Five ships and a number of shore establishments of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Daedalus, after the mythical Daedalus:
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by the English kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years War against the Kingdom of France. The modern Royal Navy traces its origins to the early 16th century; the oldest of the UK's armed services, it is known as the Senior Service.
In Greek mythology, Daedalus was a skillful craftsman and artist, and was seen as a symbol of wisdom, knowledge, and power. He is the father of Icarus, the uncle of Perdix, and possibly also the father of Iapyx, although this is unclear. He invented and built the labyrinth for king Minos of Crete, but shortly after finishing it king Minos had Daedalus imprisoned within the labyrinth. He and his son Icarus devised a plan to escape by using wings made of wax that Daedalus had invented. They escaped, but sadly Icarus did not heed his father's warnings and flew too close to the sun. The wax melted and Icarus fell to his death. This left Daedalus heartbroken, but instead of giving up he flew to the island of Sicily.
- HMS Daedalus (1780) was a 32-gun fifth rate frigate launched in 1780. She was lent to Trinity House between 1803 and 1806 as a hulk, and was broken up in 1811.
- HMS Daedalus (1811) was a 38-gun fifth rate, previously the Venetian frigate Corona. She was captured from the French in 1811 and was wrecked in 1813.
- HMS Daedalus (1826) was a 46-gun fifth rate launched in 1826. She was reduced to 20 guns in 1843 and became a Royal Naval Reserve drill ship in 1862. She was sold in 1911.
- HMS Daedalus was an iron screw floating battery launched in 1856 as HMS Thunderbolt. Converted to a floating pierhead in 1873, she bore the name HMS Daedalus between 1916 and 1919 whilst serving as the nominal depot ship of the Royal Naval Air Service. The vessel was sunk in 1948 when a tug collided with her, and raised the following year to be broken up.
- HMS Daedalus was to have been a Danae-class light cruiser. She was ordered in 1918, but cancelled later that year.
- HMS Daedalus was a naval air station, also known as RNAS Lee-on-Solent. The base was opened in 1917 and transferred to the RAF in 1918. It was returned to the successor of the Royal Naval Air Service, the Fleet Air Arm, in 1939. It and various out-stations bore the name HMS Daedalus between 1957 and 1996.
- HMS Daedalus II was a seaplane base and training establishment at several locations around the United Kingdom. Commissioned in 1940, the base was paid off in 1946.
- HMS Daedalus III was an accommodation and release centre at Lee on Solent and Bedhampton between 1943 and 1947.
HMS Daedalus was a 32-gun fifth rate frigate of the Royal Navy, launched in 1780 from the yards of John Fisher, of Liverpool. She went on to serve in the American War of Independence, as well as the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
A frigate is a type of warship, having various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.
The Corporation of Trinity House of Deptford Strond, known as Trinity House, is a private corporation governed under a Royal Charter.
