Eight ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Arethusa after the Greek mythological nymph Arethusa, who was transformed by Artemis into a fountain.
was a 32-gun fifth-rate ship captured from the French Navy in 1759 and wrecked in 1779. Its Action of 17 June 1778 is the subject of the ballad: The Saucy Arethusa. was a 38-gun fifth-rate launched in 1781 and broken up in 1814. was a 46-gun fifth-rate launched in 1817, and renamed HMS Bacchus in 1844 upon her conversion into a hulk; she was broken up in 1883. was a 50-gun fourth-rate launched in 1849. She was fitted with screw propulsion in 1861 and became a training ship in 1874. She was broken up in 1934. was a Leander-class protected cruiser launched in 1882 and scrapped in 1905. was an Arethusa-class light cruiser launched in 1913 and wrecked after being damaged by a naval mine in 1916. was an Arethusa-class light cruiser launched in 1934 and scrapped in 1950. was a Leander-class frigate launched in 1963 and sunk as training target in 1991.
Battle honours Ushant 1778 & 1781 St Lucia 1796 Curaçao 1807 Black Sea 1854 China 1900 Heligoland 1914 Dogger Bank 1915 Norway 1940-41 Malta Convoys 1941-42 Normandy 1944HMS Arethusa, British light cruiser, WW2
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