HMS Greyhound

Sixteen different ships of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Greyhound, after the greyhound, a breed of dog notable for its speed.

• The first Greyhound was a 45-gun ship built in 1545, rebuilt 1558, and wrecked 1563.
• The second Greyhound was a ship in service in 1585.
• The third Greyhound was a 12-gun ship launched in 1636 and blown up 1656 in action with the Spanish.
• The fourth Greyhound was a 20-gun ship captured from the Royalists in 1657 and used as a fire ship in 1666.
• The fifth Greyhound was a 16-gun sixth-rate in service from 1672 to 1698.
• The sixth Greyhound was a 6-gun bomb vessel purchased in 1694 and sold 1698.
• The seventh Greyhound was a 42-gun fifth-rate launched at Ipswich in 1702 and wrecked off Teignmouth (or Tynemouth?) August 1711.
• The eighth Greyhound was a 20-gun sixth-rate launched in 1712 and captured by the Spanish in 1718.
• The ninth Greyhound was a 20-gun sixth-rate launched in 1719, in Spanish hands in April 1722, and broken up 1741.
• The tenth Greyhound was a 20-gun sixth-rate in service from 1741 to 1768.
• The eleventh Greyhound was a 15-gun cutter purchased in 1763, hulked in 1776, and sold 1780.
• The twelfth Greyhound was a 28-gun sixth-rate launched in 1773 and wrecked 1780.
• The thirteenth Greyhound was a 20-gun cutter purchased in 1780, renamed Viper in 1781, and listed until 1803.
• The fourteenth Greyhound was a 32-gun fifth-rate launched 1783 and wrecked 1808.
• Euphrates of 1813 was laid down as Greyhound, but renamed before launching.
• The fifteenth Greyhound was a Greyhound-class sloop launched in 1859, reduced to harbour service in 1869, and sold 1906.
• The sixteenth Greyhound was a Greyhound-class destroyer in service from 1900 to 1919.
• The seventeenth Greyhound was a G-class destroyer launched in 1935 and sunk by German dive bombers in 1941.
• Another Greyhound was to be a destroyer, ordered in 1944 but cancelled in December 1945.

References

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8. OCLC 67375475. 
• The Sailing Navy List 1688-1860 by David Lyon