HMS Hero was an H-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1930s. During the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939 the ship enforced the arms blockade imposed by Britain and France on both sides as part of the Mediterranean Fleet. During the first few months of World War II, Hero searched for German commerce raiders in the Atlantic Ocean and participated in the Second Battle of Narvik during the Norwegian Campaign of April–June 1940 before she was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet in May where she escorted a number of convoys to Malta. The ship took part in the Battle of Cape Spada in July 1940, Operation Abstention in February 1941, and the evacuations of Greece and Crete in April–May 1941.
SS Commissaire Ramel was a French cargo-passenger ship, launched in 1920, that was sunk in the Indian Ocean by the German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis during World War II.
Suffren was a Suffren-class frigate of the French Navy, designed to protect a fleet against air threats, surface ships, submarines, and, to a lesser extent, provide firepower against land objectives. She is the sister-ship of Duquesne, and was decommissioned in 2001. She was the seventh French vessel named after the 18th century admiral Pierre André de Suffren; her artillery turrets are named after ships commanded by the marquis of Suffren: turret n°1 is named Héros ("hero") after the ship of the line Héros, and turret n°2 is named Fantasque, after the ship of the line Fantasque.
The Aberdonia is a British pre-war motor yacht moored at Chelsea Harbour. Built by the Thornycroft ship yard and launched in 1935 Aberdonia has a rich history, former uses include a patrol boat, mine sweeper and is one of the Little ships of Dunkirk.
SS Timothy Pickering was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Timothy Pickering, the third United States Secretary of State under George Washington and John Adams.
HMS Hero was the second and final Conqueror-class battleship. She was an ironclad who served in the Victorian Royal Navy.
SS British Consul was a tanker built by Sir James Laing & Sons Ltd., Sunderland in 1924 and operated by the British Tanker Company.
SS Santa Elisa was a refrigerated cargo ship built for the United States Maritime Commission by Federal Shipbuilding of Kearny, New Jersey in 1941. Operated by the Grace Line, Santa Elisa was a member of Convoy WS 21S from Newport, England, for Malta as a part of Operation Pedestal. After she straggled from the convoy, she was attacked and torpedoed by the Italian motor boats MAS 557 and 564 25 nautical miles (46 km) southeast of Cape Bon, Tunisia on the night of 12/13 August 1942. MAS 557 strafed the vessel with her .51 Breda machine gun, killing four British army gunners, while the second motorboat launched a 450 mm torpedo that struck Santa Elisa on the starboard side near the No. 1 cargo hatch at about 05:17. The ship's cargo of aviation gasoline burst into flames. Santa Elisa eventually sank at approximately 07:17 on 13 August near position 36°20′N11°28′E, and 28 survivors, including Francis A. Dales who was awarded the Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal for his involvement in the convoy, were rescued by HMS Penn and landed at Malta. Frederick A. Larsen, Jr. the Junior Third Mate on SS Santa Elisa also was awarded the Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal for courage, heroism above and beyond the call of duty. The award was given by Admiral Emory S. Land.
Empire Chapman was an 8,194 GRT tanker which was built in 1942 by Harland & Wolff, Belfast for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). In 1946 she was sold into merchant service and renamed British Commando. She was scrapped in 1959.
Z18 Hans Lüdemann was one of six Type 1936 destroyers built for the Kriegsmarine in the late 1930s. Completed in 1938, the ship spent most of her time training. At the beginning of World War II in September 1939, she was initially deployed to lay minefields off the German coast, but was soon transferred to the Skagerrak where she inspected neutral shipping for contraband goods. In late 1939, Z18 Hans Lüdemann helped to laid two offensive minefields off the English coast that claimed one destroyer and twenty merchant ships.
RFA Freshspring was a Fresh-class water tank vessel of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. She survives in civilian hands as SS Freshspring, the last surviving example of the Fresh-class ships. The last of fourteen ships, she was used to carry fresh water out to larger ships. She is listed on the National Register of Historic Vessels maintained by National Historic Ships.
Asia was launched at Philadelphia. Early records have her launch year as 1795, but later records have it as 1798. She entered British records in 1800 as trading with the Far East. As the British East India Company had a monopoly of British trade with the Far East, Asia almost certainly did not sail under the British flag, though she did operate from Britain. In 1805 the privateer Mercury seized her and the High Court of Admiralty condemned Asia for trading with France. New owners named her Duchess of York. She then became a West Indiaman. She was wrecked at Guadeloupe in 1826.
Several ships have been named Jane:
Lord Forbes was launched at Chester in 1803 as a West Indiaman. She soon became an "armed defense ship", but by 1805 had returned to being a West Indiaman. She made two voyages as an "extra" ship for the British East India Company (EIC). She continued trading with India until 1817 when she sustained damage on her way to Bengal. There she was surveyed, condemned and sold.
British Hero was launched at Jarrow in 1809. She initially was a government transport and so did not appear in Lloyd's Register (LR) or the Register of Shipping (RS) until she came into mercantile service c. 1813. She was lost in November 1816 on a voyage to India.
Lord Wellington was launched in 1811 in Montreal. She became a London-based transport that made one voyage to India in 1819 under a license from the British East India Company (EIC). Afterwards she continued to sail to the Baltic and North America. She was last listed in 1829.
Archimedes was launched at Sunderland in 1796 or 1797. She traded between England and the Baltic until the British government chartered her as a transport c.1809. She was lost in December 1811 while coming back from the Baltic.
HMS Comet was launched in 1807 as a Thais-class fireship of the Royal Navy. In 1808 the class were re-rated as sloops, and in 1811 they were re-rated as 20-gun sixth rates. Comet participated in one action that resulted in her crew being awarded the Naval General Service Medal, and some other actions and captures. The Navy sold her in 1815. In 1816 she became an East Indiaman, sailing under a license from the British East India Company (EIC). She sailed between the United Kingdom and Ceylon. It was on one of these journeys that she was wrecked on Cole House Point on the River Thames on 9 August 1828.
British Hero was launched in 1801 in North Shields. A French privateer captured her in January or February 1806.
