HMS Calliope

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Five ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Calliope after the muse Calliope in Greek mythology.

The first Calliope was a 10-gun sloop launched in 1808 and broken up in 1829.
The second Calliope was a 28-gun sixth-rate launched in 1837 and broken up in 1883.
The third Calliope was a Calypso-class corvette launched in 1884, used as a drill ship from 1907, renamed Helicon in 1915 and then back to Calliope in 1931. She and her sister ship Calypso were the last two corvettes to be powered by steam and sail. She was sold in 1951.
The fourth Calliope, launched in 1914, was a light cruiser, the lead ship of her class. She served in World War I and was sold in 1931.
The fifth Calliope was originally the sloop Falmouth (the lead ship of the Falmouth class), launched in 1932 and renamed in 1952.

HMS Calliope is currently the name of one of the fourteen Royal Naval Reserve units. She is a "stone frigate" (a shore establishment) situated on the Gateshead bank of the River Tyne, between the Tyne Bridge and the Gateshead Millennium Bridge.

The Tyne Division of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve was formed in 1905 and the third Calliope chosen as its drill ship. In 1951 the original Calliope was replaced by the fifth Calliope and berthed at Elswick. In 1968, Tyne Division moved ashore to a new building on the Gatehead bank of the Tyne in its current location retaining the name HMS Calliope. As of 2005, the commander is Commander Chris Scribbins RD RNR. Cdr Scribbins is a Royal Naval Reserve officer who in civilian life works for the US based corporation Procter & Gamble

References

J. J. Colledge, Ships of the Royal Navy, Greenhill Books, 1987.

External links

[HMS Calliope] from the [Royal Navy website].

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