HMS Desperate explained

Three ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Desperate, the adjective having the sense of "having reckless abandon in the pursuit of an extreme desire":

• , a 12-gun gun brig launched in 1805,^[1] converted to a mortar brig in 1811 and sold in 1814.
• , a wooden screw sloop launched in 1849 and broken up in 1865.
• , a Thornycroft two funnel, 30-knot destroyer (classified as a destroyer in 1912) launched in 1896 and sold for breaking in 1920.

A further two vessels were ordered and later cancelled:

• HMS Desperate (1918), a light cruiser ordered in March 1918 and cancelled in November the same year.
• HMS Desperate (1945), a destroyer ordered in March 1945 and cancelled in January 1946.

See also

• , an 8-gun schooner in service from 1799 to 1811.

Notes and References

1. Colledge has "White, Broadstairs, 2.1.1905", but given the sale date of 1814, this is an obvious typographical error.