HMS Seahorse (1694 fireship)

Last updated
History
English Red Ensign 1620.svg England
NameSeahorse
Acquired1694, by purchase
FateSunk as breakwater in 1698, raised and broken up 5 December 1871
General characteristics
Class and type10-gun fireship
PropulsionSails

HMS Seahorse was a 10-gun fireship of the Royal Navy in service from 1694 to 1698, when it was sunk as a breakwater. The ship was raised in 1871 and broken up for lumber.

History

Seahorse was acquired by the Royal Navy in 1694, when they purchased it from the Dutch. It was first used as a fireship, and then was repurposed into a water boat to carry freshwater to larger warships. It was sunk as a breakwater at Chatham Dockyard, Kent, in 1698. [1] The wreck of the ship was used as a part of the retaining wall at a depth of about 30 feet (9.1 m). [2]

In 1871, the wreck of Seahorse was discovered while alterations to Chatham Dockyard were being made. It was subsequently excavated for its lumber, the best of which was sound enough for use at the dockyard with the rest being sold at an auction by the Admiralty. [2]

Related Research Articles

Sixteen different ships of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Greyhound, after the greyhound, a breed of dog notable for its speed.

Sixteen vessels and two shore establishments of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Phoenix, after the legendary phoenix bird.

Eighteen ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Eagle, after the eagle.

Many ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Garland. The name dates back to 1242, being the oldest confirmed ship name in the Royal Navy.

Fifteen ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Chatham after the port of Chatham, Kent, home of the Chatham Dockyard.

Ten ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Aetna or HMS Etna, after the volcano Etna:

Sixteen ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Success, whilst another was planned:

HMS<i> Mercury</i> List of ships with the same or similar names

Eighteen ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Mercury, or HMS Mercure, after the God Mercury, of Roman mythology:

HMS Helverson was formerly Hilversum of the Admiralty of Amsterdam. She was built around 1655 as a third rate frigate.

Eleven ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Firebrand.

Twenty-two ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Falcon. They are named after an exceptionally fast bird of prey.

HMS Strafford was a 60-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built to the 1733 proposals of the 1719 Establishment of dimensions at Chatham Dockyard, and was launched on 24 July 1735.

Three vessels of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Selby, after the North Yorkshire town:

Five vessels of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Amity:

References

  1. ↑ Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN   978-1-86176-281-8. Page 200.
  2. 1 2 "Naval and Military" . Morning Post. No. 30575. London. 6 December 1871. p. 5. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.