This is a list of warships of the Royal Scots Navy , the navy of the Kingdom of Scotland prior to the Acts of Union 1707. For its continuation after this period, see List of ship names of the Royal Navy.
The final three ships above were added to the Royal Navy following the Act of Union in 1707.
A frigate is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied greatly.
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two columns of opposing warships maneuvering to volley fire with the cannons along their broadsides. In conflicts where opposing ships were both able to fire from their broadsides, the opponent with more cannons firing – and therefore more firepower – typically had an advantage. Since these engagements were almost invariably won by the heaviest ships carrying more of the most powerful guns, the natural progression was to build sailing vessels that were the largest and most powerful of their time.
In the 18th century and most of the 19th, a sloop-of-war in the Royal Navy was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. The rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above; thus, the term sloop-of-war encompassed all the unrated combat vessels, including the very small gun-brigs and cutters. In technical terms, even the more specialised bomb vessels and fireships were classed as sloops-of-war, and in practice these were employed in the sloop role when not carrying out their specialised functions.
HMS Enterprise was a 24-gun sixth-rate of the French Navy captured by HMS Triton on 7 May 1705. She was registered as a Royal Navy ship on 1 June 1705 and commissioned shortly afterwards. She served in the Mediterranean and with Admiral Byng's squadron at the Downs, She was wrecked in 1707 with the loss of all hands.
Steam frigates, the larger steam ships of the line and the smaller steam corvettes, steam sloops, steam gunboats and steam schooners, were steam-powered warships that were not meant to stand in the line of battle. The first such ships were paddle steamers. Later on the invention of screw propulsion enabled construction of steam-powered versions of the traditional ships of the line, frigates, corvettes, sloops and gunboats.
Sixteen ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Mermaid after the mermaid:
In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a sixth-rate was the designation for small warships mounting between 20 and 28 carriage-mounted guns on a single deck, sometimes with smaller guns on the upper works and sometimes without. It thus encompassed ships with up to 30 guns in all. In the first half of the 18th century the main battery guns were 6-pounders, but by mid-century these were supplanted by 9-pounders. 28-gun sixth rates were classed as frigates, those smaller as 'post ships', indicating that they were still commanded by a full ('post') captain, as opposed to sloops of 18 guns and less under commanders.
The Royal Scots Navy was the navy of the Kingdom of Scotland from its origins in the Middle Ages until its merger with the Kingdom of England's Royal Navy per the Acts of Union 1707. There are mentions in Medieval records of fleets commanded by Scottish kings in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. King Robert I, developed naval power to counter the English in the Wars of Independence (1296–1328), and after the establishment of Scottish independence continued to build up naval capacity. In the late fourteenth century naval warfare with England was conducted largely by hired Scots, Flemish and French merchantmen and privateers. King James I, took a greater interest in naval power establishing a shipbuilding yard at Leith and probably created the office of Lord High Admiral.
Historically, Scotland has a long military tradition that predates the Act of Union with England. Its soldiers form part of the armed forces of the United Kingdom, more usually referred to domestically within Britain as the British Armed Forces.
HMS Dragon was a 38-gun fourth rate frigate of the Royal Navy, built by the Master Shipwright Henry Goddard at Chatham and launched in 1647. She was the first frigate to be built at Chatham.
Fifteen ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Mary:
The Maritime history of Scotland involves events including shipping, ports, navigation, and seamen, as well as marine sciences, exploration, trade, and maritime themes in the arts of Scotland.
Numerous ships of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Portsmouth, after the English port city and home of a naval base.
HMS Newport was a member of the standardize 20-gun sixth rates built at the end of the 17th Century. She spent her short career sailing between New England and Home Waters. She was captured by French Warships in 1696.
HMS Glasgow was the Royal Scottish Naval vessel Royal Mary transferred to the Royal Navy by the Act of Union of 1707. Her design was based on the standardize 20-gun sixth rates. After commissioning she was assigned to Home Waters. She took a privateer in 1708 and another in 1712. She was sold in 1719.
HMS Dumbarton Castle was the Royal Scottish Naval vessel of the same name transferred to the Royal Navy by the Act of Union of 1707. Her design was based on the standardize 20-gun sixth rates building in England at the time. After commissioning she was assigned to Home Waters. She was captured by the French in April 1708 off Waterford.