HMS Kingfisher
Encyclopedia
Fourteen ships of the Royal Navy
have borne the name HMS Kingfisher, after the Kingfisher
:
was a ship in service between 1664 and 1667. was a 46-gun fourth-rate
ship of the line
built in 1676, rebuilt in 1699 and broken up in 1728. was a 4-gun ketch
purchased in 1684 and captured by the French in 1690. was a 14-gun sloop launched in 1745. She was converted into an 8-gun bomb vessel
and served as such between 1758 and 1760. She was sold in 1763. was a 14-gun sloop launched in 1770 and burnt to avoid capture in 1778. was an 18-gun brig-sloop
launched in 1782, having been purchased in the stocks. She was wrecked in 1798. was an 18-gun sloop launched in 1804 and broken up in 1816. was a 10-gun Cherokee-class
brig-sloop launched in 1823 and sold in 1838. was a 12-gun brig
launched in 1845. She was laid up in 1852, and was then on harbour service from 1875. She was sold in 1890. was an Doterel-class
sloop launched in 1879. She became a training ship and was renamed HMS Lark in 1892, and then HMS Cruizer in 1893. She was sold in 1919.
There was also a brig named HMS Kingfish listed in service between 1807 and 1814.
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 Kingfisher, after the Kingfisher
Kingfisher
Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia...
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was a ship in service between 1664 and 1667. was a 46-gun fourth-rate
Fourth-rate
In the British Royal Navy, a fourth rate was, during the first half of the 18th century, a ship of the line mounting from 46 up to 60 guns. While the number of guns stayed subsequently in the same range up until 1817, after 1756 the ships of 50 guns and below were considered too weak to stand in...
ship of the line
Ship of the line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...
built in 1676, rebuilt in 1699 and broken up in 1728. was a 4-gun ketch
Ketch
A ketch is a sailing craft with two masts: a main mast, and a shorter mizzen mast abaft of the main mast, but forward of the rudder post. Both masts are rigged mainly fore-and-aft. From one to three jibs may be carried forward of the main mast when going to windward...
purchased in 1684 and captured by the French in 1690. was a 14-gun sloop launched in 1745. She was converted into an 8-gun bomb vessel
Bomb vessel
A bomb vessel, bomb ship, bomb ketch, or simply bomb was a type of wooden sailing naval ship. Its primary armament was not cannon —although bomb vessels carried a few cannon for self-defence—but rather mortars mounted forward near the bow and elevated to a high angle, and projecting their fire in a...
and served as such between 1758 and 1760. She was sold in 1763. was a 14-gun sloop launched in 1770 and burnt to avoid capture in 1778. was an 18-gun brig-sloop
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
launched in 1782, having been purchased in the stocks. She was wrecked in 1798. was an 18-gun sloop launched in 1804 and broken up in 1816. was a 10-gun Cherokee-class
Cherokee class brig-sloop
The Cherokee class was a 10-gun class of brig-sloops of the Royal Navy. Brig-sloops are sloops-of-war with two masts rather than the three masts of ship-sloops...
brig-sloop launched in 1823 and sold in 1838. was a 12-gun brig
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
launched in 1845. She was laid up in 1852, and was then on harbour service from 1875. She was sold in 1890. was an Doterel-class
Doterel class sloop
The Doterel class was a Royal Navy class of screw-driven sloops. They were of composite construction, with wooden hulls over an iron frame. They were a revised version of an 1874 design by the Royal Navy's Chief Constructor, William Henry White, the . Two of the class were lost, one to an explosion...
sloop launched in 1879. She became a training ship and was renamed HMS Lark in 1892, and then HMS Cruizer in 1893. She was sold in 1919.
- HMS Kingfisher was a 16-gun brig launched in 1850 as HMS Martin. She was renamed HMS Kingfisher in 1890, when she became a training brig. She was sold in 1907.
- HMS Kingfisher was to have been a river gunboatRiver gunboatA river gunboat is a type of gunboat adapted for river operations. River gunboats required shallow draft for river navigation. They would be armed with relatively small caliber cannons, or a mix of cannons and machine guns. If they carried more than one cannon, one might be a howitzer, for shore...
. She was ordered in 1912, but was subsequently cancelled. was a launched in 1935 and sold in 1947. - RFA King Salvor (A291)RFA King Salvor (A291)RFA King Salvor , initially HMS King Salvor , was the lead ship of a class of 12 salvage vessels of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. A 13th ship was completed as a submarine rescue vessel for the Royal Navy as ....
was renamed HMS Kingfisher in 1954, and stayed in service until 1960. was a Bird-classBird class patrol vesselThe Bird class patrol vessel was a class of large patrol boat built for the Royal Navy. There were five in total: Kingfisher, Cygnet, Peterel, Sandpiper and Redpole....
patrol vessel launched in 1974 and sold in 1996.
There was also a brig named HMS Kingfish listed in service between 1807 and 1814.