"William Black" wrote in message
...

"Jeff" wrote in message
...
Cleopatra.... I guess they ran out of popular Greek heroes

Cleopatra was a Greek.

She was the last of the Helenistic dynasty known as the Ptolemaics and
was
descended from Alexander's general called, obviously enough Ptolemy..

She just happened to rule Egypt


That's on a par with saying that Gt, Britain is ruled by a German,

Well we are.

Their style is even German. All uniforms crusted with dodgy medals for
the
men and huge tasteless ball gowns for the women. The palace looks like
bloody Ruritainia on formal occasions.

Cleopatra was definitely fully assimilated as an Egyptian, perhaps the
dynasty did have Greek (Macedonian) roots 300 years previously but even
the
early Ptolemaics made Egyptian marriages.

So?

Chances are that the person who picked the name had an expensive classical
education and calling the ship HMS Cleopatra was a way of showing off.

You know:

'Cleopatra, she wasn't a Greek, all the other ships are named after
Greeks'.

'Well actually old chap...'

--
William Black

The other ships were named after mythological Greek heroes. Cleopatra
wasn't a myth.
*That* is the exception.

RCE