HMS Edgar

Eight ships of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Edgar.

• The first Edgar was a 70-gun 3rd rate launched in 1668, rebuilt in 1700, and destroyed in an accidental fire 1711.

• The second Edgar was a 60-gun 4th rate launched in 1758 and sunk as a breakwater in 1774.

• The third Edgar was a 74-gun 3rd rate launched in 1779, converted to a prison hulk in 1813, renamed Retribution in 1814, and broken up 1835.

• The fourth Edgar was launched as HMS Hood in 1859.

• The fifth Edgar was a screw-propelled 91-gun 2nd rate launched in 1858, on loan to the Customs Service as a hulk in 1870, and sold 1904.

• The sixth Edgar was a 1st class cruiser launched in 1890 and sold 1921.

• The seventh Edgar was an aircraft carrier launched in March 1944, renamed Perseus in June, and broken up 1958.

• The eighth Edgar was to have been a 9,000-ton cruiser; projected in 1945, the ship was cancelled in March 1946.