Five ships and a number of
shore establishment
A stone frigate is a naval establishment on land.
"Stone frigate" is an informal term that has its origin in Britain's Royal Navy after its use of Diamond Rock, an island off Martinique, as a 'sloop of war' to harass the First French Empire, ...
s of the British
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
have borne the name HMS ''Wildfire'':
Ships
* was a
fireship
A fire ship or fireship, used in the days of wooden rowed or sailing ships, was a ship filled with combustibles, or gunpowder deliberately set on fire and steered (or, when possible, allowed to drift) into an enemy fleet, in order to destroy sh ...
, previously the civilian vessel ''John'', built 1766. She was purchased in 1804 and sold in 1807.
* was a wood paddle
packet, previously the
GPO GPO may refer to:
Government and politics
* General Post Office, Dublin
* General Post Office, in Britain
* Social Security Government Pension Offset, a provision reducing benefits
* Government Pharmaceutical Organization, a Thai state enterpris ...
ship ''Watersprite''. She was launched in 1826, transferred to the Navy in 1837 and was sold in 1888.
* was a screw
yacht
A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...
tender purchased in 1888. She was used as a base ship from 1889 and was renamed HMS ''Undine'' in 1907. She was sold in 1912.
Shore establishments
* was a shore establishment established at
Sheerness
Sheerness () is a town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 11,938, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby town ...
in 1889. It closed in 1933 but re-opened in 1937. It was paid off in 1950. A number of ships were renamed HMS ''Wildfire'' whilst serving as base and depot ships for the establishment:
** was the original base ship from 1889 until 1907.
** was HMS ''Wildfire'' from 1906 until 1916.
** was HMS ''Wildfire'' between 1916 and 1957.
* was a communications training establishment and
Royal Naval Reserve
The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original Ro ...
headquarters in
Chatham
Chatham may refer to:
Places and jurisdictions Canada
* Chatham Islands (British Columbia)
* Chatham Sound, British Columbia
* Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi
* Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...
(
Gillingham) commissioned in 1964 and paid off in 1993.
* is a Royal Naval Reserve unit located in
Northwood. It was previously named HMS ''Northwood'' but was renamed HMS ''Wildfire'' in 2000.
Other shore establishments have been commissioned as tenders and subordinate bases to the main HMS ''Wildfire''s, and have shared the name, with an identifying numeral:
* HMS ''Wildfire II'' was an accounting base at Sheerness between 1939 and 1940.
* HMS ''Wildfire III'' was an accounting base at Sheerness in 1940.
* HMS ''Wildfire III'' was the commanding officer's base and a tender to HMS ''Wildfire'' between 1942 and 1946.
External links
Short history of HMS Wildfire one to seven
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wildfire, Hms
Royal Navy ship names