HMS Prince of Wales - Definition and Overview

Seven ships of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Prince of Wales, after the Prince of Wales.

• The first Prince of Wales was a 74-gun third-rate launched in 1765 and broken up 1783.
• The second Prince of Wales was a 90-gun second-rate launched in 1794 and broken up in 1822.
• The third Prince of Wales was a 38-gun transport purchased in 1795, and still on the records in 1801, but little more is known.
• The fourth Prince of Wales was a 14-gun Indian sloop of 248 tons, launched at the Bombay Dockyard in 1805, but whose fate is unknown.
• The fifth Prince of Wales was a 121-gun screw-propelled first-rate, converted to a training ship and renamed Britannia in 1869, sold in 1914.
• The sixth Prince of Wales was a battleship launched in 1902 and sold 1920.
• The seventh Prince of Wales was a battleship launched in 1939 and sunk in combat 1941.

• Although unconfirmed, it is believed that one of the two CVF aircraft carriers will be the eighth Prince of Wales

Reference

• J. J. Colledge, Ships of the Royal Navy