English ship White Bear (1563)
White Bear[Note 1] was a 40-gun ship of the English Tudor navy, launched in 1563. 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]
| History | |
|---|---|
 England | |
| Name | White Bear |
| Builder | Woolwich Dockyard |
| Launched | 1563 |
| Fate | Sold, 1629 |
| General characteristics as built | |
| Tons burthen | 729 tons |
| General characteristics after 1598-1599 rebuild[1] | |
| Class and type | 57-gun royal ship |
| Tons burthen | 732 tons |
| Length | 110 ft (34 m) (keel) |
| Beam | 37 ft (11 m) |
| Depth of hold | 18 ft (5.5 m) |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
| Complement | 500 |
| Armament |
|
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 timbers from the White Bear were used to rebuild 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).[2] There is also another pub called "the White Bear" in Bedale (North Yorkshire), which is named after the vessel.[3] The pub sign is adorned with a ship.[4]
Notes
- The "HMS" prefix was not used until the middle of the 18th century, but is sometimes applied retrospectively
Citations
- Lavery, Ships of the Line, vol. 1, p. 158.
- Jenkins, Simon (15 March 2012). "Pub Review: The Old White Beare, Village Street, Norwood Green". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- Wright, Gordon (2006). The dictionary of pub names. Ware: Wordsworth Editions. p. 472. ISBN 1-84022-266-2.
- Chalmers, Graham (13 December 2018). "What's new-look historic North Yorks pub like?". The Harrogate Advertiser. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
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 Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
- 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.
- https://web.archive.org/web/20100205233511/http://www.oldwhitebeare.com/History.html