A ship and a
shore establishment
A stone frigate is a naval establishment on land.
"Stone frigate" is an informal term that has its origin in Britain's Royal Navy after its use of Diamond Rock, an island off Martinique, as a 'sloop of war' to harass the First French Empire, ...
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 ''Excellent'':
* was a 74-gun
third rate
In the rating system of the Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks (thus the related term two-decker). Years of experience proved that the third r ...
launched in 1787. She was converted into a 58-gun
fourth rate
In 1603 all English warships with a compliment 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 i ...
in 1820 and became a gunnery
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 classr ...
in 1830. She was broken up in 1835, but gave her name to the later gunnery school.
* is a shore establishment in
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
. Originally housed in a number of hulks named HMS ''Excellent'' since 1830, it was formally established in 1869. It moved ashore in 1891 and remained active until 1985, when it ceased to be an independent command and was incorporated into HMS ''Nelson'' as part of
HMNB Portsmouth
His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth (HMNB Portsmouth) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport). Portsmouth Naval Base is part of the city of Portsmouth; it is lo ...
. The name continues to exist in reference to the aspects under the site's administrative purview. A number of ships were renamed HMS ''Excellent'' whilst serving as homes or tenders of the establishment. These include:
*Base ships:
** was the original school ship between 1830 and 1835.
** was HMS ''Excellent'' between 1834 and 1859.
** was HMS ''Excellent'' between 1859 and 1892.
*Tenders and depot ships:
** was HMS ''Excellent'' between 1891 and 1916.
** was HMS ''Excellent'' between 1916 and 1918.
** ''William Leach'' was HMS ''Excellent'' between 1919 and 1920.
** ''Andrew Jewer'' was HMS ''Excellent'' between 1922 and 1948.
** ''Hainneville'' was HMS ''Excellent'' in 1942.
** Harbour launch ''3711'' was HMS ''Excellent'' between 1945 and 1962.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Excellent, Hms
Royal Navy ship names