HMS Mars

Seven ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS "Mars", after Mars, the Roman god of war:

* The first "Mars" was a 50-gun ship, originally Dutch, captured in the Second Anglo-Dutch War in 1665, and sold in 1667.
* The second "Mars" was a 64-gun third-rate ship of the line, originally French, captured by HMS Nottingham off Cape Clear in 1746. She was wrecked in 1755 near Halifax, Nova Scotia.
* The third "Mars" was a 74-gun third-rate, launched in 1759 and sold in 1784.
* The fourth "Mars" was a 32-gun fifth-rate, originally Dutch, captured in the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War in 1781 in the West Indies, and sold in 1784.
* The fifth "Mars", was a 74-gun third-rate, launched in 1794. She took part in the Spithead mutiny in 1797 and the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. She was broken up in 1823.
* The sixth "Mars", was an 80-gun second-rate, launched in 1848, converted to screw propulsion, and sold in 1929. Between 1869 and 1929 she served as a training ship.
* The seventh "Mars" was a "Majestic"-class battleship, launched in 1896. She served as a guardship and transport in World War I and was sold in 1921.
* "Mars" was to have been a cruiser, but was cancelled in 1946.
* A "Colossus"-class aircraft carrier was named "Mars" in 1942, but renamed before being launched as "Pioneer" in 1944.

References

*Colledge