HMS Invincible
See also Invincible class aircraft carrier
Six ships of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Invincible.
- The first Invincible was originally the French 74-gun ship of the line L'Invincible, captured off Cape Finisterre in 1747.
- The third Invincible was still another 74, launched in 1808, paid off in 1814, and broken up in 1861.
- The fourth Invincible was an armored "broadside battleship" built in 1869.
- The fifth Invincible was a battlecruiser of the First World War attached to the 1st Cruiser Squadron, Home Fleet at the end of 1908. She saw action at Heligoland, the Battle of the Falkland Islands, and the Battle of Jutland, where she blew up and sank after taking a hit from SMS Lutzow, with the loss of 1,026 crew. Only 6 crew members survived.
- Armament: Eight 12-inch guns in pairs and sixteen 4-inch guns. One 3 inch anti aircraft gun in 1915 and from 1916 two 4 inch Anti Aircraft Guns.
- The sixth and current Invincible is a light aircraft carrier, the first of three in the Invincible class. She was built at Barrow-in-Furness and launched on 3 May 1977.
- The other carriers in this class are the Ark Royal and Illustrious. Built during the Cold War, these ships were designed in the anti-submarine spirit of the time. However, they are also able to project force with the use of their Harrier jets.