HMS Donegal explained

Three ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Donegal, after the failed French attempt to land in County Donegal in 1798:^[1]

• was a 76-gun third rate, previously the French ship Hoche. She was captured in 1798 and commissioned into the Navy as HMS Donegal. She was broken up in 1845.^[2]
• was a 101-gun first rate launched in 1858. She became part of the torpedo and mining school ship in 1886 and was sold in 1925.^[3]
• was a armoured cruiser launched in 1902. She served in the First World War and was sold for scrap in 1920.

References

• • Lyon, D. & Winfield, R. The Sail & Steam Navy List, London (2004): Chatham Publishing.

Notes and References

1. http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/name_histories_d.htm Name histories
2. Lyon, p. 41
3. Lyon, p. 189