Ship prefix used in the United Kingdom and some other monarchies
His (orHer) Majesty's Ship, abbreviated HMS and H.M.S., is the ship prefix used for ships of the navy in some monarchies. Derivative terms such as HMAS and equivalents in other languages such as SMS are used.
During the late 17th century, following the Restoration, the name Royal Navy was officially adopted, as well as the prefix His Majesty's Ship, and later, Her Majesty's Ship.[citation needed] The first recorded use of the abbreviated form HMS was in 1789, in respect of HMS Phoenix.[1]From 1707 to circa 1800 HBMS (for His Britannic Majesty's Ship) was also used.[2][3]
Submarines in His Majesty's service also use the prefix HMS, standing for His Majesty's Submarine, though this is sometimes rendered HMS/m.[4] (See, for example, HMS/m Tireless, at IWM). The Royal Yacht Britannia, which was a commissioned ship in the Royal Navy, was known as HMY Britannia. Otherwise all ships in the Royal Navy are known as HM Ships, though formerly when a distinction was made between three-masted ship-rigged ships and smaller vessels they would be called HM Frigate X, or HM Sloop Y.
Historically, variants on HMS have been used by the navies of British colonies. The practice is maintained in several Commonwealth realms – states in which the monarch of the UK is head of state – as well as other Commonwealth countries and former members of the British Empire.
All Danish Navy ships carry the ship prefix KDM (Kongelige Danske Marine) in Danish, but this is translated to HDMS (Her / His Danish Majesty's Ship) in English.
It was sometimes also abbreviated to S.M.orSM (for Seiner Majestät) when a ship was mentioned by class, such as S.M. Kleiner Kreuzer Emden ("His Majesty's Light Cruiser Emden").
Special forms included
S.M.Y. (or SMY) = Seiner Majestät Yacht ("His Majesty's Yacht") for king's or emperor's yacht
I.M.Y. = Ihrer Majestät Yacht ("Her Majesty's Yacht") for the queen's or empress's yacht.
S.M.F. = Seiner Majestät Feuerschiff ("His Majesty's Lightvessel")
S.M.H. = Seiner Majestät Hilfsschiff ("His Majesty's Auxiliary Ship")
S.M.W. = Seiner Majestät Werkstattschiff ("His Majesty's Workshop Ship")
S.M.U. = Seiner Majestät Unterseeboot ("His Majesty's Submarine", prefixing a number not a name)
International prefixes for ships of the Royal Netherlands NavyisHNLMS (His/Her Netherlands Majesty's Ship).[25] The Netherlands navy itself uses the prefixes Zr.Ms. (Zijner Majesteits, His Majesty's) when a king is on the throne, and Hr.Ms. (Harer Majesteits, Her Majesty's) when there is a queen. This happens automatically at the moment of coronation.[26]
The Royal Norwegian Navy vessels have since 1946 been given the ship prefixKNM, short for Kongelig Norske Marine (Royal Norwegian Navy). In English, they are given the prefix HNoMS, short for "His/Her Norwegian Majesty's Ship" (HNMS could be also used for the Royal Netherlands Navy, for which HNLMS is used instead). Coast Guard vessels are given the prefix KV for KystVakt (Coast Guard) in Norwegian and NoCGV for Norwegian Coast Guard Vessel in English.
Prior to World War II, the subsequent ousting of the monarchy of Romania on 30 December 1947 and post-war Soviet occupation, all Royal Romanian Navy vessels were given the prefix NMS which stands for Nava Majestăţii Sale which translates to His/her Majesty’s Ship in English.
In the Royal Swedish Navy, all vessels are given the prefix HMS (HansorHennes Majestäts Skepp, HisorHer Majesty’s Ship). This is true for both surface and submarine vessels.[27]
Abroad, Swedish navy ships are sometimes given the prefix HSwMS (for His Swedish Majesty's Ship), to avoid confusion with other uses of the HMS prefix.[27]
In the Royal Thai Navy, ships with a displacement of 150 tons or more use the prefix เรือหลวง ("Royal Ship"), abbreviated ร.ล. meaning ships belonging to the Thai King. In English, the abbreviation HTMSorH.T.M.S. comes from the word His Thai Majesty's Ship.[28] For the name of the ship, it must be granted by the King.[28][29]
^"The Evolution of Ship Naming in the U.S. Navy". (US) Naval History and Heritage Command. 22 May 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2018. Some, but apparently not all, other navies also use prefixes with their ships' names. Perhaps the best known of these is HMS (His/Her Majesty's Ship), long used by the Royal Navy. In earlier times this was also seen as HBMS for His Britannic Majesty's Ship.
^Justin Reay (8 October 2008). "HBMS/HMS - usage in 18thC". The Society For Nautical Research. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
^HMS/m at acronyms.thefreedictionary; retrieved 5 September 2021