The Royal Navy warships Renown and Repulse

by Andy Rowlands

As I’m sure you are all aware, the Class 50’s were all originally named after warships of the British Royal Navy from both the world wars, although many of these names have been used numerous times over several hundred years. For this article, I have tried to pick the ship that is regarded as the most famous, or infamous, or having been involved in the action regarded as the most significant or important.

As a result of choosing those events people are most likely to have some inkling of, the ships mentioned are from the two world wars or later. The majority of the information has come from the Internet and my father, who has a deep understanding of the significance and consequences of the naval actions of WWII.

The two most recent vessels to carry the names Renown & Repulse are two of the Resolution-class SSBN's; the other members of the class being HMS Resolution & HMS Revenge. A fifth boat of the class was planned as HMS Ramillies, but it's construction was cancelled in 1965. By necessity, much of the information about the Resolution-class boats remains classified, and as such only a relatively brief mention can be made public of their capabilities and service history.