Five ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Exeter after the city of Exeter in Devon.
HMS Exeter (1680) was a 70-gun third-rate launched in 1680. She was damaged in an explosion in 1691 and was hulked. She was broken up in 1717.HMS Exeter (1697) was a 60-gun fourth-rate launched in 1697. She was rebuilt to carry 58 guns in 1744 and was broken up in 1763.HMS Exeter (1763) was a 64-gun third-rate launched in 1763. She was burned as unseaworthy in 1784.HMS Exeter (68) was a York-class heavy cruiser launched in 1929. She fought at the River Plate in 1939, and was sunk at the Battle of the Java Sea in 1942.HMS Exeter was planned as a Type 61 frigate. She was ordered in 1956, but cancelled in 1957.HMS Exeter (D89) was a Type 42 destroyer, launched in 1979. She served in the Falklands War and the Gulf War, and was in service until she was decommissioned on 27 May 2009.