The Name Penelope
The ships were named after the mythological character "Penelope". As we all know Penelope was the pretty, precious and passionate wife of Ulysses, who shot off to fight all sorts of wars, including the siege of Troy, leaving poor Penelope to her own devices. He was gone some 20 years, during which time hopeful lovers at their family home besieged Penny at Ithaca, all seeking her favours. "Penny, Penny, you would be glorious to lie with on a cold winters night". To which she would reply, "Never end a sentence with a proposition", and carry on with her tapestry, which she was making for her Father-in-law, careful not to prick her finger. After all who would want a bloody tapestry.
She was only doing the tapestry because in those mythical days knitting hadn't been invented. She had to fill in her time somehow. Besides, she was a pleasant natured lady, and to avoid hurting the male Grecian ego, she promised each suitor that she'd give him an answer when she had finished the tapestry. They were thick enough to be satisfied with this.
Needless to say, each night Penny un picked the days work she had done on the tapestry, and started again the next day. - 100% for perseverance. Meanwhile, Ulysses who was up to his neck in blood and guts and such like, worrying him self-sick about Penelope. Was she being faithful, was she keeping herself for him. He needn't have panicked. There she was, passionately jabbing away at her tapestry by day, and ripping it to bits and thinking of her Uly by night, her chastity intact. However, the besotted suitors cottoned on to our Penny and began to lean on her a bit heavy, so that she was forced to complete her work a bit pronto.
Ulysses, after many horrendous escapades arrived back home in the nick of time. He was disguised as a beggar, and took no time at all to put the by-now nasty tempered suitors in their places. Penny was naturally a bit grateful but failed to recognise this messy looking beggar as her husband; after all he'd been gone 20 years or more sorting out other people's problems. However, we have it on good authority that after he had given Penny proof of his identity, she received him! Whatever that means. But I'm sure the Greeks have a word for it
'Constantia Et Fide'
(With Constancy and Faith)
Penelope's 400 Year History
The first,
Penelope on record was a privateer and sailed from Plymouth to India in 1591.
The second,
Was also a privateer employed against the Dutch in and around 1667.
The first Royal Navy Penelope.
The first R N Penelope. Was a 24 - gun sixth-rate. Built by Bakers of Liverpool and launched on 25th. June.1778 and wrecked the following year in the West Indies.
The second R.N.
A 32-gun fifth-rate frigate of 721 ton. Built by Barton of Liverpool and launched on 27th October 1783. She saw much action in the West Indies. In 1793 she captured the French Goeland which had 14 guns and later the Frenchman Inconstante. In 1974 she was present at the bombardment of Port au Prince, and was finally broken up in 1797. The 3rd and 4th were also built in Liverpool.
The third R.N.
A cutter hired by the Royal Navy, served almost 2 years before being captured by the Spanish off the coast of Gib' on 7th July 1799.
The fourth R.N.
A 1,051-ton 36 gunner fifth rate ship launched at Bursledon in 1798. Under Capt., Blackwood's command; she was in Admiral Troubridge's Force, which blockaded Malta in I800. She captured the Spanish Carmen of 16 guns early in 1800. Also in this same year, she earned her first battle honour when she captured the Frenchman Guillaume Tell. She was wrecked on 1st May 1815, while working as a troopship with a drunken crew in bad weather in the St. Lawrence River.
The fifth R.N.
Commenced in Portsmouth in 1817 as a fifth-rate frigate but was never completed as such. She was converted in 1843 to steam and fitted with Paddles wheels. Most of her career was spent on the West African Station. In 1851 she took part in Lagos expedition. In 1854 she was in the Baltic, and assisted in the capture of Bomarsund. Here she ran aground and received 21 hits before being re-floated. She served on the Cape Station before being sold in 1864.
The sixth R.N.
Penelope was Launched in 1867 at Pembroke a 4,470-ton corvette, and was the Navy's first Ironclad of any size to be fitted with twin screws. In 1897 she was used as a floating naval prison in Simonstown. She was sold in 1912.
The seventh R.N.
Was a 3,520-ton light cruiser completed in August 1914. She carried two 6-inch and four 4-inch guns as well as four above-water torpedo tubes. On trials this Penelope topped 30 knots. On April 25th 1916, she was torpedoed by a German submarine while returning from an operation against the German battle cruisers, which had raided Lowestoft. She was sold for breaking up in October 1924.
The eighth R.N.
A 5,720-ton cruiser. Her keel was laid down by H.R.H. the Duke of York on 30th May 1934. Built by Harland & Wollf in Belfast and launched in October 1935, by the Duchess of Abercorn. She was completed on 13. November 1936. She torpedoed by the German submarine U410 on the 18th February 1944 and sank off Anzio with the loss of 417 crewmembers.
The ninth R.N.
Laid down in 1961 as H.M.S. Coventry, a type 12 frigate, by Vickers Armstrong of Newcastle upon Tyne, but during building her plans were changed to that of a Leander Class Frigate. Lady Madden launched her on The 17th August 1962. She was completed in October 1963, with the standard Leander armament - a twin 4.5 in' turret, anti-submarine mortars and a Wasp helicopter and renamed Penelope.