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 borne the name HMS ''Sapphire'', after the

Sapphire Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, cobalt, lead, chromium, vanadium, magnesium, boron, and silicon. The name ''sapphire ...

, a precious gemstone: * was a 34-gun ship launched in 1651 and run ashore to avoid capture in 1671. * was a 32-gun

fifth-rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a fifth rate was the second-smallest class of warships in a hierarchical system of six " ratings" based on size and firepower. Rating The rating system in the Royal N ...

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

launched in 1675 and scuttled by her captain (Capt. Thomas Cleasby) to prevent capture by the French in 1696. * was a 42-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 in 1708, hulked in 1740 and sold in 1745. * was a 44-gun fifth rate launched in 1741. She was reduced to 32 guns in 1756 to 1758 and relaunched as: * was a 32-gun frigate built by

Adam Hayes Adam Hayes (1710–1785) was an 18th-century shipbuilder to the Royal Navy. A great number of his models survive. He was responsible for the selection of the ship the ''Earl of Pembroke'' and was the wright who converted it into in 1768 fo ...

at Deptford * was an 18-gun sloop launched in 1806 and sold in 1822. * was a 28-gun

sixth rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a sixth-rate was the designation for small warships mounting between 20 and 28 carriage-mounted guns on a single deck, sometimes with smaller guns on the upper works an ...

launched in 1827 and sold in 1864. * was an wooden screw

corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloo ...

launched in 1874 and sold in 1892. * was a third-class

protected cruiser Protected cruisers, a type of cruiser of the late 19th century, took their name from the armored deck, which protected vital machine-spaces from fragments released by explosive shells. Protected cruisers notably lacked a belt of armour alon ...

launched in 1904 and sold for scrap in 1921. * was an ASW trawler (P.No.T.27) sold on 9 April 1946 and scrapped at Stavanger, Norway in June 1970.

See also