Private ship is a term used in 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 ...
to describe that status of a commissioned warship in active service that is not currently serving as the
flagship of a flag officer (i.e., an
admiral or
commodore
Commodore may refer to:
Ranks
* Commodore (rank), a naval rank
** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom
** Commodore (United States)
** Commodore (Canada)
** Commodore (Finland)
** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore''
* Air commodore ...
).
[A straightforward definition of the term "private ship" used in the sense is difficult to find in common naval history literature, but see individual ships' operational histories in R. A. Burt's ''British Battleships 1889–1904'', among other books, for numerous uses of the term in the manner described here.] The term in no way implies any type of private ownership of the vessel, but is more akin to
private soldier.
Notes
References
* Burt, R. A. (1988). ''British Battleships 1889–1904''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. {{ISBN, 0-87021-061-0.
Royal Navy