His (or Her) Majesty's Ship, abbreviated HMS and H.M.S., is the

ship prefix A ship prefix is a combination of letters, usually abbreviations, used in front of the name of a civilian or naval ship that has historically served numerous purposes, such as identifying the vessel's mode of propulsion, purpose, or ownership/n ...

used for ships of the navy in some monarchies. Derived terms such as HMAS and equivalents in other languages such as SMS are used.

United Kingdom

With regard to the separate

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

and Scottish navies of the medieval period and early modern era, historians usually use terms such as "English Ship" or "Scottish Ship". During the late 17th century, following the Restoration, the name Royal Navy was officially adopted, as well as the prefix His Majesty's Ship, and later, Her Majesty's Ship. The first recorded use of the abbreviated form HMS was in 1789, in respect of HMS ''Phoenix''. From 1707 to circa 1800 HBMS (for ''His Britannic Majesty's Ship'') was also used. Submarines in His Majesty's service also use the prefix HMS, standing for ''His Majesty's Submarine'', though this is sometimes rendered HMS/m. (See, for example
HMS/m ''Tireless''
at IWM). The Royal Yacht ''Britannia'', which was a commissioned ship in the Royal Navy, was known as HMY ''Britannia''. Otherwise all ships in the Royal Navy are known as HM Ships, though formerly when a distinction was made between three-masted ship-rigged ships and smaller vessels they would be called HM Frigate ''X'', or HM Sloop ''Y''. The prefix HMS is also used by shore establishments that are commissioned "

stone frigate A stone frigate is a naval establishment on land. "Stone frigate" is an informal term that has its origin in Britain's Royal Navy after its use of Diamond Rock, an island off Martinique, as a 'sloop of war' to harass the French in 1803–04. ...

s" in the Royal Navy. Examples include HMS ''Excellent'', a training school located on an island in

Portsmouth Harbour Portsmouth Harbour is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Portsmouth and Gosport in Hampshire. It is a Ramsar site and a Special Protection Area. It is a large natural harbour in Hampshire, England. Geographically it ...

, and HMS ''Vulcan'', in

Caithness Caithness ( gd, Gallaibh ; sco, Caitnes; non, Katanes) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. Caithness has a land boundary with the historic county of Sutherland to the west and is otherwise bounded ...

in the

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

area of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, which is established to test the design of

nuclear power Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced b ...

systems for use in submarines. The sample ship name used by the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

to signify a hypothetical vessel is . This ''is'' a name that has been used by the

in the past; on the eve of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

the name was given to the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack subma ...

. HMCS ''Nonsuch'' was the "stone frigate" of the Edmonton Division of the

Canadian Naval Reserve The Naval Reserve (NAVRES, french: link=no, Réserve navale) is the Primary Reserve component of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). The primary mission of the NAVRES is to force generate sailors and teams for Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) operations, inc ...

. Prefixing the name by "the", as in "the HMS Ark Royal", while common, is considered bad grammar. British government ships not in the Royal Navy have other designations, such as RFA for ships in the ''

Royal Fleet Auxiliary The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is a naval auxiliary fleet owned by the UK's Ministry of Defence. It provides logistical and operational support to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The RFA ensures the Royal Navy is supplied and supported by ...

''.

Commonwealth realms and former British Empire

Historically, variants on HMS have been used by the navies of British colonies. The practice is maintained in several

Commonwealth realm A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations whose monarch and head of state is shared among the other realms. Each realm functions as an independent state, equal with the other realms and nations of the Commonwealt ...

s (states which recognise King

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person ...

as their monarch).

Current

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

: His Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) / (french: Navire canadien de Sa Majesté ) (NCSM) –

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

: His Majesty's Australian Ship (HMAS) –

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister o ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

: His Majesty's New Zealand Ship (HMNZS) –

Royal New Zealand Navy The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN; mi, Te Taua Moana o Aotearoa, , Sea Warriors of New Zealand) is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The fleet currently consists of nine ships. The Navy had its origins in the Naval Defence Act ...

Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the a ...

: His Majesty's Bahamian Ship (HMBS) –

Royal Bahamas Defence Force The Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) is the military of The Bahamas. Since The Bahamas does not have an army or an air force, its navy composes the entirety of its armed forces. Under The Defence Act, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force has been m ...

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

: His Majesty's Papua New Guinean Ship (HMPNGS) -

Papua New Guinea Defence Force The Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Papua New Guinea. It originated from the Australian Army land forces of the territory of Papua New Guinea before independence, coming into be ...

Australian War Memorial Glossary
*

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...

: His Majesty's Jamaican Ship (HMJS) –

Jamaica Defence Force The Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) is the combined military of Jamaica, consisting of an infantry Regiment and Reserve Corps, an Air Wing, a Coast Guard fleet and a supporting Engineering Unit. The JDF is based upon the British military model, with ...

Tuvalu Tuvalu ( or ; formerly known as the Ellice Islands) is an island country and microstate in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are situated about midway between Hawaii and Australia. They lie east-northea ...

: His Majesty's Tuvalu State Ship (HMTSS)

Former

*Colonial: Her Majesty's Colonial Ship (HMCS) *

: Commonwealth Naval Ship (CNS) *

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

: His Majesty's Burmese Ship (HMBS) *

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estima ...

: Her Majesty's Barbadian Ship (HMBS) –

Barbados Defence Force The Barbados Defence Force (BDF) is the name given to the combined armed forces of Barbados. The BDF was established 15 August 1979, and has responsibility for the territorial defence and internal security of the island. The headquarters for the ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

: His Majesty's South African Ship (HMSAS) / ( af, Sy Majesteit se Suid-Afrikaanse Skip) (SMSA) -

South African Navy The South African Navy (SA Navy) is the naval warfare branch of the South African National Defence Force. The Navy is primarily engaged in maintaining a conventional military deterrent, participating in counter-piracy operations, fishery pro ...

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

: Her Majesty's Ceylon Ship (HMCyS) *

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consis ...

: Her Majesty's Fijian Ship (HMFS) *

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

: His Majesty's Indian Ship (HMIS) *

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

(before the

federation of Australia The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia (which also governed what is now the Northern Territory), and Western ...

): Her Majesty's Queensland Ship (HMQS) *

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

(before the federation of Australia): Her Majesty's Victorian Ship (HMVS) *

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

: His Majesty's Pakistan Ship (HMPS)

Denmark

All

Danish Navy The Royal Danish Navy ( da, Søværnet) is the sea-based branch of the Danish Defence force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the sovereignty of Danish territorial waters (incl. Faroe Islands and Greenland). Oth ...

ships carry the ship prefix KDM (''Kongelige Danske Marine'') in Danish, but this is translated to HDMS (''Her / His Danish Majesty's Ship'') in English.

Germany

(;

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

: ''His Majesty's Ship'', abbreviated to S.M.S. or SMS) was the

used by the Prussian Maritime Enterprise (''Seehandlung''), the

Prussian Navy The Prussian Navy (German: ''Preußische Marine''), officially the Royal Prussian Navy (German: ''Königlich Preußische Marine''), was the naval force of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1701 to 1867. The Prussian Navy was created in 1701 from the ...

, the

Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the Imperial Navy () was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for coast defence. Wilhel ...

(''Kaiserliche Marine'') and the

Austro-Hungarian Navy The Austro-Hungarian Navy or Imperial and Royal War Navy (german: kaiserliche und königliche Kriegsmarine, in short ''k.u.k. Kriegsmarine'', hu, Császári és Királyi Haditengerészet) was the naval force of Austria-Hungary. Ships of the A ...

(''Kaiserliche und königliche Kriegsmarine''). It was created by translating the British prefix into German. It was sometimes also abbreviated to S.M. or SM (for ''Seiner Majestät'') when a ship was mentioned by class, such as ''S.M. Kleiner Kreuzer Emden'' ("His Majesty's Light Cruiser Emden"). Special forms included *S.M.Y. (or SMY) = ''Seiner Majestät Yacht'' ("His Majesty's Yacht") for king's or emperor's

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

*I.M.Y. = ''Ihrer Majestät Yacht'' ("Her Majesty's Yacht") for the queen's or empress's yacht. *S.M.F. = ''Seiner Majestät Feuerschiff'' ("His Majesty's

Lightvessel A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship that acts as a lighthouse. They are used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction. Although some records exist of fire beacons being placed on ships in Roman times, t ...

") *S.M.H. = ''Seiner Majestät Hilfsschiff'' ("His Majesty's

Auxiliary Ship An auxiliary ship is a naval ship designed to support combatant ships and other naval operations. Auxiliary ships are not primary combatant vessels, though they may have some limited combat capacity, usually for purposes of self-defense. Auxil ...

") *S.M.W. = ''Seiner Majestät Werkstattschiff'' ("His Majesty's Workshop Ship") *S.M.U. = ''Seiner Majestät Unterseeboot'' ("His Majesty's Submarine", prefixing a number not a name)

Netherlands

International prefixes for ships of the

Royal Netherlands Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy ( nl, Koninklijke Marine, links=no) is the naval force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. During the 17th century, the navy of the Dutch Republic (1581–1795) was one of the most powerful naval forces in the world an ...

is HNLMS (''His/Her Netherlands Majesty's Ship''). The Netherlands navy itself uses the prefixes Zr.Ms. (''Zijner Majesteits'', ''His Majesty's'') when a king is on the throne, and Hr.Ms. (''Harer Majesteits'', ''Her Majesty's'') when there is a queen. This happens automatically at the moment of coronation.

Norway

The

Royal Norwegian Navy The Royal Norwegian Navy ( no, Sjøforsvaret, , Sea defence) is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for naval operations of Norway. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 in mobilized state, ...

vessels have since 1946 been given the

KNM, short for ''K''ongelig ''N''orske ''M''arine (Royal Norwegian Navy). In

, they are given the prefix HNoMS, short for "''H''is/Her ''No''rwegian ''M''ajesty's ''S''hip" (HNMS could be also used for the

, for which HNLMS is used instead). Coast Guard vessels are given the prefix KV for ''K''yst''V''akt (Coast Guard) in

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

and NoCGV for ''No''rwegian ''C''oast ''G''uard ''V''essel in English.

Romania

Prior to

, the subsequent ousting of the monarchy of Romania on 30 December 1947 and post-war

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

occupation, all Royal Romanian Navy vessels were given the prefix NMS which stands for ''Nava Majestăţii Sale'' which translates to ''His/her Majesty’s Ship'' in English.

Sweden

In the

Royal Swedish Navy The Swedish Navy ( sv, Svenska marinen) is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet () – as well as marine units, the Amphibious Corps (). In Swedish, vessels o ...

, all vessels are given the prefix HMS (''Hans'' or ''Hennes Majestäts Skepp''). This is true for both surface and submarine vessels.Ordbok: "H"
''Försvarsmakten'' Abroad, Swedish navy ships are sometimes given the prefix HSwMS (for ''His Swedish Majesty's Ship''), to avoid confusion with other uses of the HMS prefix.

References

{{Reflist Royal Navy Ship prefixes