This is a list of ships of the line of the Royal Navy of England, and later (from 1707) of Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. The list starts from 1660, the year in which the Royal Navy came into being after the restoration of the monarchy under Charles II, up until the emergence of the battleship around 1880, as defined by the Admiralty.
The early Restoration period (1660–77) This list includes several earlier ships which were rebuilt for the Royal Navy in this period—specifically the first-rate Prince Royal (in 1663), the second-rate Victory (in 1666), the third-rate Montague (in 1675) and the fourth-rates Bonaventure (in 1663) and Constant Warwick (in 1666). The process, which generally involved the dismantling in dry dock of the old ship and constructing it to a new design incorporating part of the materials from the old vessel, produced what were in effect substantially new ships with altered dimensions and sizes, and generally mounting a somewhat larger number of guns.
First rates Prince Royal 92 (rebuilt 1663) – taken and burnt by the Dutch 1666
96-gun group Charles 96 (1668) – renamed St George 1687, re-classed as second rate 1691, rebuilt 1701 St Andrew 96 (1670) – renamed Royal Anne when rebuilt 1704 London 96 (1670) – rebuilt 1706
100-gun group Prince 100 (1670) – repaired and renamed Royal William 1692, rebuilt 1719 Royal James 100 (1671) – burned in action 1672 Royal Charles 100 (1673) – repaired and renamed Queen 1693, rebuilt and renamed Royal George in 1715 Royal James 100 (1675) – renamed Victory 1691, then Royal George 1714, then Victory again in 1715; burnt by accident 1721
Second rates Royal Katherine 76 (1664) – rebuilt from 1699 to 1703 Royal Oak 76 (1664) – burned by the Dutch on 14 June 1667 Loyal London 80 (1666) – burned by the Dutch on 14 June 1667 Victory 76 (Rebuilt 1666) – condemned and broken up 1691 French Ruby 66 (1666) – a prize, Le Rubis, captured from the French, hulked January 1686 at Portsmouth after storm damage and broken up St Michael 90 (1669) – re-classed as a first rate 1672, then back to a second rate 1689; renamed Marlborough in 1706 and rebuilt 1706 to 1708
Third rates Clove Tree 62 (1665) – a prize, formerly VOC ship Nagelboom, captured from the Dutch, retaken by them 1666 House of Sweeds 70 (1665) – formerly Huis te Zwieten, a prize captured from the Dutch, sunk as a blockship in the Thames 1667 Golden Phoenix 70 (1665) – formerly Geldersche Ruyter, a prize captured from the Dutch, sunk as a blockship in the Thames 1667 Slothany 60 (1665) – formerly Slot Hooningen, a prize captured from the Dutch, hulked 1667, sold 1686 Helverson 60 (1665) – formerly Hilversum, a prize captured from the Dutch in June 1665, sunk as a blockship in the Medway 1667 Cambridge 64 (1666) – wrecked 1694 Warspite 64 (1666) – rebuilt 1702 Defiance 64 (1666) – burned by accident 1668 Rupert 64 (1666) – rebuilt 1703 Resolution 64 (1667) – rebuilt 1698 Monmouth 64 (1667) – rebuilt 1700 Edgar 72 (1668) – rebuilt 1700 Swiftsure 66 (1673) – rebuilt 1696 Harwich 66 (1674) – wrecked 1691 Royal Oak 70 (1674) – rebuilt 1713 Defiance 64 (1675) – rebuilt 1695 Arms of Rotterdam 60 (1674) – a prize captured from the Dutch, hulked 1675, broken up 1703 Montague 62 – built as Lyme in 1654, rebuilt as Montague in 1675 and again rebuilt in 1698
Fourth rates 42 – rebuilt as in 1666, captured by the French 1691 1646 Programme Group
1647 Programme Group
1649 Programme Group
1650 Programme Group
1651 Programme Group
Ruby Group
Bonaventure 48 – previously named HMS President. Renamed HMS Bonaventure in 1660, rebuilt in 1666 and broken up for a rebuild in 1711. Re-launched in 1711 as a 50-gun fourth rate. Renamed Argyll in 1715, rebuilt in 1722 and sunk as a breakwater in 1748 West Friesland 54 (1665) – a prize, Westfriesland, captured from the Dutch, sold 1667 Seven Oaks 52 (1665) – a prize, Zevenwolden, captured from the Dutch, retaken by them 1666 Charles V 52 (1665) – a prize, Carolus Quintus, captured from the Dutch, burned by them 1667 Guilder de Ruyter 50 (1665) – a prize, Geldersche Ruiter, captured from the Dutch, sold 1667 Maria Sancta 50 (1665) – a prize, Sint Marie, captured from the Dutch, burned by them 1667 Mars 50 (1665) – a prize, Mars, captured from the Dutch, sold 1667 Delft 48 (1665) – a prize, Delft, captured from the Dutch, sold 1668 St Paul 48 (1665) – a prize, Sint Paulus, captured from the Dutch, burned in action 1666 Hope 44 (1665) – a prize, Hoop, captured from the Dutch, wrecked 1666 Black Spread Eagle 44 (1665) – a prize, Groningen, captured from the Dutch, sunk in action 1666. Golden Lion 42 (1665) – a prize, Gouden Leeuw, captured from the Dutch, given to Guinea Company 1668 Zealand 42 (1665) – a prize, Zeelandia, captured from the Dutch, sold 1667 Unity 42 (1665) – a prize, Eendracht, captured from the Dutch, retaken by them 1667 Young Prince 38 (1665) – a prize, Jonge Prins, captured from the Dutch, expended as a fireship 1666 Black Bull 36 (1665) – a prize, Edam, captured from the Dutch, retaken and sunk by them 1666 St Patrick 48 (1666) – captured by the Dutch 1667 Greenwich 54 (1666) – rebuilt 1699 St David 54 (1667) – sunk at Portsmouth 1690, raised but sold 1713 Stathouse van Harlem 46 (1667) – a prize, Raadhuis van Haarlem, captured from the Dutch, sunk as a breakwater at Sheerness 1690 Stavoreen 48 (1672) – a prize captured from the Dutch, sold 1682 Arms of Terver 48 (1673) – a prize captured from the Dutch, sold 1682 Oxford 54 (1674) – rebuilt 1702. Woolwich 54 (1675) – rebuilt 1702 Kingfisher 46 (1675) – a specialised fourth-rate designed for a role similar to that of the Q-ships of 1914–18, rather than for the battle fleet; rebuilt 1699 The above list excludes two smaller fourth-rates not designed for the line of battle—the galley-frigates Charles Galley and James Galley of 1676. It also excludes four fifth-rates of 36 guns (the Falcon and Sweepstakes of 1666, the Nonsuch of 1668, and the Phoenix of 1671) which were re-classed as 42-gun fourth rates some years after their original completion, but later reverted to being fifth-rates.
The "Thirty Ships" programme of 1677 (1677–88) First rate of 100 guns Britannia 100 (28 June 1682) – broken up 1715 Second rates of 90 guns Vanguard 90 (November 1678) – wrecked in the Great Storm of 1703 Windsor Castle 90 (4 March 1679) – wrecked 1693 Sandwich 90 (May 1679) – rebuilt 1709–1715; lazarette 1752, broken up 1770 Duchess 90 (May 1679) – renamed Princess Anne 31 December 1701, renamed Windsor Castle 17 March 1702, renamed Blenheim 18 December 1706; rebuilt 1708–09; broken up 1763. Albemarle 90 (29 October 1680) – rebuilt 1701–04; renamed Union 29 December 1709, broken up 1749 Neptune 90 (17 April 1683) – rebuilt 1708–10 Duke 90 (13 June 1682) – rebuilt 1700–01 and renamed Prince George 31 December 1701; broken up to rebuild 1719 Ossory 90 (24 August 1682) – rebuilt 1708–11 and renamed Princess 2 January 1716, then Princess Royal 26 July 1728 Coronation 90 (23 May 1685) – wrecked 1691 Third rates of 70 guns Lenox 70 (18 April 1678) - rebuilt 1701 Hampton Court 70 (10 July 1678) - rebuilt 1701 Anne 70 (November 1678) – Burnt to avoid capture 6 July 1690 Captain 70 (1678) Restoration 70 (28 May 1678) – wrecked in the Great Storm of 1703 Berwick 70 (May 1679) - rebuilt 1700 Burford 70 (November 1679) - rebuilt 1699 Eagle 70 (31 January 1679) - rebuilt 1699 Expedition 70 (10 September 1679) – rebuilt 1699, renamed Prince Frederick 1715, sold 1784 Grafton 70 (17 May 1679) - rebuilt 1700 Pendennis 70 (1679) – wrecked 26 October 1689 Northumberland 70 (1679) – rebuilt 1699-1702, then wrecked in the Great Storm of 1703 Essex 70 (20 February 1679) – broken up 1736 for rebuild Kent 70 (20 February 1679) - rebuilt 1697-99 Exeter 70 (March 1680) – hulked 1691 Suffolk 70 (May 1680) – broken up by 1765 Hope 70 (late 1678) – captured 1695 Elizabeth 70 (3 March 1679) – rebuilt 1703 Stirling Castle 70 (29 July 1679) – wrecked in the Great Storm of 1703 Breda 70 (26 September 1679) – burnt 1690
New fourth rates (1683–88) Mordaunt 46 (c. 1681) – built privately and purchased 1683. wrecked 1693 Deptford 50 (1687) – broken up 1700 for rebuild St Albans 50 (1687) – wrecked 1693 Sedgemoor 50 (1687) – wrecked 1689
Major rebuilds (1677–88) Royal Sovereign (first rate) 100 (1685) – burnt by accident 29 January 1696 Mary (third rate) 60 (1688) – wrecked in Great Storm 27 November 1703 Tiger (fourth rate) 44 (1681) – rebuilt 1701–03 Bonaventure (fourth rate) 48 (1683) – rebuilt 1699 Hampshire (fourth rate) 46 (1686) – sunk in action 26 August 1697 Assistance (fourth rate) 48 (1687) – rebuilt 1699 Ruby (fourth rate) 48 (1687) – rebuilt 1704–06
Captures – ex-Algerines The Royal Navy took into service as fourth rates the following ships captured from the Algerines (Algerian corsairs) Marigold 44 (ex-Algerine Marygold, captured 28 October 1677) – wrecked 1679 Tiger Prize 48 (ex-Algerine, captured 1 April 1678) – sunk as a breakwater 1696 Golden Horse 46 (ex-Algerine Golden Horse, captured 9 April 1681) – sunk as a breakwater 1688 Half Moon 44 (ex-Algerine Half Moon, captured 9 September 1681) – burnt by accident 1686 Two Lions 44 (ex-Algerine Two Lions, captured 16 September 1681) – sold 1688
List of ships-of-the-line of the Royal Navy (1688–97) Number of main guns follows name (see rating system of the Royal Navy) Except where stated otherwise, these ships are listed in the order of pp. 163–165 The Ship of the Line Volume I, by Brian Lavery, pub Conways, 1983,
The "Twenty-Seven Ships" programme of 1691 This programme was approved by Parliament on 10 October 1690. While nominally it comprised 17 third rates of 80 guns and ten fourth rates of 60 guns, funds for three third rates of 70 guns were provided at virtually the same date as the Programme, which should thus strictly speaking refer to Thirty Ships. Two-decker third rates of 80 guns Devonshire 80 (1692) – blew up at the Battle at The Lizard, 1707 Cornwall 80 (1692) Boyne 80 (1692) – broken up by 1763 Russell 80 (1692) Norfolk 80 (1693) Humber 80 (1693) Sussex 80 (1693) – wrecked 1694 Torbay 80 (1693) Lancaster 80 (1694) Dorsetshire 80 (1694) Cambridge 80 (1695) Chichester 80 (1695) Newark 80 (1695) Three-decker third rates of 80 guns. These four were originally intended to be two-deckers, like the other 13, but were completed as three-deckers. Shrewsbury 80 (1695) Cumberland 80 (1695) – captured by France at the Battle at The Lizard, 1707, to Genoa 1715, to Spain 1717 as Principe de Asturias 70, captured by Britain at the Battle of Cape Passaro, 1718, to Austria 1720 as San Carlos, broken up 1733 Ranelagh 80 (1697) – renamed Princess Caroline 1728 Somerset 80 (1698) – broken up 1740 Third rates of 70 guns Bredah 70 (1692) – broken up 1730 Ipswich 70 (1693) – broken up 1727 to rebuild Yarmouth 70 (1695) – broken up 1707 and rebuilt 1707–09; hulked 1740, sold or broken up 1769 Fourth rates of 60 guns Medway 60 (1693) Carlisle 60 (1693) – wrecked 1696 Winchester 60 (1693) – sank 1695 Canterbury 60 (1693) Sunderland 60 (1694) – scuttled 1737 Pembroke 60 (1694) – captured 1709 Gloucester 60 (1695) – broken up 1731 Windsor 60 (1695) Kingston 60 (1697) Exeter 60 (1697)
Other third rates 70-gun ships, ordered 1695 Bedford 70 (1698) – rebuilt 1741 Orford 70 (1698) – rebuilt 1712 Nassau 70 (1699) – wrecked 1706 Revenge 70 (1699) – renamed Buckingham 1711, hulk 1727, scuttled as a foundation 1745 64-gun ship Dreadnought 64 (1691) – reduced to fourth rate 1697, rebuilt 1706
Second rates of 90 guns, ordered 1695 Association 90 (1697) – wrecked 1707 Barfleur 90 (1697) – rebuilt 1716 at 80-gun ship Namur 90 (1697) – rebuilt 1729 Triumph 90 (1698) – renamed Prince 1714, rebuilt 1750
Fourth rates of 50 guns