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HMS Spartan

Seven vessels of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Spartan, in recognition of the military abilities of the Spartans of ancient Greece.

• The first Spartan was a 38-gun fifth-rate launched in 1806 and broken up 1822.

• The second Spartan was to have been a 46-gun fifth-rate; ordered from Plymouth Dockyard in 1824, the ship was cancelled in 1831.

• The third Spartan was a 26-gun sixth-rate launched in 1841 and sold in 1862.

• The fourth Spartan was a wooden screw sloop launched in 1868 and sold in 1882.

• The fifth Spartan was a 2nd class cruiser launched in 1891, sent to harbour service in 1907, renamed Defiance in 1921, and sold 1931.

• The sixth Spartan was a cruiser launched in 1942 and sunk in 1944 by a Fritz X guided bomb.

• The seventh Spartan (S105), launched in 1978, is a nuclear powered submarine of the Swiftsure class.

See also: HMS Spartiate.