Eight 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 ''Portland'', either after
Portland Harbour
Portland Harbour is beside the Isle of Portland, Dorset, on the south coast of England. Construction of the harbour began in 1849; when completed in 1872, its surface area made it the largest human-made harbour in the world, and it remains ...
in
Dorset
Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...
or after holders of the title of the
Duke of Portland:
* was a 50-gun
fourth rate
In 1603 all English warships with a complement of fewer than 160 men were known as 'small ships'. In 1625/26 to establish pay rates for officers, a six-tier naval ship rating system was introduced.Winfield 2009 These small ships were divided ...
launched at Wapping in 1653 and burnt to avoid capture in 1692.
* was a 48-gun fourth rate launched in 1693, rebuilt in 1723 and broken up in 1743.
* was a 50-gun fourth rate launched in 1744 and sold in 1763.
* was a 50-gun fourth rate launched in 1770. She was converted to a 10-gun storeship in 1800 and a
prison ship
A prison ship, is a current or former seagoing vessel that has been modified to become a place of substantive detention for convicts, prisoner of war, prisoners of war or civilian internees. Some prison ships were hulk (ship type), hulked. W ...
in 1802. She was sold in 1817.
* was a barge probably used to defend
Plymouth
Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
. She was purchased in 1795 and was sold on 29 December 1799 for £155.
[Great Britain: Commissioners of Naval Enquiry (1803) ''The First (second-twelfth) Report of the Commissioners of Naval Enquiry, Appointed by Act 43 Geo. III. (Observations, by Way of Supplement, to the First Report of the Commissioners of Naval Enquiry, on the Memorial of the Principal Officers and Commissioners of His Majesty's Navy, in Answer to that Report.)'', p.116.]
* was a 52-gun fourth rate launched in 1822. She was to have been named HMS ''Kingston'', but this was changed before launch in 1817. She was sold in 1862.
* HMS ''Portland'' was to have been a . She was laid down in 1941 and renamed later that year. The Japanese captured her in 1941 whilst she was under construction; she became the . The Americans sank her in 1945.
* is a
Type 23 frigate
The Type 23 frigate or Duke class is a class of frigates built for the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. The ships are named after British Dukes, thus leading to the class being commonly known as the Duke class. The first Type 23, , was commission ...
launched in 1999 and currently in service.
Battle honours
Ships named ''Portland'' have earned the following
battle honours
A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible.
In European military ...
:
*
Scheveningen 1653
*
Lowestoft 1665
*
Four Days' Battle 1666
*
Orfordness 1666
*
''Coventry'' 1709
*
''Auguste'' 1746
*
Ushant 1747
*
''Magnanime'' 1748
*
Lagos 1759
*
Quiberon Bay 1759
See also
* was a 50-gun fourth rate, previously the . She was captured in 1746 by and was sold in 1749.
* was a repair ship launched in 1945 and sold into civilian service in 1951, where she was renamed ''Zinnia''.
*
Citations
{{DEFAULTSORT:Portland, Hms
Royal Navy ship names