HMS Halcyon
Encyclopedia
Five ships of the Royal Navy
have been named HMS Halcyon. The term Halcyon originates from the Greek myth of Alcyone
and means golden or marked by peace and prosperity.
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 Halcyon. The term Halcyon originates from the Greek myth of Alcyone
Alcyone
In Greek mythology, Alcyone was the daughter of Aeolus, either by Enarete or Aegiale. She married Ceyx, son of Eosphorus, the Morning Star....
and means golden or marked by peace and prosperity.
- The first Halcyon was the French 16-gun brig-sloop Alcion, captured in 1803, and broken up 1812.
- The second HalcyonHMS Halcyon (1813)HMS Halcyon was a Royal Navy that Edward Larking & William Spong built at King's Lynn and launched in 1813. She had one of the shortest lives of any vessel of her class. She was commissioned on 13 July under Commander John Houlton Marshall for the West Indies. During her short period of active...
was an 18-gun Cruizer class brig-sloopCruizer class brig-sloopThe Cruizer class was an 18-gun class of brig-sloops of the Royal Navy. Brig-sloops were the same as ship-sloops except for their rigging...
launched in 1813 and wrecked the following year in JamaicaJamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
.
- The third HalcyonHMS Halcyon (1894)The third HMS Halcyon was a Dryad-class torpedo gunboat of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1894 and was put up for sale before World War I. She was recommissioned in 1913, was converted to a minesweeper and served under the orders of the Admiral Commanding Coast Guard and Reserves...
was a Dryad-classDryad class torpedo gunboatThe Dryad-class torpedo gunboat was the last class of torpedo gunboat built for the Royal Navy. This type of vessel was rapidly replaced by the faster torpedo boat destroyer, and all of the class were converted to minesweepers during World War I, with the exception of Hazard, which became a...
torpedo gunboatTorpedo gunboatIn late 19th-century naval terminology, torpedo gunboats or, in north European usage, torpedo cruisers, were a form of gunboat armed with torpedoes and designed for hunting and destroying smaller torpedo boats...
in service from 1894 to 1919.
- The fourth Halcyon was a paddlePaddle steamerA paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...
minesweeperMinesweeper (ship)A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
in service from 1916 to 1921.
- The fifth Halcyon was a Halcyon-classHalcyon class minesweeperThe Halcyon class was a class of 21 oil-fired minesweepers built for the British Royal Navy between 1933 and 1939...
minesweeperMinesweeper (ship)A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
. She was launched in 1933 and sold for scrapping in 1950.