HMS Calcutta

Five ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Calcutta, after the Indian city of Calcutta (now Kolkota).

• The first Calcutta was a 54-gun fourth-rate ship, originally the East Indiaman Warley and purchased in 1795, captured by the French in 1805 and destroyed by British ships in 1809.

• The second Calcutta was an 84-gun second-rate ship launched in 1831, converted to a gunnery ship in 1865 and sold in 1908.

• The third Calcutta was the Hercules (1868), renamed in 1909.

• The fourth Calcutta was the gunboat Handy (1883), renamed in 1916.

• The fifth Calcutta was a light cruiser launched in 1918 and sunk in action 1941.