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

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

: * , 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 The Liverpool & Glasgow Salvage Association was formed on 1 January 1924 from the merger of the Liverpool Salvage Association and the Glasgow Salvage Association. The Association can trace its origins back to 1857 with the creation of the Liverpo ...

, 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