HMS Polyphemus - Definition and Overview

Three ships of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Polyphemus, after the Polyphemus of Greek mythology.

• The first Polyphemus was a 64-gun third-rate launched in 1782, active in the Napoleonic Wars, converted to a powder hulk in 1813 and broken up in 1827.

• The second Polyphemus was a wooden paddlewheel sloop launched in 1840 and wrecked off Jutland in 1856.

• The third Polyphemus was a torpedo ram in use from 1881 to 1903.

A fourth Polyphemus was to have been an aircraft carrier of 18,300 tons, 650 ft long, 90 foot beam, but was cancelled in October 1945.

The Southampton of 1936 was named Polyphemus during construction.