The ''Hecla'' class was a

class Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...

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 cannons (Naval long gun, long guns or carronades) – although bomb vessels carried a few cannons for self-defence – but ...

s of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

of the early 19th century. They were designed for use as bomb or mortar ships and were very heavily built. Eight ships were launched; all were converted for use as exploration or survey ships. Four ships of the class are known for the role they played in

Arctic The Arctic (; . ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying within the Arctic Circle. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway ( ...

and

Antarctic The Antarctic (, ; commonly ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the South Pole, lying within the Antarctic Circle. It is antipodes, diametrically opposite of the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antar ...

exploration.

Ships

* :Builder: Mrs Mary Ross, Rochester :Ordered: 5 June 1813 :Laid down: September 1813 :Launched: 4 April 1814 :Completed: :Notes: Converted to Arctic discovery vessel in 1821 :Fate: Bilged in

Prince Regent Inlet Prince Regent Inlet () is a body of water in Nunavut, Canada between the west end of Baffin Island ( Brodeur Peninsula) and Somerset Island on the west. It opens north into Lancaster Sound and to the south merges into the Gulf of Boothia. The A ...

, and abandoned in the Arctic on 25 August 1825; anchors recovered and now displayed at

Fort Saint-Jean (Quebec) Fort Saint-Jean () is a fort in the Canadian province of Quebec located on the Richelieu River. The fort was first built in 1666 by soldiers of the Carignan-Salières Regiment of France who had travelled to New France to assist the young c ...

* :Builder: Barkworth & Hawkes, North Barton (Hull) :Ordered: 5 June 1813 :Laid down: July 1813 :Launched: 22 July 1815 :Completed: :Notes: Arctic discovery vessel from 1819 to 1827. Converted to survey ship in December 1827 :Fate: Sold on 13 April 1831; re-sold to M. Wright, master, Elder & Co. and left and wrecked state c. 1845 * :Builder: Barkworth & Hawkes, North Barton (Hull) :Ordered: 5 June 1813 :Laid down: July 1813 :Launched: 26 July 1815 :Completed: :Notes: :Fate: Sold on 13 April 1831 * :Builder:

Pembroke Dockyard Pembroke Dockyard, originally called Pater Yard, is a former Royal Navy Dockyard in Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire, Wales. History It was founded in 1814, although not formally authorized until the George IV of the United Kingdom, Prince Regent s ...

:Ordered: 18 May 1819 :Laid down: May 1820 :Launched: 25 June 1823 :Completed: 26 July 1823 :Notes: Survey ship, renamed HMS ''Beacon'' in June 1832 :Fate: Sold on 17 August 1846 * :Builder:

Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham, Kent, Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham, Kent, Gillingham; at its most extens ...

:Ordered: 18 May 1819 :Laid down: September 1821 :Launched: 14 May 1824 :Completed: June 1824 :Notes: Converted to survey ship in 1826. Receiving ship at Portsmouth in 1839. :Fate: Sold on 20 February 1846 * :Builder:

:Ordered: 18 May 1819 :Laid down: May 1824 :Launched: 26 January 1826 :Completed: 21 February 1826 :Notes: The last bomb-ship in Royal Navy service. Converted to survey ship in December 1835. Receiving ship at

Woolwich Woolwich () is a town in South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was mainta ...

from May 1843 :Fate: Broken up by 20 November 1857 * :Builder:

Deptford Dockyard Deptford Dockyard was an important Royal Navy Dockyard, naval dockyard and base at Deptford on the River Thames, operated by the Royal Navy from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. It built and maintained warships for 350 years, and man ...

:Ordered: 18 May 1819 :Laid down: November 1826 :Launched: 4 August 1829 :Completed: 26 October 1829 :Notes: Converted to survey ship in January 1833 :Fate: Broken up in March 1851 *HMS ''Vesuvius'' :Builder:

:Ordered: 18 May 1819 (Order transferred to Chatham Dockyard, reordered on 30 August 1828) :Laid down: August 1830 :Launched: :Completed: :Notes: :Fate: Cancelled on 10 January 1831 *HMS ''Devastation'' :Builder:

Plymouth Dockyard His Majesty's Naval Base, Devonport (HMNB Devonport) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Portsmouth) and is the sole nuclear repair and refuelling facility for the Roya ...

:Ordered: 18 May 1819 :Laid down: 1820 :Launched: :Completed: :Notes: Suspended on 10 January 1831 :Fate: Cancelled on 11 July 1833 *HMS ''Volcano'' :Builder:

:Ordered: 18 May 1819 :Laid down: 1821 :Launched: :Completed: :Notes: Suspended on 10 January 1831 :Fate: Cancelled on 11 July 1833 *HMS ''Beelzebub'' :Builder:

:Ordered: 18 May 1819 :Laid down: :Launched: :Completed: :Notes: Suspended on 10 January 1831 :Fate: Cancelled on 11 July 1833 * :Builder:

:Ordered: 9 January 1823 :Laid down: October 1824 :Launched: 7 June 1826 :Completed: February 1828 :Notes: Arctic discovery vessel in 1839, fitted with screw in 1845 :Fate: Abandoned in Arctic on 22 April 1848; discovered underwater in

Queen Maud Gulf Queen Maud Gulf lies between the northern coast of the mainland and the southeastern corner of Victoria Island in Nunavut, Canada. At its western end lies Cambridge Bay, leading to Dease Strait; to the east lies Simpson Strait; and to the nort ...

in 2014 and now preserved as Erebus and Terror National Historic Site of Canada

Service

''Fury'' and ''Hecla'' sailed with

William Edward Parry Sir William Edward Parry (19 December 1790 – 8 July 1855) was a Royal Navy officer and explorer best known for his 1819–1820 expedition through the Parry Channel, probably the most successful in the long quest for the Northwest Passa ...

on his explorations in search of the

Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea lane between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, near the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Arctic Archipelago of Canada. The eastern route along the Arctic ...

, with ''Fury'' being lost to ice on the second. ''Meteor'' was renamed ''Beacon'' and used as a

survey ship A survey vessel is any type of ship or boat that is used for underwater surveys, usually to collect data for mapping or planning underwater construction or mineral extraction. It is a type of research vessel, and may be designed for the pu ...

, while ''Aetna'' and ''Thunder'' were both used as survey ships. ''Sulphur'' was also used as a survey ship, at one time being commanded by

Edward Belcher Sir Edward Belcher (27 February 1799 – 18 March 1877) was a British naval officer, hydrographer, and explorer. Born in Nova Scotia, he was the great-grandson of Jonathan Belcher, who served as a colonial governor of Massachusetts, New ...

who later commanded an expedition in search of

John Franklin Sir John Franklin (16 April 1786 – 11 June 1847) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer and colonial administrator. After serving in the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812, he led two expeditions into the Northern Canada, Canadia ...

(though not in ''Sulphur''). ''Erebus'' was one of two ships commanded by

James Clark Ross Sir James Clark Ross (15 April 1800 – 3 April 1862) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer of both the northern and southern polar regions. In the Arctic, he participated in two expeditions led by his uncle, Sir John Ross, John ...

during his exploration of Antarctica and by Franklin on his ill-fated search for the Northwest Passage. The other was the bomb vessel . Both ships were lost during this last voyage.

References

*] *{{cite book , first=Rif, last=Winfield, title=British Warships of the Age of Sail 1794–1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates, publisher=Seaforth, year=2007, isbn=1-86176-246-1 Minor warship classes Bomb vessels of the Royal Navy