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Ship Name Histories - Database of
histories of ship names beginning with letter B. |
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Babenberg 
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Name Origin: The name of a powerful family in Franconia, a
descendant of which in 974 became Margrave of Austria, the eastern march
or border principally iof the German empire.
His family governed in Austria until 1246. |
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Bacchante  |
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Name Origin: Among the ancient Greeks and Romans the
designation of the female’s votaries of Bacchus, the god of the
generative powers of nature and of the vine.
The ship name commemorates the capture of the French Bacchante,
18, by the Emdymion, 44, Captain Hon. Ch. Paget, on June 25th
1803.
The fourth ”Bucchante” was a 16-gun screw
corvette, launched at Portsmouth in 1876.
She was of 4130 tons, 5250 horsepower, and 15 knots speed.
Her length, beam, and draught were 280ft, 45ft, and 23ft.
In 1879 and 1880 the “Bucchante,” made a voyage around the
world, taking with her as midshipman the two sons of H.R.H. the Prince
of Wales, who was later His Majesty King Edward the Seventh.
H.R.H Prince George of Wales, now his most gracious Majesty King
George the Fifth, was borne on the books of this ship from July 25th,
1879, to August 31st, 1882, with the exception of the period
between July 9th, 1881, and August 1st, 1881, when
he was lent to the “Inconstant.”
An admirable account of the voyage will be found in The Cruise of
H.M.S. “Bacchante,” 1879-82. Compiled
from the Private Journals, Letters, and notebooks of Prince Albert
Victor and Prince George of Wales with additions to John N. Dalton. In 1885
the “Bacchante,” flying the flag of Rear-Admiral Sir Frederick
Richards, took part in the third Burmese War.
The men from the ship formed part of the naval brigade, which
proceeded to the front on November 20th, under Commodore
Charles James Barlow. The
“Bacchante” having had to come to Burmah from Zanzibar, her men
arrived very late. In 1897
the “Bacchante” was sold, and in 1898 she was broken up.
A model of a portion of the hull was made from her timbers, and
presented to H.R.H. the Duke of York, now his Majesty King George V., as
a souvenir of the time when he served in the “Bacchante.” |
Baden
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| Name Origin: Grand Duchy of Baden, one of the Federal States
of the empire. Carlsruhe is
its capital. |
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Balder 
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Name Origin: In Norse mythology the god of light.
He was the gentlest and most beautiful of Odin and Frigg’s
sons. Having dreamt that
his life was in danger, Frigg bound all living things except the
mistletoe, which she forgot, by a solemn oath not to harm her son.
The wicked god Loki having discovered the omission, made an arrow
of a mistletoe bough, and bade the blind god Holder shoot with it.
Holder shot; the arrow struck his brother Balder and killed him. |
Balder
 |
| Name Origin: In Norse mythology the god of light.
He was the gentlest and most beautiful of Odin and Freya’s
sons. Having freamt that
his life was in danger, Freya bound all living things except the
mistletoe, which she forgot, by a solemn oath not to harm her son.
The wicked god Loki, having discovered this omission, made an
arrow of a mistletoe bough, and bade the blind god Holder shoot with it.
Holder shot; the arrow struck his brother Balder and killed him. |
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Bali
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Name Origin: Baly, an island in the Straits of Sunds, since
1849 tributary to the Netherlands. |
Baliste
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Name Origin: Ballista or catapult, an engine of war used in
ancient times, chiefly against besieged cities, for throwing stones and
other missiles. |
Balny
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Name Origin: Lieutenant in the Navy, who fell at the capture
of Hanoi in Tong King in 1874. |
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Baloochi  |
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Name Origin: One of a nomadic tribe, which are the principal
inhabitants of Baloochistan (or Beluchistan), a country situated between
British India, Afghanistan, and Persia, and bordering on the Indian
Ocean. The greater part
forms a British feudatory state since 1877. |
Banjo
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| Name Origin: An ancient name for one of the provinces. |
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Banshee |
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Name Origin: A supernatural being in Irish and Scotch
folklore, believed to warn families of the speedy death of one of the
members by wailing under the windows of the house.
The second “Banshee”
was a twin-screw torpedo-boat destroyer, launched at Laird’s Yard in
1894. She was of 290 tons,
4400 horsepower, and 27 knots speed.
Her length, beam, and draught were 210ft, 19ft, and 7ft. In 1912 the
“Banshee” was sold for £1780. |
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Barcelo 
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Name Origin: Don Antonio Barcelo, born 1717, died 1797, a
native of the Balearic Islands. Nearly
the whole of his long life, first in the Merchant Service, then in that
of the King, was spent in making war upon the Moorish pirates who
infested the western Mediterranean.
In 1783 he commanded an expedition against Algiers, which town
was bombarded for three days, and in the following year he fought and
destroyed the Dey’s fleet. |
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Barfleur |
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Name Origin: Commemorates the decisive victory gained by an
Anglo-Dutch fleet over the French off Cape Barfleur in May 1692, more
usually, but erroneously spoken of as the battle of La Hogue. The action began on May 19th, and ended on the 24th
with the destruction of the enemy’s ships in the Bay of La Hogue.
The British force under Admiral Russell, with Admirals Sir Ralph
Delaval, Sir Cloudesley Shovel, Sir John Ashby, Hon. George Rooke, and
Hon. Richard Carter, consisted of 63 ships of the line and 23 frigates.
The Dutch, under Admiral Allemonde with two Vice-Admirals,
numbered 36 ships of the line and 14 frigates.
The total line of battle was thus 99 ships with 40,675 men and
6994 guns, besides 37 frigates and numerous fire ships.
Owing to fog and calms only a portion of this great force was
actively engaged. The French under Tourville had only 45 line of battle ships,
and the defeat was overwhelming, 15 ships being subsequently destroyed
on shore. After the
humiliation of Beachy Head two years before, the news that the French
fleet was practically annihilated and the threatened invasion by a
French force to restore James II rendered impossible, created immense
enthusiasm in England. No
less than 39 different medals were struck to commemorate the event.
Owing to political reasons, five years were allowed to pass
before Admiral Russell was rewarded for his services with the Earldom of
Orford.
The third “Barfleur”
was a 14-gun twin-screw battleship, launched at Chatham in 1892.
She was of 10,500 tons, 13,163 horsepower, and 18.5 knots speed. Her length, beam, and draught were 360ft, 70ft, and 25ft.
In 1897 the “Barfleur,” commanded by Captain Reginald Neville
Custance, was employed in the pacification of the Island of Crete, which
led to the appointment of Prince Charles of Greece as High Commissioner,
under the suzerainty of the Sultan of Turkey.
Captain Custance received the C.M.G. as a reward for his
services. In 1900 the
“Barfleur” commanded by Captain George Warrender, and flying the
flag of rear Admiral James Andrew Bruce, took part in the third china
War or boxer Rebellion. On
June 9th a detachment from the “Barfleur” commanded by
commander David Beatty, proceeded in a Naval Brigade nearly 2000 strong,
and of mixed nationalities, under Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Seymour, to
the relief of Peking. This
expedition went through some very severe fighting, and before
withdrawing suffered a loss of 2 officers and 63 men killed, and 20
officers and 210 men wounded. Commander
Beatty showed conspicuous gallantry, and was twice wounded on this and
subsequent occasions. A
detachment from the “Barfleur” on June 17th formed part
of the naval brigade of mixed nationalities, consisting of 35 officers
and 869 men under Commander Christopher Cradock of the “Alacrity,”
which attacked and captured the Taku Forts.
The British lost 1 killed and 13 wounded, the slain man being an
ordinary seaman of the “Barfleur.”
Commander Cradock mentioned Midshipmen Lionel Shore and Charles
Dix as having distinguished themselves in this attack.
A detachment from the “Barfleur” assisted in the relief,
defence, and capture of Tientsin, and lost 2 officers and 7 men killed,
and 8 officers and 48 men wounded.
During these operations Midshipman Basil John Guy of the
“Barfleur” coolly attended a wounded man under a very hot fire, and
then helped to carry him into shelter, for which act he was subsequently
awarded the Victoria Cross. In
August the “Barfleur” contributed a number of officers and men to
the British Naval Brigade which advanced to the final and satisfactory
relief of Peking with 20,100 troops under Lieutenant-General sir Alfred
Gaselee. In 1910
this battleship was sold at Portsmouth for £26,550. |
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Barham |
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Name Origin: Admiral Charles Middleton, Lord Barham; born
1726, died 1813. He entered
the Navy in 1740, became Lieutenant in 1745, and Captain (never
Commander) in 1758. When
Captain of the Emerald in 1761, he received a sword of honour from the
Assembly of Barbados for his services against privateers.
After many years of half pay, he was appointed Comptroller of the
Navy in 1778, and held this post for twelve years, during which period
he introduced a system of rapid mobilisation.
Created a Baronet in 1781, he was promoted to Rear Admiral in
1787, Vice-Admiral in 1793, and Admiral in 1795.
On May 1st 1805, he was created Baron Barham, and
appointed to succeed Lord Melville as First Lord of the Admiralty, but
only held office for nine months. He
showed great promptitude when Captain Battesworth arrived in England
with the Curieux on July 7th 1805, sent on by Nelson with the
important news that Villeneuve’s squadron was on its way back from the
West Indies. Lord Barham
instantly sent orders to Admiral Cornwallis to raise the blockade of
Rochefort and reinforce Sir. R. Calder, who was ordered to intercept
Villeneuve a hundred miles west of Finisterre, and prevent the
latter’s junction with, the Ferrol squadron.
These important orders were executed within eight days of the
Curieux anchoring in Plymouth, disconcerting Napoleon greatly by their
rapidity, and materially contributing towards the successful termination
of the Trafalgar campaign. |
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Bariki-Zafer 
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Name Origin: “The lightning of triumph” (Arabic). |
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Barroso
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Name Origin: Name of a Brazilian Admiral who greatly
distinguished himself during the war with Paraguay. |
| Basilisk
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| Name Origin: Basilisk, a mythical monster.
Amongst the ancients the basilisk was supposed to be a species of
dragon or serpent whose breath, or even look, was said to be fatal.
The basilisk of the Middle Ages was a monster supposed to have
sprung from the yolk of a cock’s egg, hatched by a toad, and was hence
also called a cockatrice. It
had the body of a cock, with a serpent’s tail ending in three points,
and wore a crown on its head. Only
the sight of its own reflection in a mirror could kill it. |
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Basilisk
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Name Origin: A mythical monster. Among the ancients the basilisk was supposed to be a species
of dragon or serpent, whose breath of even look was said to be fatal.
The basilisk of the middle ages was a monster supposed to have
sprung from the yolk of a cock’s egg, hatched by a toad, and was hence
also called a cockatrice. It
had the body of a cock, with a serpent’s tall ending in three points,
and wore a crown on its head. Only
the sight of its own reflection in a mirror could kill it. |
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Basilisk |
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The eighth “Basilisk”
was an 8-gun twin-screw sloop, launched at Sheerness in 1889.
She was of 1170 tons, 200 horsepower, and 14 knots speed. Her length, beam, and draught were 208ft, 30ft, and 13ft.
In 1905 the “Basilisk” was sold |
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Basra
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Name Origin: Bassorah, a
port in the Persian Gulf. |
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Bat |
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The first Bat
was a Star class destroyer, launched 1896 and scrapped 1919. |
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Bathurst
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Name Origin : Captain William Bathurst, an
Englishman who took service in the Navy of the Republic and
distinguished himself greatly in command of the 22-gun brig
Independencia in the war with Brazil in 1827-28.
The first Bathurst was a Buchardo Class Torpedo
Boat launched 1890 and discarded in the early 1920s.The second Bathurst
was an ex-German M27 Class minesweeper, acquired in 1922. The name was
changed from M1 to M48 on acquisition, but was later changed to Bathurst
in 1936. The ship was stricken 16th Decdember 1946 and scrapped in 1951. |
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Batman  |
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Name Origin: (Victoria)-John Batman, one of the founders of
the present colony of Victoria. In
1835 he formed an association in Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) for
colonising Port Philip, where he landed on May 29th of that
year, and, having acquired 600,000 acres of land from the natives,
formed a settlement there. |
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Batok
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Name Origin: Batak, a Malay race inhabiting the central parts
of the island of Sumatra, between Acheen and Menang Kabo.
The Bataks are partly independent, partly Dutch subjects. |
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Bayan 
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Name Origin: Bard. |
| Bayern
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| Name Origin: Kingdom of Bavaria, one of the Federal States of
the Empire. Munich is its
capital. |
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Bayfield  |
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Name Origin: Admiral Henry W Bayfield entered the Royal Navy
in 1796, and commanded a gunboat on the Canadian Lakes in 1814 during
the war with the United States. From
1817 to 1856, when he became Rear Admiral, he was employed in surveying
the Canadian lakes, the St Lawrence River, and the Canadian seacoast. |
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Bditelni
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Name Origin: Vigilant. |
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Bedford |
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Name Origin: A midland county of England.
The fifth “Bedford”
was a 14-gun twin-screw cruiser, launched at Govan in 1901.
She was of 9800 tons, 22,457 horsepower, and 23 knots speed. Her length, beam, and draught were 440 ft, 66ft, and 24ft. On August 21st,
1910, this ship while commanded by Captain Edward S. Fitzherbert ran
ashore on Quelpart Island on the china Station, and became a total
wreck, 18 lives being lost through the sudden flooding of the
stokeholds. The wreck was
sold soon afterwards for £3000. |
Belier
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Name Origin: Battering ram, an engine of war of ancient times,
employed against walls and gates. |
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Bellerophon |
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Name Origin: In Greek mythology the son of the
Corinthian king Glaucus. Originally
called Hipponos, he received the name of Bellerophontes after his murder
of Bellerus. Antea, the
wife of King Proetus of Argos, with whom Bellerophon took refuge after
the murder, falsely accused him of making love to her, whereupon he was
despatched by Proetus to Jacobates, king of Lycia, Antea’s father,
with a letter requisitioning the king to make away with the bearer.
Jacobates induced Bellerophon to fight the dreaded monster
Chimaera, hoping he would thus meet with his death, but the hero, with
the assistance of the goddess Pallas (Minerva), who equipped him with
the winged steed Pegasus, succeeded enterprise Jacobates gave him his
daughter in marriage and shared the throne of Argos with him.
Bellerophon’s last exploit was to attempt to reach Olympus on
the back of Pegasus; the incensed gods sent a gadfly to madden the
steed, which threw him off, and he fell to earth blinded and maimed.
The third “Bellerophon”
was a 15-gun broadside battleship, launched at Chatham in 1865.
She was of 7550 tons, 6520 horsepower, and 14-knots speed.
Her length, beam, and draught were 300ft, 56ft, and 27ft.
At a subsequent date this vessel’s name was changed to
“Indus” and she served as a workshop at Devonport.
The fourth “Bellerophon”
is a 26-gun turbine battleship, launched at Portsmouth in 1907.
She is of 18,6000 tons, 23,000 horsepower, and 21 knots speed.
Her length, beam, and draught were 490ft, 82ft, and 27ft. |
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Bellona |
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The sixteenth “Bellona”
was a 6-gun twin-screw cruiser, launched at Hepburn in 1890.
She was 1830 tons, 4700 horsepower, and 19 knots speed. Her length, beam , and draught were 280ft, 35ft, and 13ft. In 1906 the “Bellona” was sold.
The Seventeenth “Bellona”
is a 12-gun turbine cruiser, launched at Pembroke in 1909.
She is of 3350 tons, 18,000 horsepower and 25 knots speed.
Her length, beam, and draught were 385ft, 41ft, and 13ft.
During the 1912 Naval Manoeuvres the ship rolled her
mainmast overboard. |
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Bellona
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Name Origin: The Roman goddess of
war. |
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Benbow |
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Name Origin: Vice Admiral John Benbow; born 1653, died 1702.
He joined the Navy as Master’s Mate in 1678, but soon left for
the Merchant Service, and in 1686, as Captain of a ship, fought a
gallant action with the Salee rovers.
Re-entering the Royal Navy as Lieutenant in 1689, he rose to
Captain the same year. He
acted as Master of the Fleet under the Earl of Tourrington in the action
off Beachy Head in 1690, and under Admiral Russell at the battle of
Barfleur (La Hogue) in 1692. He
then commanded a squadron employed against the French seaports
1693-1694, and became Rear Admiral in 1696.
In 1698 he commanded a squadron in the Channel, and another in
the West Indies the following year.
Promoted to Vice Admiral in 1700, he was sent a second time to
take the command in the West Indies, and on August 24th 1702,
he fell in with a French squadron under Commodore du Casse, with which
he kept up a running flight for four days.
Deserted by several of his captains, Benbow sustained the flight
almost alone, until mortally wounded on the fourth day, when he hauled
off. After his death, on
November 4th, several of his captains were brought to trial
and two of them shot for cowardice.
The second “Benbow”
was a 12-gun twin-screw battleship, launched at Blackwall in 1885.
She was of 10,600 tons, 11,500 horsepower, and carried a crew of
525 men. She was of 17.5
knots speed, and her length, beam, and draft were 330ft, 68 ½ ft, and
28ft. She was a noteworthy
ship, in that although of the “Admiral” class, she differed to them
by carrying two 16.25” III-ton guns. In 1909,
after some year’s service at port guard ship at Greenock, this
battleship was sold for £21,200. |
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Benedetto Brin 
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Name Origin: A distinguished naval engineer and architect, who
designed the battleships Duilio, Dandolo, Lepantom and Italia.
He several times held the office of Minister of Marine, and died
during the last years of the nineteenth century. Bersagliere- A corps of riflemen, raised in 1836
by General A. Lamarmora as a unit of the Piedmontese Army.
They are famous for the distances they can cover at the double,
their habitual pace. The
name is derived from bersaglio, target. |
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Benjamin
Constant |
Name Origin: Minister of War and of Public Instruction on the
first Republican Government. |
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Bento
Goncales |
Name Origin: Name of a Brazilian General who greatly
distinguished himself at Rio Grande do Sul |
| Beowulf
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| Name Origin: The hero of an Anglo-Saxon saga.
The young Beowulf, hearing that a terrible water kelpie, named
Grendel, nightly the hall of King Hrodgar, killing and devouring his
bravest followers, determined to slay the monster.
His offers to service were gladly accepted, and Beowulf, watching
in the hall, boldly assailed Grendel, wounding him mortally and putting
him to flight. To the
people’s horror, however, Grendel’s mother, a worse monster than he,
next night took his place. The
hero followed her down into her haunt beneath the sea, slew her, and
brought back Grendel’s head as a trophy.
After this he became the wise and peaceful ruler of his own
tribe. In his old age,
however, a dragon began to devastate the land, and Beowulf, remembering
his former prowess, attacked the brute in his lair.
In the terrible fight that ensued he was once more victorious,
but at the price of his own life. |
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Bereket
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Name Origin: Prosperity, fertility (Arabic). |
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Berk-I-Satvet
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Name Origin: “The lightning of impetuosity”
(Arabic-Persian). |
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Berezan
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Name Origin: An island in the Black Sea off Odessa. |
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Berk-Efshan
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Name Origin: “Thunder scatterer” (Arabic-Persian). |
| Berlin
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| Name Origin: The capital of the German empire and of the
kingdom of Prussia. |
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Bermejo
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Name Origin : Name of a river in the Argentine
Republic. |
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Berrio 
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Name Origin: A Tagus pilot, who sold to King Manuaek one of
the three caravels used by Vasco da Gama on his voyage inn 1497. |
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Bersagliere
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Name Origin: A corps of riflemen, raised in 1836 by General A.
Lamarmora as a unit of the Piedmontese Army.
They are famous for the distances they can cover at the double,
their habitual pace. The
name is derived from bersaglio, target. |
| Berserk
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| Name Origin: In old Norse language one who is only clothed in
a sark or shirt. This
designation was applied to a warrior who went mad with the lust of
fight, and in that state performed, almost unconsciously, the most
daring deeds, casting off all his protective armour and clothing before
the flight. |
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Berwick |
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Name Origin: A maritime and border county in the southeast of
Scotland.
The eighth “Berwick”
is a 14-gun twin-screw cruiser, launched at Beardmore’s Yard in 1902.
She is of 9800 tons, 22,000 horsepower, and 23 knots speed.
Her length, beam, and draught were 440ft, 66ft, and 24ft. On April
2nd, 1908, the “Berwick” commanded by Captain W.C.M.
Nicholson, collided with and sank the destroyer “Tiger” off the Isle
of Wight, during night manoeuvres.
Unhappily the lives of Lieutenant and Commander Middleton, and
thirty-four others, were lost in this unfortunate accident. |
Beskytteren
 |
Name Origin: Protector. |
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Bever
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Name Origin: Beaver. |
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Bezmi-Alem
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Name Origin: “Joy of the world” (Arabic.) |
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Bezposhchadni
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Name Origin: Merciless |
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Bezshumni
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Name Origin: Noiseless. |
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Bezstrashni
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Name Origin: Fearless. |
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Bhamo |
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Name Origin: Chief trading town in Upper Burma, at the
junction of the Irrawaddy and Taping Rivers. |
| Biene
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| Name Origin: Bee. |
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Bistritza 
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Name Origin: An affluent of the river Sereth, flowing through
Romania. |
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Bittern |
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The fourth “Bittern”
commanded by Commander the Hon. Archibald St. Clair, undertook active
operations against the piratical natives of Corisco and Elobey Islands,
and succeeded in capturing Coomba, the Chief of the Corsican tribe,
which had pillaged the wrecked mail steamer “McGregor Laird.” In March 1872 the “Bittern” was engaged in the mouth of the
Congo River in protecting the Banana Creek Factories from native attack.
In 1873 the “Bittern” commanded by commander Prescot William
Stephans, took part in the Ahantee war.
In October 1873, 34 men from the “Bittern” formed part of a
Naval Brigade 300 strong which, under Captain the Hon. Edmund Fremantle,
advanced towards Assayboo with the object of breaking up an Ashantee
force which was believed to be assembling there, but the Naval Brigade
took little part in the fighting on this occasion.
In November the Naval Brigade marched inland to the relief of
Abrakrampa, which was sorely pressed by the Ashantees.
The enemy got into a panic and retired hastily, abandoning almost
all their stores. In 1882
the “Bittern” commanded by Commander the Hon. Thomas Brand, was
engaged in the bombardment of Alexandria in a fleet of 14 ships
commanded by Admiral Sir Beauchamp Seymour, with his flag in
“Alexandra." At
7 a.m. on July 11th the “Alexandra” fired the first shot
of the bombardment. Owing
to the flag ship’s draught of water the Commander-in-Chief temporarily
hoisted his flag in “Invincible.”
All ships were cleared for action with topgallant masts struck
and bowsprits rigged in. By 7.10 a.m. all ships were engaged, and such forts that
could bring their guns to bear replied with vigour.
By 5 p.m. all guns ashore had been silenced, and the fleet ceased
bombarding at 5.30 p.m. The
British casualties were 5 killed and 28 wounded.
The Egyptian loss has never been properly ascertained, but it is
believed to have been about 150 killed and 400 wounded, out of two
thousand men engaged in working the forts.
During the operations a party of men from the “Bittern” among
other ships, landed through the swell and breaking surf, spiked six
smooth bores and disabled two 10-inch guns without casualty except the
loss of the “Bittern’s” dinghy.
The “Bittern” also assisted the “Condor” in the attack on
fort Marabout, anchoring so close in that the enemy’s guns could not
be sufficiently depressed to reach her.
The “Bittern” was sequent seint in with Flag-Lieutenant the
Hon. Hedworth Lambton to receive the surrender of the town, and although
the governor refused to give in, the town was abandoned on the following
day. On July 13th
the “Bitern” and other ships steamed into the harbour, and
contributed to a brigade of 150 seamen and 450 marines which, under the
command of Captain Lord Charles Beresford, policed Alexandria and kept
the turbulent mixed population in order. In 1887 the
“Bittern” was sold. |
| Bjorn
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| Name Origin: Bear. This
was a favourite name among old Norsemen. |
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Black Prince |
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Name Origin: Edward, Prince of Wales, Duke of Aquitaine,
eldest son of the King Edward III; born 1330, died 1376.
He was surnamed the “Black Prince,” from the colour of the
armour he habitually wore. In
1346, as a lad of sixteen, he greatly distinguished himself in the
battle of Crecy (or Cressy), when his father defeated the French; in
1356 he defeated them himself in the battle of Poitiers, in which King
John of France was taken prisoner and the blind king of Bohemia was
killed. The Black Prince
adopted the latter’s crest of three ostrich plumes, and his motto, Ich
dien, as his own. When, in
1362, his father gave him the duchy of Aquitaine, he held court at
Bordeaux, and assisted Pedro the Cruel of Castille to regain his throne,
from which he had been driven by Henry of Trastamare, defeating the
latter in 1367 at the battle of Najara.
He was celebrated for his chivalry and courtesy, especially in
his treatment of the captive king of France.
The eighth “Prince”
was a 28-gun screw frigate “Black Prince” launched at Glasgow in
1861. She was 9210 tons,
5770 horsepower, and 13.6 knots speed.
Her length, beam, and draught were 380ft, 58ft, and 27ft.
In 1878 the “Black Prince” commanded by Captain His Royal
Highness the duke of Edinburgh, K.G. was one of a squadron of seven
ships which occupied the island if Cyprus under Vice-Admiral Lord John
Hay, with his flag in “Minotaur.”
In 1900 this vessel proceeded to Queenstown and became the
training ship for Irish boys.
In 1903 her name was changed to “Emerald.” She eventually
became “Impregnable III.,” and acted as part of the boys Training
Establishment at Devonport. |
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Blackwater |
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Name Origin: River in Essex.
It rises in the northwest of the county, where it is known as
Pant. Near Maldon it forms
an estuary, which opens into the North Sea. |
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Blake |
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Name Origin: Robert Blake, “Admiral and General at Sea”;
born 1599, died 1657. After
graduating at Oxford, he was engaged in commercial pursuits till the
outbreak of the Civil War. He
was elected into the Long Parliament in 1645, and distinguished himself
in the Parliamentary army, defending Lyme and later Taunton.
On the establishment of the Commonwealth, Blake and two others
were appointed “Generals at Sea.”
In November 1650 he destroyed Prince Rupert’s ships at
Carthagena, and reduced the Scilly Islands and Jersey in the following
year. He commanded the
fleet against the Dutch in 1652-1654 with great distinction, and was
severely wounded in the battle off Portland, February 18th
1653. He reduced the
pirates of Tunis and Algiers in 1655, destroyed a large Spanish convoy
from America at Teneriffe in April 1657, and died on August 7th
of that year onboard his flagship, as he was entering Plymouth on his
return. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, but after the Restoration
his body was dug up and flung into the common hole in the churchyard of
St. Margaret’s.
The third “Blake”
is a 12-gun twin screw cruiser, launched at Chatham in 1889.
She is of 1900 tons, 20,000 horsepower, and 22 knots speed.
Her length, beam, and draught were 375ft, 65ft, and 25ft. In 1889 the “Blake” commanded by Captain Alfred Leigh Winsloe,
proceeded to Sierra Leone, and assumed the duties of senior naval
officer during the suppression of the Sierra Leone Rebellion.
Six separate columns of troops crushed the rising, and the navy
had a little share in the operations.
But had the Navy not been ready at hand, and extremely active at
the beginning of the disorders, terrible atrocities might have resulted. The
“Blake” was eventually converted into a seagoing depot for
torpedo-boat destroyers. |
|
Blanche |
|
The eighth “Blanche”
was a 6-gun screw sloop, launched at Chatham in 1867.
She was of 1755 tons, 2158 horsepower, and 13.5 knots speed.
Hr length, beam and draught were 212ft, 36ft, and 16ft. In September 1868 the “Blanche” Captain john E. Montgomerie,
shelled one or two villages as a punitive measure at Rodora Bay, in the
Solomon Islands. In 1886
this vessel was sold for £3600.
The ninth “Blanche”
was a 6-gun twin-screw cruiser, launched at Pembroke in 1889.
She was of 1580 tons, 3000 horsepower, and 17 knots speed.
Her length, beam, and draught were 220ft, 35ft,, and 14ft.
In August 1893 the “Blanche” commanded by Captain George R
Lindley, with the “Swallow “ and “Sparrow” in company, proceeded
to the Inkonumbi Estuary, and contributed to a Naval Brigade, which,
accompanied by 70 native troops, marched into the densely wooded
country, led by Captain G.R. Lindley. She proceeded to punish Fumo Omari, the new sultan of Witu,
who had been committing outrages. After
some brisk fighting, Pumwani was taken on August 7th and
Jongeni on august 13th, both places being destroyed. The British loss was 1 stoker killed, and Lieutenant Maurice
S. Fitzmaurice, of the “Blanche” and one other officer wounded.
Captain G.R. Lindley was given the C.B. for his services.
In August 1893 the “Blanche” temporarily commanded by
Lieutenant Price V. Lewes, arrived at Kismayu from Zanzibar on account
of the mutiny of some local levies who had murdered one of their
officers, and seized Turkey Hill Fort, on the right bank of the Juba
River. Captain Lindley had
been left at Zanzibar in hospital, and lieutenant john de M. Hutchison,
the first lieutenant, was laid up on board; but Lieutenant Lewes landed
with forty volunteers from the cruiser and, joined by a body of fifty
loyal Keribotos, made a night march and recaptured Turkey Hill fort by
surprise. The expedition
then proceeded up the River Juba, accomplished the relief of two
Englishmen in the British East African s.s. “Kenia” who wee supposed
to be in the greatest danger, and repairing the boiler under fire, they
steamed up the river, and shelled and destroyed the hostile town of
Magerada. They then landed,
captured Hajualli after an hour’s fighting, and crossing the stream,
and subsequently captured the village of Hajowen. This small force carried out its work in the face of 150
riflemen and 600 spearmen, and Lieutenant Lewes received the D.S.O. for
his services. In October
1893 the “Blanche” in company with the “Racoon” and
“Swallow” contributed to a small Naval Brigade, which took part in
the Lamu forest expedition. Fumo
Omari, sultan of Witu, had grown restless and dangerous, and as he had
re-fortified Pumwani in defiance of his engagements, the expedition
marched inland, and captured and destroyed that town.
In 1901 the “Blanche” commanded by Commander Murray Thomas
Parkes, played a minor part in the second Boer war.
In 1905 the “blanche” was sold.
The tenth “Blanche”
is a 10-gun turbine cruiser, launched at Pembroke’s in 1910.
She is of 3350 tons, 18,000 horsepower, and 27 knots speed.
Her length, beam, and draught are 390ft, 41ft, and 13ft. |
|
Blanco
Encalada  |
Name Origin: Born towards the end of the eighteenth century in
Buenos Aires, he was sent to Spain at the age of sixteen and entered the
Navy, taking part in the various actions with the French fleet.
In 1813 he left the Spanish navy and joined that of Chile, in
which he fought with distinction at Maipo and other battles.
In 1818 he received the supreme command of the first national
fleet, with which he soon after captured the Spanish frigate Maria
Isabel and five transports in the Bay of Talcahuano.
He rose to the rank of Vice-Admiral, acted as Commander in chief
of the army, which liberated Peru, served as Minister Plenipotentiary at
the court of France and then, for a short time, was President of the
Republic. He served his
country with so much disinterestedness and so little personal ambition,
that when Lord Cochrane came to Chile, he ceded him the post of
commander in chief of the fleet; ready to serve as his Second in
Command. |
|
Blazer |
|
The fifth Blazer was an Albacore class gunboat,
launched 1868 and sold 1877.
The sixth Blazer
was an Ant class gunboat, launched 1870 and scrapped 1919.
The seventh Blazer is an Archer class patrol craft,
launched 1986. |
| Blenda
|
| Name Origin: One of the heroes who served Harald Hildestand,
the old heathen King of Denmark and Norway. |
|
Blenheim |
|
Name Origin: Commemorates the decisive victory of the 2/13 of
August 1704 over the French during the war of the Spanish Successions.
The battle was fought midway between Blindheim (of which
“Blenheim” is a corruption) and Hochstadt in Bavaria.
The British under the Duke of Marlborough, and the Imperial
forces under Prince Eugene of Savoy, numbered 52,000 opposed to 56,000
French and Bavarians under Marshal Tallard and the Elector of Bavaria.
The victors lost 12,000 men, and their opponent’s 28,000 men,
the French Marshal being among the prisoners.
The fourth “Blenheim”
is a 12-gun twin-screw cruiser, launched at Blackwall in 1890.
She is of 9000 tons, 21,400 horsepower, and 22 knots speed. Her length, beam, and draught were 375ft, 65ft, and 26ft.
In 1896 the “Blenheim,” commanded by Captain Edmund S. Poe,
brought home to England from the Canary Islands the body of the late
colonel His Royal Highness Prince Henry Maurice of Battenberg, K.G,. Who
died while on active service. Her
Majesty Queen Victoria appointed Captain Poe to the fourth Class of the
Royal Victorian Order as a specal mark of appreciation for this service.
For some years the “Blenheim” has acted as seagoing
depot ship for torpedo-boat destroyers. |
Blink
 |
| Name Origin: Glimpse. |
| Blitz
|
| Name Origin: Lightning |
|
Blitz
|
|
Name Origin: Lightning |
| Blixt
|
| Name Origin: Lightning. |
|
Blonde |
|
The tenth “Blonde”
was a 6-gun twin-screw cruiser, launched at Pembroke in 1889.
She was of 1580 tons, 3000 horsepower, and 16 knots speed.
Her length, beam, and draught were 220ft, 35ft, and 14ft.
In August 1895 the “blonde” commanded by Commander Henry M.
Festing , was one of a squadron of five ships under Rear-Admiral H.H.
Rawson, with his flag in “St George,” which took part in the
punitive expedition against M’Buruk bin Rashid, Chief of M’Wele, who
had failed to comply with an ultimatum on the subject of obedience.
On august 12th a Naval Brigade, 400 strong, started
inland from Mombassa, accompanied by about 1000 porters and Soudanese
troops, and commanded by the Rear Admiral in person.
After some resistance the British force rushed the British
stockades, and though M’Buruk escaped, two of his sons were killed.
The British lost 3 killed and 11 wounded.
In 1896 the “Blonde” commanded by commander Peyton Hoskyns,
brought from Cape Coast Castle to the Canary Islands the body of Colonel
his Royal Highness Prince Henry Maurice of Battenberg, K.G., who had
died while on active service. Her
Majesty Queen Victoria appointed Commander Hoskyns to the fourth class
of the Royal Victorian Order as a special mark of appreciation for this
service. In 1898
the “Blonde” commanded by Commander Hoskyns took part in the
suppressing the Sierra Leone Rebellion.
The “Blonde” proceeded to the Sherboro River to keep in check
the rebels that were located in the neighbourhood of Bouthe and Imperri. She performed most useful service, and saved and district of
Sherboro from being over whelmed by the Mendi natives.
Boat expeditions destroyed Gambia on the Bum Kittam, and on May 4th
pushed up the Jong River as far as Bogo, where dreadful massacres had
been committed. The rising
was finally crushed by the troops, but in the later operations the Navy
had little share. Commander
Hoskyns was rewarded with the C.M.G. and was promoted to Captain for his
services. In 1905 the
“Blonde” was sold. |
|
Bloodhound |
| The third Bloodhound
was an Ant class gunboat, launched 1871 and sold 1921.
The fourth Bloodhound was a Motor Torpedo Boat, launched 1937 and
wrecked in 1943. |
| Blucher
|
| Name Origin: Field Marshal Gebhard Lebrecht von Blucher,
created Prince of Wahlstadt in 1814; born 1742, died 1819.
He entered the Prussian Army in 1760, but left it in 1772,
disgusted with his slow promotion. In 1787 he re-entered as Major, and fought with distinction
in the various campaigns against the French, rising quickly to the
highest rank. When, after
Napoelon I’s disastrous campaign in Russia 1812, Prussia rose to shake
off the French yoke, Blucher was placed at the head of her army, and
commanded it with consummate skill in the subsequent campaigns of 1813,
1814 and 1815. At the
battle of Waterloo, or Belle Alliance, July 18th 1815,
blucher’s timely co-operation with the Duke of Wellington secured the
great victory over napoleon. His
impetuosity and determination earned him the nickname of “Marshal
Forward.” |
|
Boa
|
|
Name Origin: Boa constrictor |
|
Boadicea |
|
Name Origin: Queen of the Iceni, a British tribe inhabiting
the present Norfolk and Suffolk. On
the death of her husband, the Romans seize her territory, and cruelly
ill-treated her and her daughters.
A revolt against the Romans breaking out soon afterwards, 60
A.D., Boadicea raised a large force and placed herself at the head of
it. She took Londinium
(London), and many other Roman settlements, and destroyed all their
inhabitants. Defeated at
last by Suetonius Paulinus, the Roman Governor of Britain, she poisoned
herself in despair.
The third “Boadicea”
was a 16-gun screw corvette, launched at Portsmouth in 1875.
She was of 4140 tons, 5290 horsepower and 14.9 knots speed.
Her length, beam, and draught were 280ft, 45ft, and 24ft. In 1879 the “Boadicea,” flying the broad pennant of Commodore
Frederick W. Richards, proceeded to Cape Town to take part in the Zulu
War. In March the “Boadicea” supplemented the Naval Brigade
already at the front by 16 officers and 378 men under commodore Francis
Romilly. The naval brigade
fought in the battle of Ginginhlovo, rendering excellent service with
the guns, and holding the corners of the British Square, and it
contributed greatly to the relief of Ekowe.
The conduct of the Naval Brigade was eulogised by Sir Garnet
Wolseley, and the “Boadiceas” were the last to re-embark on July 31st.
In 1881 the “Broadicea” flying the broad pennant of Commodore
Frederick Richards, assisted in the first Boer war by the landing of the
Naval Brigade. On January 6th
128 officer and men, two machine guns, and a couple of rocket tubes
proceeded to the front under Commodore Francis Romilly.
The Naval Brigade took part in the battle of Laing’s Nek, and
the disaster at Majuba on February 27th.
In this latter affair the “Boadicea” lost 1 officer and 10
men killed, Commander Romilly and 5 men mortally wounded and 10 severely
wounded. The Dido’s Naval
Brigade lost in addition 3 killed and 3 wounded.
Surgeon Mahon displayed magnificent devotion and gallantry, and
was specially promoted. A
peace was concluded soon afterwards, and the Naval Brigade returned to
their ships. In 1888 the
“Boadicea,” commanded by Captain the Hon. Assheton Curzon Howe, and
flying the flag of Rear Admiral the Hon. Edmund Fremantle, was at the
head of a fleet of seven English vessels and one German ship took part
in the blockade of the Zanzibar Littoral.
This was undertaken in the interests of the suppression of
slavery, and partly in consequence of the revolt of several of the coast
towns against German authority. The
blockade was of an uninteresting nature.
On November 6th the “Boadicea’s” pinnace,
commanded by Lieutenant Walter Clifton Slater, captured a large slave
dhow off Pemba, after a exciting chase of six hours.
The dhow had 41 slaves on board, and was not brought to until
shots had been shot on both sides.
In September 1890 nine German traders were murdered in Vitu, a
small state about 230 miles north of Zanzibar.
On October 24th the boats of the “Boadicea”
Captain the Hon. Assheton Curzon Howe, and those of two other ships,
proceeded to Baltia and burnt the village.
On October 26th a Naval Brigade of 700 seamen and
marines were l | |
