Three 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 ...

have been named HMS ''Melita'', named after the island of

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

: * , launched in 1888 was a composite screw sloop, the only Royal Navy warship ever built in Malta. She swapped names with HMS ''Ringdove'' in 1915 and was sold as a salvage vessel to Falmouth Docks Board in 1920, when her name was changed to ''Ringdove's Aid''. She was sold again in 1927 to the Liverpool & Glasgow Salvage Association, who changed her name to ''Restorer'', and she was finally broken up in 1937. * HMS ''Melita'' was launched in 1889 as the composite screw

gunboat 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 became a salvage vessel in 1915 and was renamed HMS ''Melita'' (when the first ''Melita'' was renamed ''Ringdove''). She was sold in 1920. * , launched in 1942, was an , scrapped on 25 February 1959.

See also