship that served in World War I and was broken up in 1926.
- The seventh and famous Ajax (22), launched in 1934, was a Leander-class light cruiser that served in World War II, and was broken up in 1949. She was made famous by taking part in the Battle of the River Plate.
- The eighth Ajax (F114), launched in 1962, was a Leander-class frigate, broken up in 1988.
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.
| This article includes a list of ships with the same or similar names. If an internal link for a specific ship referred you to this page, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended ship article, if one exists. |
