Six ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Perseus, after the Greek hero Perseus: was a 20-gun sixth rate launched in 1776; she was the first vessel of the Royal Navy to be sheathed in copper. She was converted to a bomb vessel in 1799 and was broken up in 1805. was a 22-gun sixth rate launched in 1812. She was used for harbour service from 1818 and was broken up in 1850. was a wooden screw sloop launched in 1861. She was used for harbour service from 1886, was renamed HMS Defiance II in 1904 and was probably sold in 1912. was a protected cruiser launched in 1897 and sold for scrap in 1914. was a launched in 1929 and sunk in 1941 during the Second World War. was a launched in 1944 as HMS Edgar but renamed a few months later. She was scrapped in 1958. Citations and references Citations References Chambers, Robert & Thomas Thomson (1870) A Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Scotsmen, Vol. 2. (Blackie and son). Royal Navy ship names