Seven ships of the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
have borne the name HMS ''Britomart'', after the
Britomartis
Britomartis (; grc-gre, Βριτόμαρτις) was a Greek goddess of mountains and hunting, who was primarily worshipped on the island of Crete. She was sometimes believed to be an oread, or a mountain nymph, but she was often conflated or syn ...
of
Greek mythology
A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...
:
* HMS ''Britomart'' was a 16-gun
brig-sloop
In the 18th century and most of the 19th, a sloop-of-war in the Royal Navy was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. The rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above; thus, the term ''sloop-of-war'' enc ...
captured from the Danes in 1807 and commissioned as . She was renamed HMS ''Britomart'' in 1808, but the name change was rescinded before she wrecked in 1809.
* was a 10-gun launched in 1808. She participated in the capture of several small privateers and merchant vessels. She was also at the
bombardment of Algiers (1816)
The Bombardment of Algiers was an attempt on 27 August 1816 by Britain and the Netherlands to end the slavery practices of Omar Agha, the Dey of Algiers. An Anglo-Dutch fleet under the command of Admiral Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth bomb ...
. The Navy sold ''Britomart'' in 1819. She then entered mercantile service. She sailed to South America,
Van Dieman's Land
Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sepa ...
(VDL), and the Indian Ocean. She spent much of her time sailing between England and VDL, and between VDL and the Australian mainland. She foundered in 1839 on her way between Port Phillip and Hobart.
* was another 10-gun ''Cherokee''-class brig-sloop, launched in 1820 and sold in 1843. Captain
William Hobson
Captain William Hobson (26 September 1792 – 10 September 1842) was a British Royal Navy officer who served as the first Governor of New Zealand. He was a co-author of the Treaty of Waitangi.
Hobson was dispatched from London in July 1 ...
, of ''Britomart'', asserted British sovereignty over New Zealand in 1840
* was an 8-gun
brig
A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...
launched in 1847. She was used as a
coastguard
A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...
vessel from 1857 and was renamed ''WV25'' in 1863. She was broken up by 1874.
* was a wood screw launched in 1860. She was sold in 1892, and then resold as a mooring hulk, being broken up in 1946.
* was a launched in 1899 and sold in 1920 into civilian service, being renamed ''Sakuntala''.
* was a launched in 1938 and sunk in 1944.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Britomart, Hms
Royal Navy ship names