Main deck: 10 × 24-pounder
carronades + 2 × 6-pounders
2 × mortars (1 × 13in + 1 × 10in)
The Hecla class was a
class of
bomb vessels of the
Royal Navy 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 and
Antarctic exploration.
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 in 2014 and now preserved as Erebus and Terror National Historic Site of Canada
Service
Fury and Hecla sailed with
William Edward Parry on his explorations in search of the
Northwest Passage, with Fury being lost to ice on the second. Meteor was renamed Beacon and used as a
survey ship, 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 who later commanded an expedition in search of
John Franklin (though not in Sulphur). Erebus was one of two ships commanded by
James Clark Ross during his exploration of Antarctica and by Franklin on his ill-fated search for the Northwest Passage. The other was the
Vesuvius-class bomb vessel
Terror. Both ships were lost during this last voyage.