Three ships of the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
have borne the name HMS ''Alcmene''. In Greek mythology,
Alcmene
In Greek mythology, Alcmene () or Alcmena (; Ancient Greek: Ἀλκμήνη or Doric Greek: Ἀλκμάνα, Latin: Alcumena means "strong in wrath") was the wife of Amphitryon by whom she bore two children, Iphicles and Laonome. She is best known ...
or Alcmena (Greek: Aλκμήνη) was the mother of
Heracles
Heracles ( ; grc-gre, Ἡρακλῆς, , glory/fame of Hera), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptive ...
:
* was a 32-gun
fifth rate
In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a fifth rate was the second-smallest class of warships in a hierarchical system of six " ratings" based on size and firepower.
Rating
The rating system in the Royal N ...
captured from the French in 1779 and sold in 1784.
* was a 32-gun fifth rate launched in 1794 and wrecked in 1809.
* was a 38-gun fifth rate, formerly the French frigate ''Topaze''. She was captured in 1809 and commissioned as HMS ''Jewel''. She was renamed HMS ''Alcmene'' later that year and was broken up in 1816.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alcmene, Hms
Royal Navy ship names