Tyrian purple in antiquity because the colour did not easily fade, but instead became brighter with weathering and sunlight. Its significance is such that the name Phoenicia means 'land of purple.' It came in various shades, the most prized being that of "blackish clotted blood". Tyrian purple was expensive: the 4th-century-BC historian Theopompus reported, "Purple for dyes fetched its weight in silver at Colophon" in Asia Minor. The expense meant that purple-dyed textiles became status symbols, whose use was restricted by sumptuary laws. The most senior Roman magistrates wore a "toga praetexta", a white toga edged with a stripe of Tyrian purple.
HMS Tyrian (R67) HMS Tyrian (R67) HMS "Tyrian" was a S-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War. "Tyrian" displaced at standard load and at deep load. She had an overall length of , a beam of and a deep draught of . She was powered by two Parsons geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft, using steam provided by two Admiralty three-drum boilers. The turbines developed a total of and gave a maximum speed of . "Tyrian" carried a maximum of of fuel oil that gave her a range of at . Her complement was 170 officers