The accession of Queen Victoria to the throne in 1837 was the last occasion on which a new British monarch inherited a fleet made up almost entirely of ships built of wood and propelled by sails.

The most striking feature of the fleet was not so much its size but how few ships were actually in commission and actively employed.  Only 17 of the 78 ships of the line were in full commission, and only 15 of the 86 frigates were active. Amongst the smaller vessels - corvettes, sloops and brigs there was a majority of ships employed actively - 77 out of 91.  The 24 steam-powered vessels were a small proportion of the total and were best described as minor war vessels at this stage.  The disproportion would have been  greater if these figures included the many ships and frigates relegated to harbour service - these ships are NOT included in the following lists. They were employed as hulks on such duties as depots, barracks, hospitals etc., and had no further wartime role.

Equally striking is the absence of a battle fleet in home waters.  Normally the most obvious and significant indicator of naval power, there was no 'Channel Fleet or Channel Squadron'. Nor was there any grouping of partially-manned ships at the home ports which could provide the means for a speedy mobilisation of the fleet.  Instead, ships were laid up 'In Ordinary' for many years with no masts and rigging, no guns, and no maintenance crews.   A considerable number of these ships had been launched and placed straight into Ordinary with ever being commissioned. The naval bases in the Medway, at Portsmouth, and at Plymouth were full of such vessels.  Only a few large ships were kept in harbour service commissions in each port to provide dignified flagships for the port admirals.

Those ships which were in active service were employed in a variety of overseas stations where their main purpose was to protect British foreign policy and commercial interests.  The principal station was the Mediterranean where the threat of political instability in the area combined with suspicions of French and Russian intentions to provide the need for a substantial fleet at Malta.

A temporary concern was the political turbulence in Spain generated by the Carlist wars which resulted in the stationing of a force at Lisbon, and the distribution of smaller warships around the coast of Spain.

The other stations were the North America and West Indies - described in the 1837 Navy List as 'West Indies, Halifax and Newfoundland'; East Indies [which included China]; South America which included the Pacific; and The Cape of Good Hope and Coast of Africa'.  A small force was based in Australian waters.     

The Admiralty operated a large number of brigs on government mail services - the Packets - these vessels are not included in the following lists as they were not ships of war.

The confidence that the Admiralty and nation placed in the Royal Navy by this distribution can be assessed  by reference to the only two navies which could challenge Britain - France and Russia.

Summary of International Naval Strength 1837

Country	Ships of the Line	Frigates	Steam Vessels
Great Britain France Russia Baltic Black Sea	78 22 25 12	86 36 16 19	22 24 ? ?

Type of ship	Active	Harbour service	In Ordinary	Totals
First Rate Second Rate Third Rate Fourth Rate Fifth Rate Sixth Rate Ship-Sloops Brig-Sloops Steam Vessels	1 4 12 6 9 18 19 40 15	5 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 3	12 10 34 19 51 6 1 8 6	18 14 46 25 61 24 20 50 22

 

Two tables follow:

    Arranged by Type in Alphabetical Order within each Type

FIRST RATES


HMS Britannia
painted by George Hyde Chambers (Wikipedia)

Type & name	Date of completion	Location
First Rates/120 guns Britannia Caledonia Howe Nelson Neptune Prince Regent Princess Charlotte Royal George St Vincent First Rates/110 Camperdown Excellent Hibernia Impregnable San Josef First Rates/100-104 Ocean Queen Charlotte Royal Adelaide Temeraire Victory Windsor Castle	1823 1808 1815 1814 1833 1823 1825 1827 1815 1820 1811 1805 1812 Prize 1801 1805 1810 1828 1799 1765 1790	Portsmouth Flagship Plymouth-Ordinary Sheerness Flagship Portsmouth-Ordinary Portsmouth-Ordinary Portsmouth-Ordinary Mediterranean Flagship Sheerness-Ordinary Portsmouth-Ordinary Sheerness-Ordinary Portsmouth-gunnery training Portsmouth-Ordinary Portsmouth-Ordinary Plymouth- Sheerness-Ordinary Portsmouth-Ordinary Plymouth Flagship Sheerness Portsmouth Plymouth-depot

                                                             

SECOND RATES/90


HMS Ganges at Falmouth
in 1886 (Navy Photos)

THIRD RATES/74-80
WI - West Indies


HMS Blenheim in 1825 (Wikipedia)

FIFTH RATES/FRIGATES


Listed as Amazon, but uncertain -
a reminder of heavy weather sailing (Photo Ships)

Type & name	Date of completion	Location
Fifth Rates/46 Aeolus Africaine Amazon Andromeda Apollo Blonde Boadicea Briton Brune Cerberus Circe Clyde Crescent Daedalus Diana Druid Eurotas Forth Fox Hamadryad Hebe Horatio Hotspur Latona Laurel Leda Leonidas Madagascar Melampus Mercury Mermaid Minerva Naiad Nemesis Nereus Penelope Proserpine Resistance Seahorse Seringapatam Sirius Stag Tenedos Thalia Thames Thisbe Undaunted Unicorn Venus Fifth Rates/42 Amphitrite Astraea Belvidera Blanche Brilliant Fisgard Forte Havannah Owen Glendower Semiramus Trincomalee Fifth Rates/36 Castor    Inconstant Pique	1825 1828 1821 1829 1805 1824 1797 1812 Prize? 1827 1827 1829 1811 1827 1822 1825 1829 1833 1829 1823 1827 1807 1829 1821 1813 1828 1817 1829 1820 1826 1825 1820 1795 1826 1821 1830 1830 1815 1830 1819 1812 1831 1812 1830 1823 1824 1807 1824 1821 1816 1810 1810 1824 1815 1810 1820 1811 1809 1808 1817 1832 1836 1835	Sheerness-Ordinary Chatham-Ordinary Sheerness-Ordinary Plymouth-Ordinary Troopship Portsmouth-Ordinary Portsmouth-Ordinary Chatham-Ordinary Troopship Plymouth-Ordinary Plymouth-Ordinary Sheerness-Ordinary Sheerness-Ordinary Sheerness-Ordianry Chatham-depot Portsmouth-Ordinary Sheerness-Ordinary Plymouth-Ordinary Plymouth-Ordinary Plymouth-Ordinary Sheerness-Ordinary Sheerness-Ordinary Plymouth-Ordinary Sheerness-Ordinary Portsmouth-Ordinary Plymouth-Ordinary Sheerness-Ordinary North America & WI Plymouth-Ordinary Chatham-Ordinary Chatham-Ordinary Portsmouth-Ordinary Portsmouth-Ordinary Plymouth-Ordinary Plymouth-Ordinary Sheerness-Ordinary Portsmouth-Ordinary Portsmouth-Ordinary Plymouth-Ordinary North America & WI Portsmouth-Ordinary South America Sheerness-Ordinary Cape of Good Hope Flagship Sheerness-tender Plymouth-Ordinary Portsmouth-Ordinary Chatham-Ordinary Sheerness-Ordinary Portsmouth-Ordinary Falmouth Portsmouth- Ordinary Portsmouth-Ordinary Chatham-Ordinary Plymouth-Ordinary Plymouth-Ordinary Sheerness-Ordinary Chatham-Ordinary Plymouth-depot Portsmouth-Ordinary Mediterranean Plymouth Portsmouth

SIXTH RATES/FRIGATES/28-26

Type & name	Date of completion	Location
Actaeon Aigle Alligator Andromache Atholl Carysfort Cleopatra Conway Crocodile Curacoa Imogene Magicienne North Star Rainbow Rattlesnake Samarang Sapphire Semiramis Talbot Tribune Tyne Vestal Volage	1831 ex-5 Rate 1831 1822 1832 1821 1836 1835 1832 1828 ex-5 Rate 1831 1831 ex-5 Rate 1831 1826 1824 1822 ex-5 Rate/42 1824 1825 1824 1823 1837 1825 1826	Portsmouth-Ordinary Sheerness-Ordinary Australia Sheerness Troopship Mediterranean South America East Indies North America & WI Chatham-Ordinary South America Lisbon Particular Service North America & WI East Indies South America Mediterranean    Plymouth-depot Plymouth Chatham-Ordinary Mediterranean North America & WI East Indies

SHIP SLOOPS/26-18


HMS Wolf (Photo Ships)

Type & name	Date of completion	Location
Champion Childers Dido Electra Favourite Fly Harrier Hazard Hyacinth Nimrod Orestes Pearl Pylades Racehorse Rose Rover Satellite Scout Tweed Wolf	1824 1827 1837 1837 1829 1831 1832 1837 1830 1828 1826 1828 1824 1830 1821 1832 1827 1832 1823 1827	North America & WI Cape of Good Hope Mediterranean South America    East Indies South America South America Mediterranean East Indies North America & WI Mediterranean North America & WI Cape of Good Hope North America & WI Sheerness-Ordinary South America North America & WI Cape of Good Hope Particular Service East Indies

BRIG SLOOPS
[excluding Packets] 


HMS Beagle, the famous ship that carried Darwin around the world.
1841 watercolour by Capt Owen Stanley of HMS Britomart (Photo Ships)

Type & name	Date of completion	Location
Algerine Beagle Bonetta Briseis Brisk Britomart Buzzard Cameleon Charybdis Clio Columbine Cruiser Curlew Dolphin Fairy Falcon Forester Gannet Griffon Harlequin Harpy Icarus Jaseur Lynx Musquito Nautilus Pandora Pantaloon Partridge Pelican Pelorus Racer Raleigh Rapid Ringdove Rolla Sappho Saracen Savage Scylla Serpent Snake Sparrowhawk Termagent Trinculo Victor Wanderer Wasp Waterwitch Weazle Wizard Wolverine Zebra	1828 1818 1836 1828 1819 1824 1834 1816 1831 1807 1826 1828 1830 1836 1826 1823 1832 1815 1832 1836 1825 1815 1813 1833 1827 1830 1833 1832 1836 1812 1808 1833 1807 1828 1833 1829 1837 1834 1831 1809 1832 1832 1807 1824 1809 1814 1835 1812 1834 1824 1837 1830 1816	East Indies Australia-survey Cape of Good Hope Falmouth Cape of Good Hope Australia Cape of Good Hope Lisbon Chatham Mediterranean Chatham    Chatham    Cape of Good Hope Cape of Good hope Woolwich-survey Sheerness-Ordinary Cape of Good Hope Sheerness-Ordinary North America & WI Mediterranean North America & WI Plymouth-Ordinary Plymouth-Ordinary Cape of Good Hope Plymouth-Ordinary Portsmouth Falmouth Tender to Royal Yacht Portsmouth Cape of Good Hope East Indies North America & WI East Indies Mediterranean North America & WI Plymouth-Ordinary North America & WI Cape of Good Hope Particular Service Lisbon North America & West Indies North America & West Indies South America Portsmouth-Ordinary Lisbon East Indies North America & West Indies Mediterranean Cape of Good hope Plymouth-Ordinary South America Mediterranean East Indies

PADDLE STEAMERS

Type & name	Date of completion	Location
African Alban Carron Columbia Comet Confiance Echo Lightning Meteor	1826 1827 1827 1830 1822 1827 1827 1823 1824	Irish Coast-survey West Indies West Indies Woolwich-Ordinary Particular Service Mediterranean North America & West Indies Woolwich Falmouth

Note:  There are some differences between the Navy List and Rif Winfield. The former uses the term 'Particular Service' and the latter identifies that service. I have used Rif Winfield as my guide when such differences occur. Sometimes the Navy List identifies ships at home ports, and Winfield indicates that they are preparing for service on a particular station. Again, I have been guided by Rif Winfield.

LISBON STATION & COAST OF SPAIN

Ships of the Line	Frigates	Sloops and Brigs	Steam Vessels
Donegal Edinburgh Hastings [in UK] Malabar [to UK] Minden Talavera	Inconstant Magicienne	Tweed Cameleon Scylla Trinculo Savage [Spain]	Salamander Comet [Spain] Phoenix [Spain]

NORTH AMERICA & WEST INDIES

Ships of the Line	Frigates	Sloops and Brigs	Steam Vessels
Cornwallis [F]	Madagascar Seringaptam Pique Crocodile Rainbow Vestal	Champion Nimrod Pearl Racehorse Satellite Cruiser Griffon Harpy Racer Ringdove Sappho Serpent Snake Wanderer	Echo Flamer Alban [West Indies] Carron [West Indies]

SOUTH AMERICA
[listed as Pacific in Navy List]

Ships of the Line	Frigates	Sloops and Brigs	Steam Vessels
-	Dublin [F] President Stag Cleopatra Imogene North Star Samarang	Electra Fly Harrier Rover Sparrowhawk Wizard	-

EAST INDIES [including China]

Ships of the Line	Frigates	Sloops and Brigs	Steam Vessels
Wellesley [F]	Winchester [F. to UK] Andromeda [to UK] Conway Rattlesnake Volage	Favorite Hyacinth Wolf Algerine Pelorus Raleigh Victor Zebra	-

AUSTRALIA

Ships of the Line	Frigates	Sloops and Brigs	Steam Vessels
-	Alligator	Beagle Britomart	-

TROOPING DUTIES

Ships of the Line	Frigates	Sloops and Brigs	Steam Vessels
Hercules	Jupiter Apollo Brune Atholl	-	-

HARBOUR SERVICE AS FLAGSHIPS AND TRAINING SHIPS
[tg] - training

Nore/Sheerness	Portsmouth	Plymouth
Howe [F]	Britannia [F] Excellent [gunnery tg]	Royal Adelaide [F] San Josef [gunnery tg]

 

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