The Three Bees was a convict ship that caught fire in Sydney Cove in 1814. She was built in Bridgewater in 1813.
Three Bees arrived in Sydney Cove, Australia, on 6 May 1814 with a cargo of 210 male convicts. After the all the convicts were all disembarked, a fire was discovered on the ship at 4.30 pm on 20 May 1814. It soon became apparent that the fire could not be fought and so the Three Bees was cut loose from its moorings and the other ships in the cove maneuvered to avoid the ship.
At 5.30 pm the first gun exploded on board and a swivel ball smashed into the parlour of the house of Captain Piper, luckily missing everything but a writing table. The ship drifted onto Bennelong Point (which is now where the Sydney Opera House stands) and shortly afterwards its magazine exploded. The Three Bees was a total loss.
More at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Bees
Picture (which has nothing to do with the ship, except it has three bees in it!) from: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2668/3845228494_7957e07774.jpg
Bee Lore 
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