The ''Aid'' class of Royal Navy ships were the only purpose-built

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 constructed for the Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. The vessels were designed in 1808 by the

Surveyors of the Navy The Surveyor of the Navy also known as Department of the Surveyor of the Navy and originally known as Surveyor and Rigger of the Navy was a former principal commissioner and member of both the Navy Board from the inauguration of that body in 15 ...

for both transport and storage.

References

Ship classes of the Royal Navy {{ship-type-stub