HMS Cockchafer carried a small-ship name across eras

What were the ships named HMS Cockchafer, and why did the name recur?

The name, taken from the May bug, was repeatedly assigned to small armed vessels, tenders, and gunboats from the sailing era into the steam age.

Cockchafer is another name for a May bug, and the Royal Navy reused it for several small vessels. These included a hired armed lugger, a captured American schooner used as a tender after actions in the War of 1812, and later Albacore-, Banterer-, and Insect-class gunboats. The lineage shows how names and roles recurred among the less celebrated ships of a fleet.