HMS Minerva was a second class protected cruiser of the Eclipse class, launched in 1895 and scrapped in 1920. The ship was present at the relief operations in Sicily after the great earthquake and tsunami in the Strait of Messina, 28 December 1908. The crew qualified for the Medal of Merit for Participation in the Relief of the Earthquake in Calabria and Sicily, instituted by the King of Italy Vittorio Emanuele III. Date: 1917