HMS White Bear (1563)
| Career (England) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | White Bear |
| Builder: | Woolwich Dockyard |
| Launched: | 1564</ref> |
| Fate: | Sold, 1629 |
| General characteristics as built | |
| Tons burthen: | 729 tons |
| Propulsion: | Sails |
| General characteristics after 1598-1599 rebuild[1] | |
| Class and type: | 57-gun Royal Ship |
| Tons burthen: |
732 tons (744 tonnes) Tons and tonnage 915 tons (930 tonnes) |
| Length: | 110 ft (34 m) (keel) |
| Beam: | 37 ft (11 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 18 ft (5.5 m) |
| Propulsion: | Sails |
| Sail plan: | Full rigged ship |
| Complement: | 500 |
| Armament: |
57 guns of various weights of shot (1603), comprising 2 cannon, 6 demi-cannon, 21 culverins, 16 demi-culverins and 12 sakers |
White Bear[Note 1] was a 40-gun ship of the English Royal Navy, launched in 1564. She was repaired in 1585-86 at Woolwich, and recommissioned under Lord Howard of Effingham. In 1588 she took part in the actions against the Spanish Armada, under the command of Lord Edmund Sheffield. She was rebuilt in 1599 as a 57-gun Royal Ship.[1]
The White Bear remained in service until 1627, when she was deemed unserviceable, and was sold out of the navy at Rochester on 12 June 1629.
The White Beare was one of The Queens Ships built for the Royal Navy in 1563 and was one of the largest Great Ships in the entire fleet. Originally used as the flagship of the Lord High Admiral, it played an important role in the crushing of the Spanish Armada.
The Armada was totally routed by the English Fleet and battered by storms and, without stores or water, the Spaniards fled round the North and West of Scotland and Ireland leaving many wrecks on the way. The English followed the Armada as far as Scotland in battle worn condition and returned to various ports on the East Coast of England.
On 18th August 1588 the White Bear and 34 other ships sailed into Harwich Harbour. Elizabethan Vessels were originally considered to be very old at an age of 10 years or more, but it was only after 30 years of service that the White Bear was eventually rebuilt in 1598-99.
The timbers from the White Bear were used to rebuilt a burned-down alehouse on the Old Packhorse track running between Halifax and Leeds (now known as The Old White Beare in the village of Norwood Green near Halifax).
Notes
References
- Lavery, Brian (2003) The Ship of the Line - Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-252-8.
- 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 9781861762818. OCLC 67375475.
- Winfield, Rif (2009) British Warships in the Age of Sail 1603-1714: Design, Construction, Careers and Fate. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-040-6.
- http://www.oldwhitebeare.com/History.html
| 50px | This article about a ship of the line of the United Kingdom is a stub. You can help Ship Spotting World by expanding it. |
pl:HMS White Bear (1563)
Cite error: <ref> tags exist for a group named "Note", but no corresponding <references group="Note"/> tag was found, or a closing </ref> is missing
