This is a list of Sixth-rate, corvette, and sloop classes of the Royal Navy.
During the Age of Sail, warships were divided into ranks or classes. The English Royal Navy adopted a scheme of six classes or "rates" in 1626. This system was in place until the 1840s, when steam power was introduced. The vessels classed as "Sixth-rates" were used in trade protection and at times could be used as scouts for the fleet (a task normally associated with "Fifth-rates"). In 1626, a "Sixth-rate" was defined as a ship having a crew of 40 to 50 men. In 1653, this was changed, to from 40 up to 79 men. After the Restoration in 1660, a "Sixth-rate" carried up to 24 guns, though 18 to 20 was more common. By the end of the 1600s, the crew size had grown to over 100 men, with a flush deck battery of six pound guns. By the 1750s, a "Sixth-rate" would carry up to 28 guns. In the mid 18th-century, the definition was formally established based on ship size, armament, and crew size.Winfield 2009
With the advent of steam assisted and steam powered vessels, the term "Sixth-rate" was replaced by "Sloop" as an official type of ship in the Royal Navy. The term "Corvette", adopted from the French, was not adopted as an official ship type until 1862. This only lasted until 1888 when it was replaced by the term "Third Class Cruiser". The term sloop returned during World War I for vessels dedicated to convoy escort. It remained in use until the 1960s. The term corvette did not reappear as an official ship type until just before the start of World War II, as a convoy escort vessel, and is still used in some navies today.
Note that vessels captured from other countries and incorporated into the Royal Navy were rated in accordance with the ship rating classification.
Corvette classes
Late 17th-century Sixth Rate groups
Anthony Deane group. All designed by the notable Master Shipwright. , built as a yacht – made into a harbour craft 1692. , 16 guns – sold 1683. , 16 guns – wrecked 1684. (rebuilt as a fireship in 1668), 12 guns – expended in 1672. , 16 guns as rebuilt 1673, captured and burnt by the French 1696. , 16 guns – sold 1698. , 18 guns – sold 1698. Maidstone Group – 18 ships, guns 20 × 6-pdrs, + 4 smaller. 1693–1697 – sold 1714. – renamed Margate 1698, wrecked 1707. – wrecked 1696. – captured by the French 1696. – captured by the French 1696, retaken 1703 and broken up. – sold 1719. – foundered 1707. – wrecked 1694. – wrecked 1709. – wrecked 1704. – wrecked 1699. – sold 1713. – sunk as a breakwater 1714. – renamed Newport 1698, sold 1714. – sold 1714. – captured by the French 1705 and scuttled. – rebuilt in 1722. – captured by the French 1706. (Purchased from builder in 1695), with 20 × 6-pdrs, + 4 smaller. – captured by the French 1697.
18th-century (1700–51) Sixth Rate Groups
Peregrine Galley – 1 ship, with 16 × 6-pdrs, + 4 smaller. 1700 Nightingale Group – 3 ships, with 20 × 6-pdrs, + 4 smaller. 1702–1704 – taken by the French 1707, retaken and renamed Fox 1708, rebuilt in 1724. – taken by the French 1703. – taken by the French 1706, retaken 1708 and foundered. Ex-French Prizes 1704 – 1709
Purchased Group – 3 ships, with 20 × 6-pdrs, + 4 smaller. 1706–1707 – broken up 1727 and rebuilt under same name – sold 1716. – rebuilt under same name 1719 Establishment Flamborough Group – 2 ships, with 20 × 6-pdrs, + 4 smaller. 1707 – dismantled for rebuilding in 1727. – broken up 1727. Ex-Scottish Acquisitions – 2 24-gun sixth rates - Ex Royal Mary of the Scottish Navy, sold 1719 - taken by French 1708 Gibraltar Group – 12 ships, with 20 × 6-pdrs, + 4 smaller. 1711–1716 – sold 1748. – dismantle for rebuilding 1725 thru 1727. – broken up 1740. – foundered 1719. – wrecked 1721. – dismantled for rebuild 1727. – dismantled at Woolwich for rebuilding in 1722. – docked at Chatham for rebuilding in 1727. – sold 1743. – captured by Spain 1718, retaken 1719 and burnt. – broken up 1738. – converted to bomb-vessel 1719, wrecked 1720. Dursley Galley – 1 ship, with 20 × 6-pdrs. 1719. Sold 1745 1719 Establishment Group – 20 ships, with 20 × 6-pdrs. 1720–1727 – ex-fifth rate, broken up 1739. – broken in 1741. – sold 1742. – ex-fifth rate, sold 1744. – ex-fifth rate, sold 1739. – renamed Garland, ex-fifth rate, sold 1744. Seaford – rebuild of and broken up 1740. – ex-fifth rate, sold 1744. Rose – rebuilt and sold 1744. Deal Castle – rebuild of and sold 1746. Fox – rebuild of , renamed Fox in 1708, broken up 1738. Gibraltar – rebuild of and sold 1749. Bideford – rebuild of , foundered 1736. Seahorse – rebuild of , sold 1748. Squirrel – rebuild of , sold 1749. – sold 1744. Aldborough – rebuild of and broken up 1742. Flamborough – rebuild of and sold 1749. – ex-fifth rate, broken up 1738. – broken up 1735. Modified 1719 Establishment Group – 2 ships, with 20 × 6-pdrs. 1732 Sheerness – rebuild of sold 1744. – renamed Firebrand 1755, then Penguin 1757, captured by French and burnt 1760. 1733 Establishment Group – 16 ships, with 20 × 9-pdrs. 1734–1742 – broken up 1755. – broken up 1749. – foundered 1745. – broken up 1761. – foundered 1747. – wrecked 1744. – sold 1763. – sold 1750. – sold 1763. – sold 1749. – broken up 1779. – sold 1755. – broken up 1754. – wrecked 1743. – broken up 1754. – sold 1763. Modified 1733 Establishment Group – 2 ships, with 20 × 9-pdrs. 1741 – sold 1768. – sold 1763. 1741 Establishment Group – 15 ships, with 22 × 9-pdrs, + 2 smaller. 1742–1746 – sold 1749. – sold 1749. – sold 1749. – sold 1762. – sold 1768. – sold 1763. – sold 1758. – burnt to avoid capture 1758. – sold 1756. – burnt to avoid capture 1758. – broken up 1753. – sold 1770. – sold 1764. – wrecked 1751. – sold 1763. Modified 1741 Establishment Group – 2 ships, with 20 × 9-pdrs, + 2 smaller. 1746 – sold 1761. – broken up 1754. purchase – sunk as a breakwater 1783. 1745 Establishment Group – 7 ships, with 22 × 9-pdrs, + 2 smaller. 1746–1751 – sold 1761. – sold 1765. – foundered 1761. – burnt to avoid capture 1781. – sold 1784. – sold 1770. – broken up 1777. Modified 1745 Establishment Group – 1 ship, with 22 × 9-pdrs, + 2 smaller. 1748 – broken up 1752. – sold 1784. – bilged 1759 and abandoned 1760.
18th-century (1752–99) Sixth Rate Groups
Gibraltar class – 1 ship, with 20 × 9-pdrs. 1754. – broken up 1773. Seaford class – 1 ship, with 20 × 9-pdrs. 1754. – 33 guns in 1780, sold 1784. – 10 ships, with 20 × 9-pdrs. 1775–1781. – sold 1783. – wrecked 1780. Bideford class – 1 ship, with 20 × 9-pdrs. 1756. – wrecked 1761. Later Gibraltar – 6 ships, with 20 × 9-pdrs. 1756. – sold 1772. – broken up 1777. – broken up 1774. – sold 1784. – wrecked 1777. – foundered 1780. Later Seaford – 2 ships, with 20 × 9-pdrs. 1757. – sunk as blockship 1779. – burnt by accident 1779. – 10 ships, with 20 × 9-pdrs, + 4 smaller. 1775–1781. – broken up 1811. – sold 1831. – sold 1802. – broken up 1783. – sold 1814. – foundered 1777. – broken up 1805. – broken up 1787. – captured by the French 1779. – wrecked 1796. – 10 ships, with 22 × 9-pdrs, + 2 smaller. 1777–1781. – broken up 1805. – wrecked 1781. – broken up 1834. – sold 1802. – foundered 1780. – wrecked 1794. – wrecked 1784. – wrecked 1781. – wrecked 1791. – sold 1816. Myrmidon class – 1 ship, with 20 × 6-pdrs, + 2 smaller. 1781. – broken up 1811. Squirrel class (of 1782 design) – 1 ship, with 22 × 9-pdrs, + 2 × 6-pdrs. 1785. – sold 1817.
19th-century sailing post ship (and subsequently corvette) classes
This section lists the 'post ships' of 20 to 24 guns (after 1817, up to 28 guns) which in the 1830s would be merged with the larger sloops to form the new category of corvette. From 1817 the upper limit (in terms of numbers of guns) would be raised to 28 guns. – 6 ships, with 22 × 9-pdrs, + 10 smaller. 1806–1807 – broken up 1816. – sold 1816. – broken up 1816. – captured 1815. – wrecked 1808. – sold 1816. – 6 ships, with 22 × 9-pdrs, + 10 smaller. 1806–1812 – wrecked 1807. – renamed Laurestinus 1810, wrecked 1813. – wrecked 1816. – sold 1817. – broken up 1850. – sold 1818. – 4 ships, 1811–1816 – burnt in action 1814. – broken up 1823. – sold 1841. – broken up 1829. – 16 ships, 1813–1814 – sold 1832. – sold 1823. – broken up 1820. – sold 1829. – wrecked 1820. – wrecked 1816. – broken up 1838. – wrecked 1819. – broken up 1848. – sold 1825. – sold 1828. – sold 1829. – sold 1822. – broken up 1822. – sold 1827. – sold 1828. – 10 ships, 1814–1817 – broken up 1852. – broken up 1833. – sold 1825. – sold 1837. – sold 1819. – broken up 1832. – broken up 1853. – sold 1825. – broken up 1852. – sold 1872. – 18 ships (of which 4 cancelled or re-ordered to other designs), 1820–1828 – broken up 1863. – broken up 1828. – sold 1832. – broken up 1860. – broken up 1860. – sold 1852. – sold 1896. – sold 1838. – sold 1865. – renamed Herald 1824, sold 1862. – sold 1883. Andromeda (-) – re-ordered as Nimrod below – broken up 1849. – sold 1861. Alarm (-) – re-ordered as Conway class vessel Daphne (-) – cancelled 1832 Porcupine (-) – cancelled 1832 – sold 1907. – 1 ship, 1825 – 1 ship, 1826 – 3 ships (of which 1 cancelled), 1832 (originally Pearl – renamed before launch)
Alarm (-) – cancelled 1832 – 1 ship, 1826 – 1 ship, 1826 – 1 ship, 1831 – 5 ships (of which the last 3 were re-ordered as the following Vestal class), 1832–1837 – broken up 1883. – broken up 1875. – 3 ships, 1833–1836 – sold 1862. – sold 1862. – sold 1861. – 8 ships (of which 2 cancelled), 1840–1845 – sold 1862. – sold 1869. – renamed Mariner 1878, foundered 1880. – broken up 1875. – sold 1869. Niobe (-) – re-ordered as Diamond-class vessel Malacca (-) – re-ordered as screw ship – sold 1904. – 1 ship, 1843 – 3 ships (of which 1 cancelled), 1848–1849 – sold 1885. Tribune (-) – completed as a screw frigate. – sold 1862 to Prussian Navy.
19th-century screw corvettes
– 2 ships, 1851–1854 – broken up 1871. – broken up 1870. Pylades class – 1 ship, 1854 – sold 1875. – 2 ships, 1854 – sold 1875. – sold 1866. – 10 ships, 1855–1858 – sold 1884. – broken up 1879. – broken up 1879. – broken up 1877. – sold 1882. – sold 1884. – broken up 1869. – hulked 1880, sold 1921. – broken up 1877. – training ship 1876, sold 1919. – 7 ships (of which 1 cancelled), 1859–1863 – broken up 1877. – broken up 1877. Galatea (-) – completed as a screw frigate. – wrecked 1863. – broken up 1866. – broken up 1882. – training ship 1881, sold 1923. – 10 ships, 1860 design – all cancelled – 2 ships, 1867–1869 – sold 1887. – sold 1920. – 3 ships, 1869–1871
– 2 ships, 1869–1869
– 5 ships, 1873–1874
– 6 ships, 1875–1877
Garnet (1877) – 3 ships, 1875–1877
– 9 ships, 1878–1881
– 2 ships, 1883–1884
World War II corvettes
After more than half a century, the category of corvette was revived during World War II to designate a smaller form of escort vessel than the existing sloops. It was thus not comparable with the pre-1887 corvettes in the Royal Navy. Two classes of wartime corvette were designed and built in considerable numbers (see separate articles):
– 267 ships, 1939–1945 – 44 ships, 1943–1944
Sloop classes
What became the sloop category in the Royal Navy evolved over the later part of the 17th century from a range of minor craft, notably the ketch with which the Navy was amply provided for auxiliary purposes. Two-masted sloops of the Restoration period Seventeen "double shallops after the French manner" of various sizes were built in the Royal Dockyards in 1672-73, eight by Jomas Shish at Deptford, four by Anthony Deane at Portsmouth, three by Sir Phineas Pett II at Chatham, and two by the Shipwright's Assistant at Woolwich. Contemporary illustrations usually show them as two-masted, with square fore and main courses and a main or fore topsail.