HMS Vanguard

Eleven ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Vanguard, meaning the forefront of an action or movement:

  • English ship Vanguard (1586) was a 31-gun galleon launched in 1586, rebuilt twice and was broken up in 1630, with some parts being reused in the next HMS Vanguard.
  • HMS Vanguard (1631) was a 56-gun second rate launched in 1631, active in the Anglo-Dutch Wars, and scuttled in 1667.
  • HMS Vanguard (1678) was a 90-gun three-decker second-rate launched in 1678, sunk in 1703 but raised in 1704, rebuilt twice and renamed HMS Duke in 1728. She was broken up in 1769.
  • HMS Vanguard (1748) was a 70-gun third rate launched in 1748 and sold in 1774.
  • HMS Vanguard (1780) was a 4-gun gunvessel captured in 1780, purchased in 1781 and sold in 1783.
  • HMS Vanguard (1787) was a 74-gun third rate launched in 1787. She became a prison ship in 1812, a powder hulk in 1814 and was broken up in 1821.
  • HMS Vanguard (1835) was a 78-gun third rate launched in 1835, renamed HMS Ajax in 1867, and broken up in 1875.
  • HMS Vanguard (1869) was an Audacious-class ironclad battleship launched in 1869 and sunk in a collision with HMS Iron Duke in 1875.
  • HMS Vanguard (1909) was a St Vincent-class battleship launched in 1909 and sunk in an explosion in 1917.
  • HMS Vanguard (23) was a unique battleship, the only one of her class. She was launched in 1944 and broken up in 1960.
  • HMS Vanguard (S28) is a Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarine launched in 1992 and currently in service.

Battle honours

  • Armada, 1588
  • Cadiz, 1596
  • Portland, 1653
  • Gabbard, 1653
  • Scheveningen, 1653
  • Lowestoft, 1665
  • Four Days' Battle, 1666
  • Orfordness, 1666
  • Barfleur, 1692
  • Louisburg, 1758
  • Quebec, 1759
  • Martinique, 1762
  • Nile, 1798
  • Syria, 1840
  • Jutland, 1916


See also

  • Vanguard class for ship classes
  • Vanguard (disambiguation)
List of ships with the same or similar names
This article includes a list of ships with the same or similar names. If an internal link for a specific ship led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended ship article, if one exists.