Six ships of the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
have been named HMS ''Oberon'', after the fairy king
Oberon
Oberon () is a king of the fairy, fairies in Middle Ages, medieval and Renaissance literature. He is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', in which he is King of the Fairies and spouse of Titania ...
from
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's play, ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream
''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...
'':
* was a 16-gun
brig-sloop
During the 18th and 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship of the Royal Navy with a single gun deck that carried up to 18 guns. The rating system of the Royal Navy covered all vessels with 20 or more guns; thus, the term encompassed all ...
launched in 1805 and broken up in 1816.
* was an iron paddle
sloop launched in 1847, used as a gunnery target after 1870, sunk in 1874 during experiments with naval mines, raised in 1875 and sold in 1880. In 1870 she was used for underwater firings of Whitehead torpedoes.
*
HMS ''Oberon'' was a coastguard vessel, previously the civilian ''Lady Ailne''. She was launched in 1884, purchased in 1888, and renamed ''Oberon''. She was renamed ''Hawk'' later that year, and then ''Undine'' in 1904. She was sold in 1906.
* was an launched in 1916 and sold for scrap in 1921.
* was an launched in 1926 and broken up in 1945.
* was the
lead ship
The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships that are all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels.
Large ships are very comple ...
of
her class of
submarine
A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...
s, launched in 1959, sold in 1987 and broken up in 1991.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oberon, Hms
Royal Navy ship names