Eleven 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 ...

and a reserve shore establishment of the

Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submar ...

have borne the name HMS/HMCS ''Discovery'', while ships of other branches have also used the name: * was a discovery vessel in service between 1600 and 1620. * was a 20-gun ship purchased in 1651 and burnt in 1655. * was a 6-gun

ketch A ketch is a two- masted sailboat whose mainmast is taller than the mizzen mast (or aft-mast), and whose mizzen mast is stepped forward of the rudder post. The mizzen mast stepped forward of the rudder post is what distinguishes the ketch fr ...

launched in 1692 and broken up in 1705. * was a discovery sloop lost in the Arctic in 1719. * was a 6-gun storeship purchased in 1741 and sold in 1750. * was an 8-gun discovery vessel launched in 1774 as the civilian collier ''Diligence''. She was acquired in 1775, and accompanied on Captain James Cook's third voyage of exploration from 1776 to 1780. She became a dockyard transport in 1781 and was broken up in 1797. * was a 10-gun sloop launched and purchased in 1789. She was commanded by Captain George Vancouver on his voyage of exploration from 1791 to 1795. She was converted to a

bomb vessel A bomb vessel, bomb ship, bomb ketch, or simply bomb was a type of wooden sailing naval ship. Its primary armament was not cannons (long guns or carronades) – although bomb vessels carried a few cannons for self-defence – but mortars mounted ...

in 1799, a

convict ship A convict ship was any ship engaged on a voyage to carry convicted felons under sentence of penal transportation from their place of conviction to their place of exile. Description A convict ship, as used to convey convicts to the British coloni ...

in 1818 and was broken up in 1834. * was a survey vessel in service in 1800 and sold in 1828. *HMS ''Discovery'' was to have been a wood screw

gunvessel 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-stea ...

. She was ordered in 1861 but was cancelled in 1863. * was a wood screw storeship, formerly the civilian ''Bloodhound'', purchased in 1874. She was commanded by Captain

George Nares Vice-Admiral Sir George Strong Nares (24 April 1831 – 15 January 1915) was a Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer. He commanded the ''Challenger'' Expedition, and the British Arctic Expedition. He was highly thought of as a leader an ...

during the

British Arctic Expedition The British Arctic Expedition of 1875–1876, led by Sir George Strong Nares, was sent by the British Admiralty to attempt to reach the North Pole via Smith Sound. Although the expedition failed to reach the North Pole, the coasts of Greenland a ...

between 1875 and 1876. She was sold in 1902. * HMS ''Discovery'' was a purpose-built survey ship launched in 1901. She was commanded by Captain

Robert Falcon Scott Captain Robert Falcon Scott, , (6 June 1868 – c. 29 March 1912) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the ''Discovery'' expedition of 1901–1904 and the ill-fated ''Terra Nov ...

during the

Discovery Expedition The ''Discovery'' Expedition of 1901–1904, known officially as the British National Antarctic Expedition, was the first official British exploration of the Antarctic regions since the voyage of James Clark Ross sixty years earlier (1839–18 ...

to the Antarctic in 1901, and was sold in 1905. She was re-designated RRS (Royal Research Ship) ''Discovery'' in 1923, repurchased in 1929 as a

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 class ...

, and was handed over for preserving as a museum ship in 1979. *, the Vancouver

stone frigate 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 French in 1803–04. ...

of the

Canadian Forces Naval Reserve The Naval Reserve (NAVRES, french: link=no, Réserve navale) is the Primary Reserve component of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). The primary mission of the NAVRES is to force generate sailors and teams for Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) operations, in ...

, established as a volunteer half-company of the

Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve The Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR) was a naval reserve force of the Royal Canadian Navy, which replaced the Royal Navy Canadian Volunteer Reserve (RNCVR). Foundation The RCNVR was created in 1923. The organization was established ...

in 1924 and commissioned as ''Discovery'' in 1941.

Battle honours

* Portland 1653 * Copenhagen 1801

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Discoverys Royal Navy ship names Exploration ships

Battle honours

See also

References