HMS Speedwell
Encyclopedia
Fifteen ships of the Royal Navy
have borne the name HMS Speedwell:
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 Speedwell:
- Speedwell was a galley captured from the French in 1560 and broken up in 1580.
- Speedwell was a 40-gun galleonGalleonA galleon was a large, multi-decked sailing ship used primarily by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries. Whether used for war or commerce, they were generally armed with the demi-culverin type of cannon.-Etymology:...
launched in 1573 as the 41-gun Swiftsure. She was rebuilt in 1592, renamed Speedwell and rearmed to 40 guns in 1607 and was lost in 1624. - HMS Speedwell was a 20-gun ship launched in 1656 as . She was renamed HMS Speedwell in 1660 and was wrecked in 1676. was an 8-gun fireship purchased in 1688 and sunk as a breakwaterBreakwater (structure)Breakwaters are structures constructed on coasts as part of coastal defence or to protect an anchorage from the effects of weather and longshore drift.-Purposes of breakwaters:...
in 1692. was an 8-gun fireship launched in 1690. She was rebuilt in 1702 as a 28-gun fifth rate and was wrecked in 1720. was a 14-gun sloopSloop-of-warIn the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
launched in 1744 and sold in 1750. was an 8-gun sloop launched in 1752. She was converted to a fireship and renamed HMS Spitfire in 1779 and was sold in 1780. was a cutter of unknown origin, captured by the French in 1761. was an 18-gun sloop listed in 1775. was a 16-gun cutter purchased in 1780. She foundered in 1807. was a 5-gun schoonerSchoonerA 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....
purchased in 1815 and sold in 1834. was a survey cutter purchased in 1841 and sold in 1855. was a wooden screw Philomel-classPhilomel class gunvesselThe Philomel-class gunvessel was a class of wooden-hulled screw-driven second-class gunvessels built for the Royal Navy between 1859 and 1867, of which 26 were ordered but only 20 completed. They had a mixed history, with some serving for as little as 5 years, and others surviving into the 1880s...
gunvessel launched in 1861 and broken up in 1876. was a torpedo gunboatTorpedo gunboatIn late 19th-century naval terminology, torpedo gunboats or, in north European usage, torpedo cruisers, were a form of gunboat armed with torpedoes and designed for hunting and destroying smaller torpedo boats...
launched in 1889. She was converted to a minesweeperMinesweeper (ship)A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
in 1909 and was sold in 1920. was a Halcyon-classHalcyon class minesweeperThe Halcyon class was a class of 21 oil-fired minesweepers built for the British Royal Navy between 1933 and 1939...
minesweeper launched in 1935 and sold into civilian service in 1946, being renamed Topaz.