What animal with only four extant species was the name borne by four ships of the Royal Navy
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HMS Hyaena Four ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS "Hyaena" (or HMS "Hyæna"), after the Hyena, a family of carnivorous mammals. Two others were planned but either commissioned under another name or cancelled.
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Hyena Hyenas or hyaenas (from Greek ὕαινα "hýaina") are any feliform carnivoran mammals of the family Hyaenidae . With only four extant species, it is the fifth-smallest biological family in the Carnivora, and one of the smallest in the class Mammalia. Despite their low diversity, hyenas are unique and vital components of most African ecosystems.
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HMS Hermione Four ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS "Hermione" after Hermione, the daughter of Menelaus and Helen in Greek mythology.
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HMS Norfolk Five ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS "Norfolk", after the Duke of Norfolk or the county of Norfolk. The "Norfolk" motto is "Serviens servo" ("serving, I preserve").
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HMS Laurel Ten ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS "Laurel". Another was planned but never completed. The first British ship of the name served in the Commonwealth navy. All were named after the plant family "Lauraceae"
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HMS Warspite Seven ships of the Royal Navy have been named Warspite. The origins of the name are unclear, although it is probably from the Elizabethan spelling of the word 'spite' -- i.e. 'spight' -- in part embodying contempt for the Navy's enemies, but which was also the common name for the green woodpecker, suggesting the 'Warspight' would poke holes in enemy ships' (wooden) hulls. Until 1919 a woodpecker was used as the ships' crest; the official badge was a cannon, although the woodpecker continued to be used on the ships' tompions or gun muzzle plugs.
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HMS Janus Six ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS "Janus", after Janus, the two-faced God of Roman mythology:
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HMS Cricket Two ships and a shore establishment of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS "Cricket", after the cricket, an insect native to Britain:
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HMS Whelp One ship of the Royal Navy has borne the name HMS "Whelp, while another was planned. Another twelve have borne the name Lion's Whelp":
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HMS Philomel Six ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS "Philomel", after Philomela, a figure in Greek mythology:
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HMS Lion Eighteen ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS "Lion", after the lion, an animal traditionally associated with courage, and also used in several heraldric motifs representing England, Scotland and the British Monarchy. Another ship was planned but never completed:
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HMS Colibri Only one vessel of the Royal Navy has borne the name HMS "Colibri", after the "Colibri", a genus of hummingbird. There was to be a second vessel of the same name but she was never completed. The two vessels were:
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HMS Otter (1896) HMS "Otter" was a Vickers three-funnel, 30-knot destroyer ordered by the Royal Navy under the 1895–1896 Naval Estimates. She was the fourth ship to carry this name since it was introduced in 1782 for a fire ship, sold in 1801.
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HNoMS Sleipner Three ships of the Royal Norwegian Navy have borne the name HNoMS "Sleipner". The name is derived from Sleipnir - Odin's magical eight-legged steed, and the greatest of all horses:
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HMS Jaguar Two ships of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS "Jaguar", after the feline jaguar.
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HMS Lark Sixteen ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS "Lark or HMS "Larke, after the bird, the lark:
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HMS Boreas Four ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS "Boreas", after Boreas, the personification of the north wind in Greek mythology. A fourth was planned to bear the name, but never actually did:
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HMS Racoon Six ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS "Racoon", after the raccoon:
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HMS Goldfinch Four ships of the Royal Navy and one shore establishment have borne the name HMS "Goldfinch", probably after the bird the European goldfinch:
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HMS Thisbe Four ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS "Thisbe", after Thisbe, a character in Greek mythology:
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Cormorant-class gunvessel The Cormorant"-class gunvessels (sometimes known as Eclipse"-class gunvessels) were a class of 4-gun first-class gunvessels built for the Royal Navy in the 1860s. They were somewhat unsuccessful; intended for shore bombardment in shallow water, they exceeded their design draft by 50%. Seven of the 13 ships ordered were suspended, with 3 finished or converted as survey ships and the other 4 cancelled. "Racehorse" was wrecked after only 4 years, and those ships that were completed as planned had short operational lives, in some cases less than 10 years. The survey vessels ("Myrmidon", "Sylvia" and "Nassau") lasted longest, with the last ship of the class, "Sylvia", being broken up in 1890.
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HMS Diomede Four ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS "Diomede". A fifth was planned but never completed: