The
Royal Navy is the principal naval warfare service branch of the
British Armed Forces. Its assets include both commissioned warships and non-commissioned vessels. As of January 2024, there are 68
commissioned ships in the Royal Navy.
The Royal Navy also includes a number of smaller non-commissioned assets. The naval training vessels
Brecon and Hindostan can be found based at the Royal Navy
stone frigatesHMS Raleigh and the
Britannia Royal Naval College, respectively. Non-commissioned Sea-class workboats, procured under Project Vahana, are operated by the Royal Navy in various support, survey and training roles, replacing previous
P1000 Class Picket Boat vessels.[1][2][3] This class of vessel also incorporates an autonomous minehunting variant,[4] while another autonomous vessel, Madfox, is employed in varied roles including as a testbed for autonomous combat operations.[5]Madfox and other experimental vessels, including
XV Patrick Blackett and APAC-24 (a crewless
Pacific 24 rigid-hulled inflatable boat), are operated by NavyX, a unit of the Royal Navy dedicated to developing, testing and accelerating the use of new high technologies.[6]
Besides the Royal Navy, the
Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) and the
Royal Marines operate their own flotillas of vessels which complement the assets of the Royal Navy. These vessels are not included in this list or the above figures. Nevertheless, combined, the Royal Navy and
RFA have 81 vessels with a total displacement in excess of 762,200 tonnes, with the principal
landing craft of the Royal Marines having an additional combined displacement of about 2,200 tonnes.
As a supporting contingent of
His Majesty's Naval Service, the civilian
Marine Services operate nearly 100 auxiliary ships (including coastal logistics, tugs and research vessels) in support of Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary operations.[7][8]
The Royal Navy's principal overseas base is
HMS Jufair in
Bahrain.[9] A general-purpose frigate and vessels belonging to the navy's
9th Mine Counter-Measures Squadron are forward-deployed there. Two fast patrol boats, together with a forward-deployed
River-class offshore patrol vessel, normally form part of the
Gibraltar Squadron and are permanently based there. Four other River-class vessels are also forward-deployed: one in the
Falkland Islands, one in the Caribbean and two in the Indo-Pacific region. Additionally, the United Kingdom maintains a
Joint Logistics Support Base in
Duqm,
Oman which hosts the
Littoral Response Group (South) composed of two ships from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, though also supported by Royal Navy assets as may be available and required.[10]
All ships and submarines currently in commission with the Royal Navy were built in the United Kingdom, with the exceptions of icebreaker
Protector which was built in
Norway and survey vessel
Magpie which was substantially built in
Ireland. All commissioned vessels of the Royal Navy bear the
ship prefix "HMS", for
His Majesty's Ship or His Majesty's Submarine.
c. 33 vessels: * 8 x 15 m Officer Training Units; * 6 x 15 m
Diver Training/Support Boats; * 10 x 11 m Standard Workboats; * 3 x 13.8 m Passenger Transfer Boats (PTBs); * 3 x 15 m Survey Modules; * 3 x 11 m Small Survey Modules
^Albion in "extended readiness" (uncrewed reserve) as of early 2024.[27][28]
^Bulwark entered 'extended readiness' in late 2016. Expected to complete long-term refit in 2024 but remain in reserve, though with an ability to deploy "if required".[30]
^HMS Lancaster is forward deployed, operating from
HMS Jufair in Bahrain.
^HMS Westminster reported inactive as of 2023 with planned refit suspended.[43]
^HMS Forth is forward deployed as guardship in the Falkland Islands.
^HMS Medway is forward deployed as Atlantic Patrol Tasking (North) guardship in the Caribbean.
^HMS Trent is forward deployed to Gibraltar for regional operations in the Mediterranean and Gulf of Guinea.
^HMS Middleton is forward deployed as part of 9 Mine Countermeasures Squadron, operating from
HMS Jufair in Bahrain.
^HMS Chiddingfold is forward deployed as part of 9 Mine Countermeasures Squadron, operating from
HMS Jufair in Bahrain.
^HMS Bangor is forward deployed as part of 9 Mine Countermeasures Squadron, operating from
HMS Jufair in Bahrain.
^Forms part of the Faslane Patrol Boat Squadron providing security to nuclear submarines entering and leaving the waters in and around HMNB Clyde.
^Forms part of the Faslane Patrol Boat Squadron providing security to nuclear submarines entering and leaving the waters in and around HMNB Clyde.
^Permanently based in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. Forms part of the Gibraltar Squadron.
^Permanently based in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. Forms part of the Gibraltar Squadron.
^Deployed in Antarctic waters during the regional summer. Official role to: "patrol and survey in the Antarctic and South Atlantic, maintaining UK sovereign presence with wider regional engagement".[89]
^Officer training units assigned to
Britannia Royal Naval College; Diver support boats at HMNB Portsmouth (three units), Devonport, Clyde and Gibraltar (one unit each); Passenger Transfer units to HMS Prince of Wales; and two or more small survey modules to HMS Protector and HMS Scott.
^Three assigned as passenger transfer vessels to HMS Queen Elizabeth
^Pre-production units within joint UK-France MCM programme