HMS Hecla

Seven ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Hecla, after the volcano Hekla in Iceland.

• The first Hecla was a 10-gun bomb vessel purchased in 1797. She participated in the Battle of Copenhagen (1801) and was broken up in 1813.
• The second Hecla, launched in 1815, was a Hecla-class bomb vessel; she was later converted to an exploration ship and was commanded by William Edward Parry during his exploration of the Arctic.
• The third Hecla was a wooden paddle sloop launched in 1839 and sold in 1863.
• The fourth Hecla was a torpedo boat carrier/depot ship purchased in 1878 modernised in 1912 and sold in 1926.
• The fifth Hecla was a Destroyer Depot Ship launched in March 1940 and sunk off Casablanca on 12 November 1942 by U-515
• The sixth Hecla was a repair ship launched in 1944 and transferred to the United States Navy as USS Xanthus (AR-19).
• The seventh Hecla (A133), launched in 1964, was a Hecla-class survey vessel sold in 1997.

References

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8. OCLC 67375475.