HMS Lance explained

Two British Royal Navy warships have been called HMS Lance after the spear.

• The first was a destroyer launched at Thornycroft in 1914, and fired the first British shot of World War I on 5 August 1914 when she intercepted the German minelayer Königin Luise.
• The second was an launched in 1940 and sunk by aircraft at Malta on 9 April 1942. She was salvaged and towed to Chatham but found on arrival to be beyond repair.