Fifteen ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Speedwell:
- English ship Speedwell (1560) was a galley captured from the French in 1560 and broken up in 1580.
- English ship Swiftsure (1573) was a 41-gun galleon, rebuilt in 1592, renamed Speedwell and rearmed to 40 guns in 1607, and was lost in 1624.
- HMS Cheriton (1656) was a 20-gun ship, renamed HMS Speedwell in 1660, and wrecked in 1676.
- HMS Speedwell (1688) was an 8-gun fireship purchased in 1688 and sunk as a breakwater in 1692.
- HMS Speedwell (1690) was an 8-gun fireship, rebuilt in 1702 as a 28-gun fifth rate, and wrecked in 1720.
- HMS Speedwell (1744) was a 14-gun sloop-of-war launched in 1744 and sold in 1750.
- HMS Speedwell (1752) was an 8-gun sloop, converted to a fireship and renamed HMS Spitfire in 1779, and sold in 1780.
- HMS Speedwell (1761) was a cutter of unknown origin, that the French captured in 1761.
- HMS Speedwell (1775) was an 18-gun sloop listed in 1775 that the Spanish frigate Santa Bárbara captured on 26 October 1781 near Gibraltar.
- HMS Speedwell (1780) was a 16-gun cutter purchased in 1780, converted to a brig in 1796, and foundered in 1807.
- HMS Speedwell (1815) was a 5-gun schooner purchased in 1815 and sold in 1834.
- HMS Speedwell (1841) was a survey cutter purchased in 1841 and sold in 1855.
- HMS Speedwell (1861) was a wooden screw Philomel-class gunvessel launched in 1861 and broken up in 1876.
- HMS Speedwell (1889) was a torpedo gunboat, converted to a minesweeper in 1909, and was sold in 1920.
- HMS Speedwell (J87) was a Halcyon-class minesweeper launched in 1935, renamed Topaz and sold into civilian service in 1946.
- Speedwell, possibly a Revenue cutter or a privateer, captured two French privateers in early December 1782 near Weymouth. One was Complaisant,[1] and the other was Poisson Volant. This Speedwell does not appear to be HMS Speedwell as at that time the latter was at Gibraltar.
See also edit
- HM Hired armed lugger Speedwell
- HMS Speedwell Prize
- HMS Speedy
- Speedwell (ship), for other ships named Speedwell
- Speedwell (disambiguation)
Citations edit
- ^ Lloyd's List, no. 1420.[1].
This article includes a list of ships with the same or similar names. If an internal link for a specific ship led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended ship article, if one exists.