HMS Bee
Encyclopedia
Three vessels and two shore establishments of the Royal Navy
have been named HMS Bee, after the insect, the Bee
. A third ship was ordered but never completed:
Other shore establishments have borne similar names
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 been named HMS Bee, after the insect, the Bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
. A third ship was ordered but never completed:
Ships
- HM Schooner Bee was a 79-foot wooden supply schooner of 30.5 tonnes displacement, stationed at the Penetanguishene Naval Establishment from 1817 to 1831. was a wooden screw and paddle vessel launched in 1842 and broken up in 1874. was an Insect classInsect class gunboatThe 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...
gunboatGunboatA 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 1915 and sold in 1939. - HMS Bee was to have been another river patrol boat. She was ordered in 1939, but cancelled in 1940.
Shore establishments
- HMS Bee was a Coastal ForcesCoastal Forces of the Royal NavyCoastal Forces was a division of the Royal Navy established duringWorld War II under the command of Rear Admiral Coastal Forces. -History:The Royal Navy had previously operated flotillas of small torpedo- and depth-charge-armed craft during the First World WarThe first Headquarters was set up at ...
Motor LaunchMotor LaunchA Motor Launch is a small military vessel in British navy service. It was designed for harbour defence and submarine chasing or for armed high speed air-sea rescue....
working up base at Weymouth in commission between 1942 and 1943. - HMS Bee was a Coastal Forces ML working up base at HolyheadHolyheadHolyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
, taking over from the previous base in 1943 and being paid off in 1945.
Other shore establishments have borne similar names
- HMS Beecroft was a naval base in NigeriaNigeriaNigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
between 1960 and 1978. - HMS Beehive was a Coastal Forces base at FelixstoweFelixstoweFelixstowe is a seaside town on the North Sea coast of Suffolk, England. The town gives its name to the nearby Port of Felixstowe, which is the largest container port in the United Kingdom and is owned by Hutchinson Ports UK...
between 1940 and 1945.