HMS Hercules - Definition

Five ships of the British Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Hercules, after the Greek and Roman hero Hercules.

• The first Hercules was a 74-gun ship of the line, launched 1759, and sold 1784. Captain John Porter was in command in early 1759.
•  ? Hercules was a 78-gun ship of the line taken prize by the British in 1798 and broken up in 1810. ?
• The second Hercules was a 74-gun ship of the line launched in 1815, on harbour service from 1853 and sold 1865.
• The third Hercules was an early battleship, launched 1868, on harbour service from 1881, a barracks from 1905, renamed Calcutta in 1909, Fisgard II in 1915, and sold 1932.
• The fourth Hercules was a Colossus-class battleship built by Palmers, launched on May 10, 1910, and commissioned on July 31, 1911 at Portsmouth. She was a 20,000-ton dreadnought, mounting 10 12 inch (305 mm) guns and capable of 21 knots (39 km/h).
• Hercules was to be one of the six Majestic-class light fleet aircraft carriers. She was laid down October 12, 1943 and launched September 22, 1945, but work was suspended in May 1946. She was sold to India in January 1957, and commissioned March 4, 1961 as INS Vikrant.