Eleven ships of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

and a reserve shore establishment of the

Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...

have borne the name HMS/HMCS ''Discovery'', while ships of other branches have also used the name: * was a discovery vessel in service between 1600 and 1620. * was a 20-gun ship purchased in 1651 and burnt in 1655. * was a 6-gun

ketch A ketch is a two- masted sailboat whose mainmast is taller than the mizzen mast (or aft-mast), and whose mizzen mast is stepped forward of the rudder post. The mizzen mast stepped forward of the rudder post is what distinguishes the ketch f ...

launched in 1692 and broken up in 1705. * was a discovery sloop lost in the Arctic in 1719. * was a 6-gun storeship purchased in 1741 and sold in 1750. * was an 8-gun discovery vessel launched in 1774 as the civilian collier ''Diligence''. She was acquired in 1775, and accompanied on Captain

James Cook Captain (Royal Navy), Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 176 ...

's third voyage of exploration from 1776 to 1780. She became a dockyard transport in 1781 and was broken up in 1797. * was a 10-gun sloop launched and purchased in 1789. She was commanded by Captain

George Vancouver Captain (Royal Navy), Captain George Vancouver (; 22 June 1757 – 10 May 1798) was a Royal Navy officer and explorer best known for leading the Vancouver Expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern West Coast of the Uni ...

on his voyage of exploration from 1791 to 1795. She was converted to a

bomb vessel A bomb vessel, bomb ship, bomb ketch, or simply bomb was a type of wooden sailing naval ship. Its primary armament was not cannons (Naval long gun, long guns or carronades) – although bomb vessels carried a few cannons for self-defence – but ...

in 1799, a

convict ship A convict ship was any ship engaged on a voyage to carry convicted felons under sentence of penal transportation from their place of conviction to their place of exile. Description A convict ship, as used to convey convicts to the British colo ...

in 1818 and was broken up in 1834. * was a survey vessel in service in 1800 and sold in 1828. *HMS ''Discovery'' was to have been a wood screw

gunvessel A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-steam ...

. She was ordered in 1861 but was cancelled in 1863. * was a wood screw storeship, formerly the civilian ''Bloodhound'', purchased in 1874. She was commanded by Captain

George Nares Vice-Admiral Sir George Strong Nares (24 April 1831 – 15 January 1915) was a Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer. He commanded the ''Challenger'' Expedition, and the British Arctic Expedition. He was highly thought of as a leader an ...

during the

British Arctic Expedition The British Arctic Expedition of 1875–1876, led by Sir George Nares, was sent by the Admiralty (United Kingdom), British Admiralty to attempt to reach the North Pole via Smith Sound on the west coast of Greenland. Although the expedition fail ...

between 1875 and 1876. She was sold in 1902. * HMS ''Discovery'' was a purpose-built survey ship launched in 1901. She was commanded by Captain

Robert Falcon Scott Captain Robert Falcon Scott (6 June 1868 – ) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery Expedition, ''Discovery'' expedition of 1901–04 and the Terra Nova Expedition ...

during the

Discovery Expedition The ''Discovery'' Expedition of 1901–1904, known officially as the British National Antarctic Expedition, was the first official British exploration of the Antarctic regions since the voyage of James Clark Ross sixty years earlier (1839–184 ...

to the Antarctic in 1901, and was sold in 1905. She was re-designated RRS (Royal Research Ship) ''Discovery'' in 1923, repurchased in 1929 as a

training ship A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house class ...

, and was handed over for preserving as a

museum ship A museum ship, also called a memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public for educational or memorial purposes. Some are also used for training and recruitment purposes, mostly for the small numb ...

in 1979. *, the Vancouver

stone frigate A stone frigate is a naval establishment on land. 'Stone frigate' is an informal term which has its origin in Britain's Royal Navy (RN), after its use of Diamond Rock, an island off Martinique, as a 'sloop of war' to harass the First French ...

of the

Canadian Forces Naval Reserve The Naval Reserve (NAVRES, ) 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, including: domestic safety operati ...

, established as a volunteer half-company of the

Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve The Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR) was a naval reserve force of the Royal Canadian Navy from 1923 to 1946. It replaced the Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve (RNCVR). Foundation The RCNVR was created in 1923. The organizati ...

in 1924 and commissioned as ''Discovery'' in 1941.

Battle honours

* Portland 1653 * Copenhagen 1801

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Discoverys Royal Navy ship names Exploration ships

Battle honours

See also

References