HMS Phoenix

Sixteen vessels and two shore establishments of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Phoenix, after the legendary phoenix bird.

The earliest example of the use of HMS as an abbreviation is a reference to HMS Phoenix in 1789.[1]

  1. ^ "HMS", The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. (Oxford: Oxford University Press), 2006, Encyclopedia.com. (16 September 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-HMS.html.