Four ships of the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 have borne the name HMS Cockchafer after the insect, the cockchafer

Cockchafer

The cockchafer is a European beetle of the genus Melolontha, in the family Scarabaeidae....

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was a 5-gun schooner tender, previously the American schooner

Schooner

A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....

 Spencer. She was captured in 1812 and sold in 1815. was an Albacore-class wooden screw gunboat

Gunboat

A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...

 launched in 1855 and sold in 1872. was a Banterer-class composite screw gunboat launched in 1881 and sold in 1905. was an Insect-class

Insect class gunboat

The Insect class patrol boats were a class of small, but well-armed Royal Navy ships designed for use in shallow rivers or inshore. They were intended for use on the Danube...

 gunboat launched in 1915, hulked in 1947 and sold in 1949.

See also

• Cockchafer was an 8-gun lugger
  Lugger
  A lugger is a class of boats, widely used as traditional fishing boats, particularly off the coasts of France, Scotland and England. It is a small sailing vessel with lugsails set on two or more masts and perhaps lug topsails.-Defining the rig:...
  
  hired in 1794 and lost in 1801.